In category-based rounds of invitations, the federal government invites candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for a specific category established by the Minister to meet an identified economic goal. Candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as:
- ability to communicate in a specific official language
- work experience in a specific occupation
- education
Category-based rounds add to general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help Canada meet these specific economic goals.
Those chosen categories will be announced in advance.
The Federal Government will continue to invite candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination through general and Provincial Nominee Program-specific rounds. These candidates have demonstrated they have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the province or territory’s economy.
How categories are chosen
Based on:
- labour market information and projections.
- input received from the government’s partners, including provinces and territories, and stakeholders across the country.
Categories chosen for 2023
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
Who is eligible
To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, the Candidate must
- meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for 1 of the 3 immigration programs it covers and
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
When a category-based round of invitations is held, the IRCC will:
- rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements and
- invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence
To check the eligibility criteria for each of the categories mentioned above, kindly refer to this link.
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