How do category-based draws work, and how do I know if I qualify for one?

In a category-based draw, IRCC invites people from the pool who meet specific criteria. Currently, categories include French speakers, healthcare and social services, education, STEM, trades, and transport occupations, plus newer categories such as physicians and researchers. For occupation categories, you generally need at least one year of recent qualifying work experience in an eligible NOC; for French, it's your language results. Cutoffs in these draws are often different from general draws, so see how they compare on our live draw tracker.