Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes the Express Entry Year-End Report every year. This document analyzes key trends and performance of Canada's economic immigration system and plays an important role in setting the direction of the immigration program. The report details how many people who immigrate to Canada are assessed and invited through the Express Entry system, and it shows what strategies the government is using to attract people with specific occupations and skills. It's worth reading to understand where Canada's immigration policy is headed, and it can also help you predict future Canadian immigration policy. In this column, we will analyze the 2023 Express Entry year-end report to understand the government's policy direction for Canadian immigration.
According to the recently released 2023 Express Entry year-end report, the number of invitation letters (ITAs) issued through Canada's Express Entry system more than doubled compared to 2022. Between January 11 and December 21, 2023, Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued a total of 110,266 invitations, a 136% increase compared to the 46,539 issued in 2022. This, along with Canada's proactive approach to post-pandemic economic immigration, suggests that the category-based selection introduced in 2023 played a significant role.
In 2023, a total of 488,571 profiles were submitted to Express Entry, of which 67%, or 343,875, were eligible and selected to receive an invitation. Notably, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program issued the highest number of invitations, while the Skilled Worker Program (FSTP) had the lowest number, with only eight invitations issued. The reason why CEC has the highest percentage is because there is a prioritization of program applications when immigration assesses candidate eligibility: if a candidate is eligible for both CEC and another pathway, such as FSTP, they will be given priority under CEC and consequently have a greater chance of being selected under CEC. For this reason, it can be interpreted that selection through CEC was more heavily weighted.
In addition, a new category-based selection method was introduced in 2023, based on specific occupations or language skills. A total of 25,870 invitations were issued through this route, representing 23% of all invitations issued. This has led to a significant increase in the average cut-off score (CRS) across all programs since the introduction of category-based selection, as candidates with specific skills or language abilities are selected separately through category-based selection despite having lower scores, making the general selection more competitive.
In terms of gender, men accounted for 57% of invitation recipients, but in the skilled worker program (FSW), women received more invitations than men. In terms of occupation, software engineers and developers received the most invitations, with many of the top occupations requiring a high level of education.
The majority of invitation recipients were based in Canada, followed by India and Cameroon. Notably, India was the country with the most invitations by nationality, with 52,106 invitations (47.2%), followed by Nigeria with 7,263 invitations (6.5%), and China with 5,854 invitations (5.3%).
In terms of education, candidates with a college or higher degree received the majority of invitations, with those with a master's degree or higher accounting for 43% of the total. In terms of language proficiency, the majority of candidates scored between CLB 7 and 9 (78%). However, the percentage of candidates with the highest score of CLB 10 declined slightly to 18.1%, compared to 21% in 2022.
The 2023 Express Entry year-end report, which provides a breakdown of invitations issued by different categories, shows that Canada is strengthening its strategy to grow its economy and attract talent. The introduction of a lottery for certain occupations, and the fact that more highly educated, skilled, and language proficient candidates received Express Entry invitations, among other things, reflects the country's efforts to more effectively attract global talent. We expect to see more of the same in 2024, as the country continues to strengthen its immigration program policies to attract talented individuals.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes the Express Entry Year-End Report every year. This document analyzes key trends and performance of Canada's economic immigration system and plays an important role in setting the direction of the immigration program. The report details how many people who immigrate to Canada are assessed and invited through the Express Entry system, and it shows what strategies the government is using to attract people with specific occupations and skills. It's worth reading to understand where Canada's immigration policy is headed, and it can also help you predict future Canadian immigration policy. In this column, we will analyze the 2023 Express Entry year-end report to understand the government's policy direction for Canadian immigration.
According to the recently released 2023 Express Entry year-end report, the number of invitation letters (ITAs) issued through Canada's Express Entry system more than doubled compared to 2022. Between January 11 and December 21, 2023, Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued a total of 110,266 invitations, a 136% increase compared to the 46,539 issued in 2022. This, along with Canada's proactive approach to post-pandemic economic immigration, suggests that the category-based selection introduced in 2023 played a significant role.
In 2023, a total of 488,571 profiles were submitted to Express Entry, of which 67%, or 343,875, were eligible and selected to receive an invitation. Notably, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program issued the highest number of invitations, while the Skilled Worker Program (FSTP) had the lowest number, with only eight invitations issued. The reason why CEC has the highest percentage is because there is a prioritization of program applications when immigration assesses candidate eligibility: if a candidate is eligible for both CEC and another pathway, such as FSTP, they will be given priority under CEC and consequently have a greater chance of being selected under CEC. For this reason, it can be interpreted that selection through CEC was more heavily weighted.
In addition, a new category-based selection method was introduced in 2023, based on specific occupations or language skills. A total of 25,870 invitations were issued through this route, representing 23% of all invitations issued. This has led to a significant increase in the average cut-off score (CRS) across all programs since the introduction of category-based selection, as candidates with specific skills or language abilities are selected separately through category-based selection despite having lower scores, making the general selection more competitive.
In terms of gender, men accounted for 57% of invitation recipients, but in the skilled worker program (FSW), women received more invitations than men. In terms of occupation, software engineers and developers received the most invitations, with many of the top occupations requiring a high level of education.
The majority of invitation recipients were based in Canada, followed by India and Cameroon. Notably, India was the country with the most invitations by nationality, with 52,106 invitations (47.2%), followed by Nigeria with 7,263 invitations (6.5%), and China with 5,854 invitations (5.3%).
In terms of education, candidates with a college or higher degree received the majority of invitations, with those with a master's degree or higher accounting for 43% of the total. In terms of language proficiency, the majority of candidates scored between CLB 7 and 9 (78%). However, the percentage of candidates with the highest score of CLB 10 declined slightly to 18.1%, compared to 21% in 2022.
The 2023 Express Entry year-end report, which provides a breakdown of invitations issued by different categories, shows that Canada is strengthening its strategy to grow its economy and attract talent. The introduction of a lottery for certain occupations, and the fact that more highly educated, skilled, and language proficient candidates received Express Entry invitations, among other things, reflects the country's efforts to more effectively attract global talent. We expect to see more of the same in 2024, as the country continues to strengthen its immigration program policies to attract talented individuals.