Express Entry Draw

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Express Entry Draw 278 | 400 Invited in Agriculture and Agri-food Occupations

Published on: December 21st, 2023
By: Indira Duarte
The latest Canadian Express Entry draw was just held. Express Entry draw 278 saw a CRS Lowest score of 386 and invited 400 candidates in the Agriculture and Agri-food Occupations category draw.

Express Entry Draw 278

Date of Draw: December 21, 2023 at 14:15:42 UTC

Number of Invitations Issued: 400

Minimum CRS: 386

Program Specified: Agriculture and agri-food occupations (2023-1)

Tie-breaking rule: July 06, 2023 at 05:44:14 UTC

Do you qualify for Express Entry?

Canada’s Express Entry system is now tailored to streamline and efficiently accommodate individuals with expertise in critical fields. By prioritizing the invitation of skilled newcomers with work experience in Agriculture and agri-food jobs, Canada aims to meet the increasing demand for talent and fill key positions that contribute significantly to the nation’s farming and food processing operations.

Addressing Labor Shortages and Bolstering the Agri-Food Sector

In a groundbreaking move, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has unveiled a new initiative to attract skilled workers with expertise in agriculture and agri-food occupations to the country. Under the category-based selection system introduced on May 31, 2023, this strategic move aims to combat labour shortages and enhance Canada’s economic goals by welcoming candidates with specific work experience or French language proficiency as permanent residents.

Welcoming Skilled Talent to Power Agricultural Growth

The focus is on attracting candidates with experience in this sector, including agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors, and retail and wholesale butchers, to meet the growing demand for skilled talent nationwide.

These category-based selection rounds ran throughout 2023, in parallel with general and program-specific invitation rounds. Canada’s commitment to attracting top global talent and supporting the economy by meeting the need for agriculture and agri-food workers is evident in this significant step forward.

 

Second Draw for Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations

On September 28, the first round of invitations for agriculture and agri-food occupations through category-based selection in Express Entry was held. The draw #267 issued 600 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of 354.

Today’s draw was the second draw for Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations. Meaning that all candidates for this draw were selected from specific occupations of the industry within the Express Entry pool. The 278 draw issued 400 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of 386.

Eligibility for This Category

To be eligible for Agriculture and agri-food occupations you must:

  • Have accumulated at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a single occupation listed in the provided table within the past 3 years.
  • This experience could be gained in Canada or abroad.
  • Fulfill all requirements detailed in the instructions for each specific round.

Full eligibility details can be found in the instructions provided for each round of invitations.

Which are the Eligible Agriculture and agri-food occupations?

Occupations2021 NOC Code2021 TEER Category
Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services820312
Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors820302
Butchers- retail and wholesale632013

Will Express Entry Still Hold All-Program Draws?

Yes, Express Entry will hold different types of draws throughout the year, not just category-based draws. There will be 3 types of rounds:

  1. General round of invitations: This type invites the top-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for 1 of the 3 Express Entry Programs. The 3 programs include the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
  2. Program-specific rounds of invitations: Program-specific rounds invite the top-ranking candidates who are eligible for a specific Express Entry program. For example, the IRCC often has draws specifically for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), where only candidates who are eligible for a PNP are invited.
  3. Category-based rounds of invitations: The Minister of Immigration established specific categories to meet specific economic goals across Canada during 2023. The top-ranking candidates in the pool who are eligible for each category draw category will receive an invitation.

Latest Express Entry Draw for All categories!

Check here the full list of the Express entry draws that were held this year:

