Canada Express Entry In 2023: Year-End Report

Canada Express Entry saw some important changes in 2023. Express Entry continued with the trends from 2022, resuming draws after an 18-month break. These draws included various categories like All-program, Provincial Nominee Program, and in one instance - just for Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Draws were usually conducted every two weeks, but sometimes more frequently. Notably, in March 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited over 21,000 Express Entry candidates in four draws, making it the second-highest number ever invited in a month.

Category-based selection draws for Express Entry

On May 31, IRCC introduced six new selection categories for Express Entry draws. These new categories aim to attract candidates with attributes that support IRCC's goals, such as promoting French outside of Quebec and using immigration to boost Canada's workforce and economy. The categories are:

• French-language proficiency

• Healthcare occupations

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations

• Trade occupations

• Transport occupations

• Agriculture and agri-food occupations

Draw types

In 2023, there were 42 draws conducted to invite people to apply for immigration to Canada. Most of these draws looked at candidates from different programs, like the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

• All-program: 19 Draws

• Provincial Nominee Program: 5 Draws

• Federal Skilled Worker Program: 1 Draw

• Category-based Selection: 17 Draws

Surprisingly, no invitations were given specifically to FSTP candidates in 2023.

CRS Scores

Recent CRS Scoredata from IRCC shows that ITAs in 2023 were issued to -

• 56,223 candidates with CRS scores ranging between 451 and 500.

• 4,433 candidates with CRS scores ranging between 501 and 600.

• 1,011 candidates with CRS scores ranging between 601 and 1200.

Express Entry in 2024

In 2024, Canada plans to welcome 110,000 new permanent residents through Express Entry, as per the recently released Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026. In 2023, the target was 82,880 candidates, but between January 11 and December 21, the department issued 110,266 Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

It's important to note that not all candidates will be admitted by the year-end because the processing of Express Entry applications can take up to six months. Many ITAs issued in 2023 will count as admissions in 2024.

Additionally, there might be changes to the categories for category-based selection. The minister could adjust them based on the yearly report to Parliament and feedback from stakeholders like provincial governments and settlement services. These stakeholders assess how well Express Entry candidates integrate into the local job market and economy and if they find employment in their field. If the minister believes that the current categories don't align with IRCC's goal of inviting candidates who can best support Canada's economy, they may create new categories.

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