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, STEM, trades, education, and agriculture occupations. For occupation categories, you generally need recent qualifying work experience (usually at least six months) in an eligible NOC; for French, it's your language results. Cutoffs in these draws are often different from general draws — see how they compare on our live draw tracker.