French Language Proficiency Will Dominate Category-Based Express Entry Draws In 2024
French language proficiency will dominate the category-based selection Express Entry attract 2024, consistent with a recent Access to Information Request (ATIP).According to the Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, IRCC aims to welcome 26,100 French-speaking permanent residents in 2024.
This number will increase to 31,500 newcomers in 2025 and 36,000 in 2026.French language proficiency is one among the six categories selected by IRCC – targeting candidates with in-demand skills and work experience for occupations under the National Occupation Classification (NOC).
The ATIP, shared that throughout draws in 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue 78.5% of all Invitations to use (ITAs) to precise Entry candidates in category-based selection draws. The remaining 21.5% of ITAs are going to be issued generally draws.
Candidates eligible for selection through the French proficiency category will receive 30% of those with STEM occupations making up the subsequent highest at 25% and healthcare at 15%. Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 as a way for IRCC to focus on the Express Entry candidates with in-demand attributes like work experience and language abilities.
However, the draws for French language proficiency category, alongside those for the overall category, still generate the foremost invitations for profiles within the candidate pool.
Why Are French Language Skills Important in Canada?
In recent years, the Canadian government has been stepping up its efforts to draw in French-speaking immigrants to communities across Canada. To encourage continued francophone immigration growth, the govt has set a target for francophone immigrants settling outside Quebec for the upcoming years.
The push for increased francophone immigration is essentially thanks to declining French-speaking populations across Canada. consistent with Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who speak predominantly French reception fell to 19.2% in 2021 from 20% in 2016. In fact, the proportion of French speakers has declined in nearly all areas of Canada, including Quebec.
The Official Languages Action Plan 2023-2028 allocates $137.2 million over a five-year period to market Francophone immigration to Canada. This initiative introduces measures across the immigration continuum, including the implementation of a completely unique Francophone immigration policy. This funding is a further investment, complementing the continued support of $84.3 million from prior action plans.
Applying Through Express Entry
Before you begin planning your Canada immigration, check if you’re eligible to use Express Entry Canada. Use a 67-point calculator which can assess your age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and other factors.
A maximum of 24 points are often achieved for English but 4 extra points are given for French skills – which could catch up on points lost in other factors.If you qualify, create an Express Entry profile and enter the pool.
Here, your profile will again be ranked employing a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and awarded points for an equivalent factor because of the 67-point calculator.In the CRS calculator, 160 points are awarded to applicants under the language proficiency factor.
For French skills, you get additional CRS points – up to 50, albeit French isn’t your mother tongue. to urge additional points, obtain a minimum of an NCLC 7 altogether French language skills in TEF. The higher your CRS score is, the higher your chances of getting an ITA from IRCC.
Why The French Proficiency Category Leads
The French proficiency category has been targeted as particularly important because Canada employers have repeatedly reported facing challenges with finding qualified and skilled bilingual workers to fill vacant positions.
This is especially needed as all Canadians have the proper access to public services in either of the country’s 2 official languages. Respondents in support expressed the necessity for bilingualism in healthcare, tourism, hospitality, and education. They also highlighted how gaining French speaking employees within the market can help remove barriers for French-speaking minority communities.
In another ATIP dated April 2023, Proficiency within the French language was considered particularly important because consistent with a 2021 Labour Market Information Council report, employers in Canada were having trouble finding qualified skilled workers to fill vacancies that need being bilingual. In addition, it had been found that economic major applicants who spoke French had a better chance of employment.
IRCC also says this may even have an impact on public services in Canada, as all Canadians have the right to access these services in any official language (French or English).
According to the 2023 ATIP, when this category was first proposed, IRCC noted that 11% to fifteen of candidates invited through category-based selection would be from this category. However, to date, the French proficiency draw has invited the foremost candidates of any category (17,300 ITAs from July 2023).
The department also said that inviting a better percentage of French-speaking candidates would help make sure that IRCC can meet its mandated target of 4.4% of all French-speaking newcomers settling outside Quebec in 2023.The department succeeded. They also pointed to non-economic benefits from this category, like removing barriers for French-speaking minorities to access services in their mother tongue.
Target of Express Entry Draws
According to the 2024 ATIP 2024, IRCC has developed an idea for Express Entry draws. In 2024, IRCC conducted one category-based draw and a minimum of one general draw every fortnight, but it’s not clear if this pattern will continue throughout the remainder of the year.
IRCC invites candidates supporting the Immigration Levels Plan set for 2024 to 2026. In 2024, IRCC aims to welcome 110,770 new permanent residents and 117,500 in 2025. the number of candidates invited annually won’t be an equivalent because the target because Express Entry applications have a typical six-month time interval. This suggests candidates invited within the latter part of this year won’t arrive in Canada until 2025.
Effect on CRS score
The 2024 ATIP also states, “The approximate round size at this frequency of draws. The pool should be viable and support current expectations for vitality, although Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores and pool composition may deviate from expectations supporting PT (provincial and territorial) behavior and pool replenishment.
In other words, this suggests that the amount of candidates within the Express Entry application pool and their CRS scores will have an impression on the minimum CRS cut-off score for upcoming draws.In the 2023 ATIP, IRCC said it expected to ascertain a decline of about 10% within the overall average CRS score following the introduction of the category-based selection round.
It speculated that this decline would likely help broaden source country and occupational diversity, but also noted that there might be a negative impact on the economic outcomes of newcomers as higher CRS are related to stronger economic outcomes.
Express Entry draws in recent months have seen higher minimum scores than those for general draws, with none below 524. Meanwhile, some category-based selection draws have much lower score requirements, like 336 points for the French language proficiency draw on leap day.
