François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, on behalf of Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship recently announced a new STEM round for the category-based selection in the Express Entry system which opened on July 5, 2023. As immigration accounts for nearly 100% of labour force growth in Canada, policy-makers hope that this will draw in talented candidates and address labour shortages in Canada’s science and technology sector.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is Canada’s online application management system for permanent residency applications for skilled workers. Three immigration programs are managed through Express Entry:

1. Canada Experience Class
   1. Skilled workers with Canadian work experience are eligible for this class.
   2. You must:
      1. have at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada in the last three years before your application; and
      2. your work experience must have been gained while under temporary resident status with authorization to work.
   3. You are not eligible if:
      1. you’re a refugee claimant in Canada;
      2. you were working without authorization; or
      3. your work experience was gained while you did not have temporary resident status in Canada.
2. Federal Skilled Worker Program
   1. Skilled workers with foreign work experience are eligible for this class.
   2. You must meet the minimum requirements for skilled work experience, language ability, and education.
   3. If so, Immigration Canada will assess your eligibility based on the following factors and assign you a score out of 100:
      1. age;
      2. education;
      3. work experience;
      4. the presence of a valid job offer;
      5. English or French language abilities; and
      6. adaptability to life in Canada.
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program
   1. Skilled workers who are qualified in a skilled trade are eligible for this class.
   2. You must:
      1. meet the minimum language requirements;
      2. have at least two years of full-time paid work experience (or four years of part-time paid work experience) in a skilled trade in the past five years before you apply
      3. meet the job requirements for that skilled trade set out in the National Occupational Classification (besides a certificate of qualification); and
      4. have a
         1. valid job offer for full-time employment lasting a minimum of one year, or
         2. a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial authority.

If you are eligible under one of these programs and submit your profile to Express Entry, you’ll be ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). This points-based system assesses your profile and ranks it in the Express Entry pool where you’re compared to other candidates.

To receive an invitation to apply, you must have a score above the minimum threshold for your round of invitations. Candidates with the highest scores are invited to apply and have sixty days to submit their applications. Most complete applications with supporting documentation are processed within six months.

Category-Based Selection

Earlier this year, on May 31, 2023, Minister Fraser announced the launch of a new category-based selection for the Express Entry system. This allows Canada to issue invitations to candidates with in-demand skills, training, or language abilities, to address Canadian labour shortage needs.

When there is a category-based round of invitations, the top-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool who fall into the selected category will be invited to apply for permanent residence.

In 2023, category-based selection invitations will focus on candidates who fall under the following categories:

• strong French language proficiency;
• healthcare occupations;
• STEM occupations;
• trade occupations;
• transport occupations; and
• agriculture and agri-food occupations.

Immigration Canada chooses these categories based on labour market data and projections and feedback received from provinces, territories, and other stakeholders in Canada. They will be responsible for reporting to Parliament on the categories chosen, the process of and reasons for choosing them, how the categories are established, and the number of invitations issued for each category.

STEM Round for Category-Based Selection

The STEM round in early July is the first of the new category-based selection invitations. It focuses on candidates that can drive growth and innovation within Canada’s science and technology sector, including data scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, actuaries, software developers and programmers, and electrical and electronics engineers.

Minister Fraser says that:

Canada’s ability to remain at the cutting edge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics depends largely on our country’s ability to recruit top talent from around the world. I’m excited to announce this STEM category-based selection round with my colleague, Minister Champagne, which will increase permanent residence for skilled workers with STEM experience. We look forward to welcoming these talented and innovative newcomers to our country.

This announcement furthers Canada’s efforts in their recently announced Tech Talent Attraction Strategy. Here, Canada seeks to use immigration to meet their innovation priorities and secure their place as a world leader in new technologies. Other strategies include introducing new work permits for H-1B visa holders, a new Innovation Stream to the International Mobility Program, reducing backlogs for the start-up visa, a two week processing time for the Global Skills Strategy, and allowing digital nomads working remotely to work in Canada for up to six months with only visitor status.

This is only the first of Canada’s new category-based selection round of invitations, which are scheduled to continue throughout the year. On July 7, 2023, the Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, announced the first Francophone round of category-based selection. More details on these initiatives are set to be announced over the coming weeks.

“This article is intended to inform. Its content does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon by readers as such. For more information about immigration and your specific circumstances, please contact a lawyer in our Immigration Law Group.”

This blog was co-authored by law student, Leslie Haddock.