DrawDateCategoryNumber of ITAsCRS Cut OffTie-Breaking Rule
342April 14, 2025Provincial Nominee Program825764August 17, 2024 at 18:35:52 UTC
341March 21, 2025French language proficiency (Version 1)7,500379March 06, 2025 at 02:53:27 UTC
340March 17, 2025Provincial Nominee Program536736March 12, 2025 at 14:02:14 UTC
339March 6, 2025French language proficiency (Version 1)4,500410February 11, 2025 at 07:47:29 UTC
338March 3, 2025Provincial Nominee Program725667June 05, 2024 at 18:25:22 UTC
337February 19, 2025French language proficiency (Version 1)6,500428February 10, 2025 at 16:41:38 UTC
336February 17, 2025Provincial Nominee Program646750July 23, 2024 at 17:41:11 UTC
335February 5, 2025Canadian Experience Class4,000521November 14, 2025 at 02:52:14 UTC
334February 4, 2025Provincial Nominee Program455802December 07, 2024 at 19:39:25 UTC
333January 23, 2025Canadian Experience Class4,000527July 23, 2024 at 07:06:43 UTC
332January 8, 2025Canadian Experience Class1,350542December 07, 2024 at 01:10:06 UTC
331January 7, 2025Provincial Nominee Program471793November 25, 2024 at 16:57:27 UTC
330December 16, 2024Provincial Nominee Program1,085727September 18, 2024 at 13:39:10 UTC
329December 3, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)800466November 26, 2024 at 02:44:59 UTC
328December 2, 2024Provincial Nominee Program676705November 27, 2024 at 18:15:17 UTC
327November 20, 2024Healthcare occupations (Version 1)3,000463October 21, 2024 at 16:12:39 UTC
326November 19, 2024Canadian Experience Class400539July 08, 2024 at 01:41:37 UTC
325November 18, 2024Provincial Nominee Program174816August 28, 2024 at 05:12:34 UTC
324November 15, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)800478November 07, 2024 at 13:12:03 UTC
323November 13, 2024Canadian Experience Class400547April 10, 2024 at 03:58:05 UTC
322November 12, 2024Provincial Nominee Program733812March 02. 2024 at 01:58:34 UTC
321October 23, 2024Trade occupations (Version 1)1,800433March 12, 2024 at 14:30:36 UTC
320October 22, 2024Canadian Experience Class400539October 19, 2024 at 21:53:18 UTC
319October 21, 2024Provincial Nominee Program648791August 13, 2024 at 20:04:52 UTC
318October 10, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)1000444September 27, 2024 at 18:56:32 UTC
317October 9, 2024Canadian Experience Class500539February 20, 2024 at 02:57:40 UTC
316October 7, 2024Provincial Nominee Program1,613743March 22, 2024 at 18:36:54 UTC
315September 19, 2024Canadian Experience Class4000509November 06, 2023 at 07:17:35 UTC
314September 13, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)1000446August 28, 2024 at 17:07:19 UTC
313September 9, 2024Provincial Nominee Program911732March 13, 2024 at 19:56:16 UTC
312August 27, 2024Canadian Experience Class3300507June 05, 2024 at 01:08:58 UTC
311August 26, 2024Provincial Nominee Program1121694August 03, 2024 at 18:54:27 UTC
310August 15, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)2,000394July 07, 2024 at 09:46:10 UTC
309August 14, 2024Canadian Experience Class3,200509March 01, 2024 at 19:23:21 UTC
308August 13, 2024Provincial Nominee Program763690April 26, 2024 at 10:59:30 UTC
307July 31, 2024Canadian Experience Class5,000510June 30, 2024 at 20:39:14 UTC
306July 30, 2024Provincial Nominee Program964686May 27, 2024 at 07:07:21 UTC
305July 18, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)1,800400March 08, 2024 at 19:51:40 UTC
304July 17, 2024Canadian Experience Class6,300515February 03, 2024 at 13:01:06 UTC
303July 16, 2024Provincial Nominee Program1,391670May 04, 2024 at 13:27:31 UTC
302July 8, 2024French language proficiency (Version 1)3,200420May 30, 2024 at 03:37:43 UTC
301July 5, 2024Healthcare occupations (Version 1)3,750445May 07, 2024 at 21:27:04 UTC
300July 4, 2024Trade occupations (Version 1)1,800436July 16, 2023 at 15:44:59 UTC
299July 2, 2024Provincial Nominee Program920739February 02, 2024 at 11:38:43 UTC
298June 19, 2024Provincial Nominee Program1,499663January 19, 2024 at 10:10:40 UTC
297May 31, 2024Canadian Experience Class3,000522March 19, 2024 at 18:58:58 UTC
296May 30, 2024Provincial Nominee Program2,985676January 19, 2024 at 18:32:21 UTC
295April 24, 2024French language proficiency1,400410April 07, 2024 at 02:06:46 UTC
294April 23, 2024General2,095529November 08, 2023 at 17:50:29 UTC
293April 11, 2024STEM occupations (2024-1)4,500491February 25, 2024 at 11:55:12 UTC
292April 10, 2024General1,280549March 21, 2024 at 03:37:24 UTC
291March 26, 2024French language proficiency 1,500388March 10, 2024 at 20:06:26 UTC
290March 25, 2024General1,980524February 25, 2024 at 14:42:38 UTC
289March 13, 2024Transport occupations 975430July 31, 2023 at 13:27:26 UTC
288March 12, 2024General2,850525March 12, 2024 at 15:56:42 UTC
287February 29, 2024French language proficiency 2,500336January 18, 2024 at 09:15:46 UTC
286February 28, 2024General1,470534January 16, 2024 at 03:51:05 UTC
285February 16, 2024Agriculture and agri-food occupations 150437January 29, 2024 at 03:32:58 UTC
284February 14, 2024Healthcare occupations 3,500422January 30, 2024 at 02:39:54 UTC
283February 13, 2024General1,490535February 11, 2024 at 15:26:56 UTC
282February 1, 2024French language proficiency 7,000365September 08, 2023 at 09:47:27 UTC
281January 31, 2024General730541July 15, 2023 at 10:52:08 UTC
280January 23, 2024General1,040543January 21, 2024 at 07:43:47 UTC
279January 10, 2024General1,510546December 31, 2023 at 18:23:22 UTC

Interested in learning more about your options to enter the Express Entry pool? Complete our free online assessment form today!

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