- Canada's immigration authority, IRCC, published 10 category-based Express Entry streams targeting skilled foreign workers
- The categories span professions from healthcare and STEM to trade occupations, transport, and skilled military recruits
- Canada faces a shortage of around 230,000 jobs that the government aims to fill through targeted immigration rounds
TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published 10 Express Entry categories through which skilled foreign nationals can be invited to apply for permanent residence, as the country moves to address significant gaps in its labour market.
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The category-based invitation system allows the minister to target candidates in the Express Entry pool who meet specific economic goals, rather than relying solely on general ranking scores.
IRCC selects invitees based on criteria including proficiency in an official language, relevant work experience in a particular occupation, and educational background.
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The current categories listed by IRCC are:
- French-language proficiency.
- Healthcare and social services occupations.
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations.
- Trade occupations.
- Education occupations.
- Transport occupations.
- Physicians with Canadian work experience.
- Senior managers with Canadian work experience.
- Researchers with Canadian work experience.
- Skilled military recruits.
"We invite candidates to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as: ability to communicate in a specific official language, work experience in a specific occupation and education," IRCC stated.
The authority noted that category-based rounds are designed to complement general and programme-specific rounds, not replace them. If enough top-ranking candidates eligible for a given category are already being reached through other round types, a separate category-based round may not be issued.
Why is Canada targeting foreign workers?
IRCC selects its categories using labour market data and projections, along with input gathered from provincial and territorial governments and stakeholders across the country.
The categories are reviewed to align with identified economic priorities.
Canada is grappling with a shortage of approximately 230,000 jobs that the country is looking to fill through targeted immigration.
The ageing domestic workforce and growing demand in sectors such as healthcare, construction, and technology have made attracting skilled international workers a central plank of the country's economic strategy.
Category-based selection gives the government a more direct tool to channel immigration pathways toward occupations where shortages are most acute, ensuring that Express Entry draws serve broader national workforce needs rather than simply prioritising the highest-scoring candidates.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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