Canada has issued its first occupation-specific Express Entry invitations aimed at candidates in STEM jobs.
In a July 5 draw, 500 ITAs were issued with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 486.
The ITAs were issued to Express Entry candidates with experience in 24 occupations, including data scientists, software developers and programmers, mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries, and electrical and electronics engineers.
Candidates for STEM jobs – those in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields – are some of the most in-demand in Canada.
Canada has now issued 61,449 ITAs in 2023 after inviting 45,115 candidates in the whole of 2022.
This was the 18th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2023 and 254th overall.
This was Canada’s second occupation-specific draw of 2023. It has also conducted 11 all-program draws, four PNP draws and one draw targeted at Federal Skilled Worker candidates.
The latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on November 22, 2022, at 8.01pm EST. If more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.
Full List Of STEM Jobs Targeted
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Architects | 21200 | 1 |
| Architecture and science managers | 20011 | 0 |
| Business systems specialists | 21221 | 1 |
| Civil Engineers | 21300 | 1 |
| Computer and information systems managers | 20012 | 0 |
| Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | 21311 | 1 |
| Computer systems developers and programmers | 21230 | 1 |
| Cybersecurity specialists | 21220 | 1 |
| Data scientists | 21211 | 1 |
| Database analysts and data administrators | 21223 | 1 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 21310 | 1 |
| Engineering managers | 20010 | 0 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineers | 21321 | 1 |
| Information systems specialists | 21222 | 1 |
| Land surveyors | 21203 | 1 |
| Landscape Architects | 21201 | 1 |
| Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries | 21210 | 1 |
| Metallurgical and materials engineers | 21322 | 1 |
| Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 41400 | 1 |
| Software developers and programmers | 21232 | 1 |
| Software engineers and designers | 21231 | 1 |
| Urban and land use planners | 21202 | 1 |
| Web designers | 21233 | 1 |
| Web developers and programmers | 21234 | 1 |
STEM is the second of five categories for which occupation-specific draws have been announced, covering 82 National Occupational Classification codes.
Healthcare workers received 500 invitations at the end of June, and are expected to receive another 1,500 this week.
The other three categories are trades, transport and agriculture and agri-food.
New draws will also target candidates with strong French language ability.
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To be eligible, candidates must have accumulated, within the past three years, at least six months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in one of the individual occupations, a full list of which are available further down this article.
The aim is to make Express Entry, which manages applications for federal immigration streams including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class, as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Program, more responsive to labour market needs.
The decision to also target francophone candidates is intended to support French-speaking communities across Canada.
Changes To Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act
Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.
The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.
Under the changes to the act, the Immigration Minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.
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IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason or the choices.
Employment and Social Development Canada says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, Federal High Skilled admissions accounted for between 34 per cent and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.
