One of the five occupational categories that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has decided to give priority to through category-based drawings for Express Entry in 2023 is the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) sector.
Early this year, category-based Express Entry draws began. In order to satisfy recognized economic needs and goals, Express Entry chooses immigrants who meet specific standards, such as education, work experience, or language proficiency.
The federal government selected five priority occupational categories experiencing labor market deficits after collecting opinions and proposals from a wide variety of stakeholders and the general public: healthcare, STEM, transport, trades, and agriculture/agrifood.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of a candidate receives the majority of attention in category-based drawings as opposed to ordinary Express Entry draws since they are prioritized and given more weight.
why the specific Express Entry category of STEM was chosen
According to a report published by Statistics Canada at the end of 2022, there is a shortage of the skills required for Canada’s STEM labor force. The rising rate of retirement, changing technology, and increasing automation in industry and daily life are the main causes of this gap.
The demand for technical professionals has expanded as a result of Canada’s fast expanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry. According to the Global AI index, Canada came in fourth place for its ability to compete internationally in terms of innovation, adoption, and investment.
“Canada’s capacity to draw talent is one of its greatest assets. The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, stated when IRCC announced the first STEM category-based draw that it would support our science and technology sector and its workforce by attracting even more of the skilled talent that businesses need to drive innovation and realize their growth potential.
In the words of Minister Champagne, “Canada is the best place in the world to start and scale a technology company, combining its unparalleled ability to attract talent with the innovative capacity of its entrepreneurs.”
How many STEM professionals does Canada actually require?
The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) is a tool run by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). COPS estimates the number of anticipated job opportunities in a given profession from 2022 to 2031 and gives information on the occupational outlook for various professions.
Several STEM career outlooks include:
- There are 44,300 fresh job vacancies for software developers and designers.
- 80,500 new positions are available for computer programmers and interactive media developers.
- 26,100 new job vacancies in civil engineering
- 12,700 new job vacancies in mechanical engineering
- 3,800 new job vacancies in industrial and manufacturing engineering.
- 12,600 new jobs in electrical and electronics engineering
- 4,600 new employment openings for statisticians, actuaries, and mathematicians.
- 12,200 new job opportunities in technical fields of the physical sciences
According to these numbers, Canada will need hundreds of thousands of new qualified STEM professionals to fill upcoming job openings and address the country’s labor shortage.
What chance does this give potential immigrants to Canada?
The top three primary jobs among 2022 invitation to apply (ITA) winners were all in the technology sector, according to the year-end Express Entry report for 2022. Particularly, among individuals asked to apply through Express Entry in 2022, software engineers and designers, information system professionals, and computer systems developers and programmers were the most prevalent jobs.
Therefore, category-based Express Entry draws for STEM employees may make skilled STEM professionals interested in immigration to Canada eligible to do so. While building the STEM sector of the Canadian economy and filling labor market gaps, these qualified workers will also pursue fulfilling jobs in Canada.
STEM Express Entry’s past results
To present, IRCC has only sent out one round of invitations to qualified individuals in the STEM fields.
On July 5th, 500 immigrants with STEM-related employment experience were selected at random to apply for Canadian permanent residency. Candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 486 to be eligible for this draw.
Each time an Express Entry draw is held by IRCC, the results are posted on this page, where you can access them.
