BREAKING: IRCC releases annual Express Entry report

BREAKING: IRCC releases annual Express Entry report

According to the recently released Express Entry year-end report for 2023, more than double the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued in the 2023 Express Entry draw compared to 2022.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 110,266 ITAs in 42 Express Entry draws between January 11 and December 21, 2023. This is a 136% increase compared to 2022’s 46,539.

In total, 488,571 profiles were submitted. Of these, 343,875 (67%) were eligible, while 144,696 (33%) were ineligible.

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Express Entry is an application management system designed to facilitate accelerated processing for economic immigration applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to score and rank candidates, assigning each candidate a score out of 1200. Those with higher scores are most likely to receive an ITA.

In addition, category-based selection draws are introduced in 2023. These draws consider all Express Entry program candidates, but target them based on their occupation or language ability rather than giving most weight to their CRS score.

Which candidates got ITA?

Programs

The report said that most ITAs (40,052) were issued to CEC candidates, followed by Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates (26,445) and FSWP candidates (17,898). IRCC issued only eight ITAs to FSTP candidates. However, it also said that candidates eligible for FSTP and CEC will be considered under the processing hierarchy for candidates eligible for more than one program. It gives an example of a candidate eligible for CEC and FSTP. He will receive an ITA through CEC.

Following the introduction of the category-based selection round in June, IRCC issued 25,870 ITAs, representing 23% of all ITAs. Again, by schedule, 12,073 were CEC candidates, 13,790 were FSWP candidates, and 7 were FSTP candidates.

CRS Score

The majority of CRS scores in the pool were between 300-550, representing 93% of all candidates.

The average CRS score for all event (general) draws increased above 500 following the introduction of category-based selection.

Draw TypeMinimum ScoreMaximum ScoreScore range for obtaining ITA
General (includes FSWP, CEC, and FSTP)484561484 – 561
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)691791691 – 791
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)489 (only one draw took place in 2023)489
CBS Healthcare Business431476431 – 476
CBS Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Business481486481 – 486
CBS French Proficiency375486375-486
CBS Trades Business388425388-425
CBS Transport Business435 (only one draw in 2023)435
CBS Agribusiness354386354-386

gender

The data shows that overall, the majority of applicants for Express Entry were men. Specifically, 57% of the ITAs issued went to men while the remaining 43% went to women. According to the program, more men received ITAs under the CEC (52%) and PNP (26%) than women. However, according to 2022 data, women were more likely to receive ITAs through the FSWP (33% vs. 22%)

profession

A candidate’s occupation largely determines his or her eligibility for Express Entry. Some occupations are more in demand or more likely to receive an ITA.

In 2023, the vast majority of ITAs went to Express Entry candidates in computer, technology, and finance occupations. However, 48% of all ITAs went to candidates in “other” occupations, which are not listed in the report.

For the second time in a row, software engineers and designers were most likely to receive an ITA (7,259), followed by software developers and programmers (5,183).

Of the 15 occupations selected in the report, 10 are classified as TEER 1 under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system. These occupations usually require a university degree.

Primary OccupationTraining Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) RankingITAs to be issued in 2023
NOC 21231; Software engineers and designers17,259 (6.5%)
NOC 21232; Software developers and programmers15,183 (4.7%)
NOC 62020; Food service supervisor23,277 (2.9%)
NOC 21222; Information systems specialist12,951 (2.6%)
NOC 13110; Administrative assistant32,538 (2.3%)
NOC 21223; Database analyst and data administrator12,151 (1.9%)
NOC 11202; Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and public relations12,142 (1.9%)
NOC 11100; Financial auditors and accountants12,090 (1.8%)
NOC 22221; User support technician21,844 (1.6%)
NOC 20012; Computer and information systems manager01,841 (1.6%)
NOC 13100; Administrative officer31,747 (1.5%)
NOC 21211; Data Scientist11,654 (1.5%)
NOC 21221; Business systems specialist11,600 (1.4%)
NOC 12200; Accounting technicians and bookkeepers21,599 (1.4%)
NOC 21230; Computer systems developers and programmers11,475 (1.3%)
Other70,915 (64.3%)
Total110,266 (100%)

Country of residence and citizenship

As seen in 2022, the majority of candidates receiving ITA in 2023 listed Canada as their country of residence (76,791). India once again came in second place (7,394).

Interestingly, Cameroon has risen to third place in terms of the number of ITAs (3,828), just six ITAs more than Nigeria (3,822).

Lebanon is no longer in the top ten, however, Pakistan received 1,173 ITAs despite not being among the top 10 countries in 2022.

Country of residenceITAs to be issued in 2023
Canada76,791 (69.6%)
India7,394 (6.7%)
Federal Republic of Cameroon3,828 (3.4%)
Nigeria3,822 (3.4%)
United States2,526 (2.2%)
Morocco1,681 (1.5%)
Algeria1,349 (1.2%)
Pakistan1,173 (1.0%)
United Kingdom and overseas territories1,157 (1.0%)
United Arab Emirates1,051 (0.9%)
Other9,494 (8.6%)
Total110,266 (100%)

Note, these numbers measure country of residence, not country of citizenship. India is the largest source country of Express Entry ITA recipients by citizenship, followed by Nigeria and China.

Country of CitizenshipITAs to be issued in 2023
India52,106 (47.2%)
Nigeria7,263 (6.5%)
People’s Republic of China5,854 (5.3%)
Federal Republic of Cameroon4,335 (3.9%)
Iran2,693 (2.4%)
Philippines2,593 (2.3%)
Pakistan2,565 (2.3%)
Morocco2,049 (1.8%)
brazil1,777 (1.6%)
Algeria1,592 (1.4%)
Other27,439 (24.8%)
Total110,266 (100%)

Education

As in previous years, most ITAs admitted candidates with post-secondary education. Of those, 46% had three years or more of post-secondary education and 43% had a master’s degree or entry-to-practice professional degree.

Education levelITAs to be issued in 2023
High school or less810 (0.7%)
One or two year post-secondary credential7,819 (7.0%)
Post-secondary credential of three years or more50,294 (45.6%)
Master’s degree or entry-to-practice professional degree47,529 (43.1%)
PhD3,814 (3.4%)
Total110,266 (100%)

Language

Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements vary between Express Entry programs. However, candidates who demonstrate proficiency in an official language tend to have higher overall CRS scores. Data from 2023 shows that 78% of Express Entry candidates had a CLB score between 7 (24%) and 9 (31%).

The other 18% had a maximum high score of CLB 10. However, this still represents a 2% drop compared to 21% in 2022.

First official language (English or French) levelITAs to be issued in 2023
CLB/NCLC 45 (<1%)
CLB/NCLC 51,192 (1.0%)
CLB/NCLC 63,849 (3.4%)
CLB/NCLC 726,173 (23.7%)
CLB/NCLC 825,214 (22.8%)
CLB/NCLC 933,872 (30.7%)
CLB/NCLC 1019,961 (18.1%)
Total110,266 (100%)

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