Blue Bird Blog

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced the first STEM round for category-based selection will open the week of July 5th. The draw will prioritize sending invitations to candidates with Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) expertise, which includes data scientists, software developers and programmers, mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries, and electrical and electronic engineers.

The first half of 2023 has been an interesting chapter in Express Entry history. In some ways, Express Entry has been unpredictable, as it has worked to re-establish itself after a months-long pause throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the resumption of all-program draws in July last year, Express Entry draws occurred every two weeks on Wednesdays and resumed the pre-pandemic established patterns. Draw sizes increased by predictable increments while the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score decreased slightly with each draw.

IRCC has invited 500 healthcare workers under the new Express Entry category-based selection draws. Candidates required a minimum comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score of 476. This is the very first category-based selection draw since the six new categories were announced on May 31. A second round, inviting 1,500 workers to apply, will take place on July 5. A draw inviting eligible candidates from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions is also expected to occur in the same week.

On June 27th, 2023, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced a new temporary measure that will remove the limit on the length of study programs that temporary foreign workers can enrol in without a study permit. Through this measure, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is recognizing that foreign workers can face barriers in the types of study programs they are allowed to pursue to get additional training and education that will help them in their careers.

As a newcomer to Canada, it is likely that your first home will be a rented house or apartment. It is important to understand your rights as renter to ensure that renting your new home will provide you with a safe place where you can begin to adjust to your life in Canada. Landlord and tenant responsibilities can be different in different provinces and territories. In each province or territory, government departments or ministries oversee these laws.