Canada invited 1,082 Express Entry candidates to apply for Canadian immigration on February 16.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) only invited Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates in the new invitation round. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut off was 710. PNP candidates get an automatic 600 points added to their score when they receive their nomination, which is why the minimum score was so high.

This is the third time in a row that a PNP draw has broken a record for most invitations. The draw two weeks ago held the previous record with a total of 1,070 PNP candidates invited to apply.

Invited candidates now have 60 days to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Express Entry levels 2022-2024
Canada is aiming to admit 55,900 immigrants through Express Entry-managed programs this year, according to Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 released on February 14. That figure does not include the 83,500 PNP immigrants Canada expects to welcome this year, although not all of these will come through Express Entry.

The new Express Entry targets are nearly half of what the previous multi-year levels plan called for. In the 2021-2023 levels plan, Canada anticipated the number of Express Entry immigrants would be 108,500 in 2021.

The Express Entry targets for next year are also reduced compared to previous targets to 75,750. Targets appear to return to more normal levels in 2024, when Canada projects to welcome 111,500 through Express Entry.

The immigration targets for 2023 onward could change in the fall, as the immigration minister will have to table the next multi-year immigration levels plan by November 1. The reason the 2022-2024 targets were delayed was because of the federal election in September.

Part of the reason Canada reduced targets is so that IRCC can process its backlog of immigration applications. As of February 1, there are more Express Entry applications in the queue than Canada needs to meet its targets for the year. The reduction also appears to be part of an IRCC effort to process applications for the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) program, and accommodate the goal of resettling 40,000 Afghan refugees.

What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is the application management system for three Canadian immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. PNP candidates in the Express Entry pool have already qualified for one of these programs.

Express Entry uses a points-based system, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), to rank candidates’ profiles. The top-scoring candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), and can then apply for permanent residency.

After the candidate applies, an IRCC officer reviews the application and makes a decision. The officer will ask for biometrics and may set up an interview or request more documents.

If the application is approved, IRCC issues a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Approved permanent residents can then complete the landing process. If they are outside Canada, they can access pre-arrival services to help them with the first steps for settling in Canada.

Who was invited?
The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have received an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.

Oleksandr is 34 with a master’s degree and has been working as a database analyst for ten years. He wrote the IELTS and scored a 7.5 in listening and a 6.5 in every other category. Oleksandr entered the Express Entry pool in January 2020. He also submitted an Expression of Interest profile to the Canadian province of Saskatchewan through the International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry stream. He entered the Express Entry pool with a CRS score of 360. Shortly after submitting a profile to Saskatchewan, Oleksandr was invited to apply for provincial nomination. After being nominated, his Express Entry CRS score increased to 960. Oleksandr was then invited to apply for permanent residence in the new Express Entry draw.

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Canada has only surpassed 400,000 newcomers one other time in its history, in 1913. The following year, the First World War broke out, and immigration levels plummeted.

The Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023 aimed to welcome 401,000 immigrants in 2021 to support Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery. In 2020, Canada only welcomed 184,000 new immigrants, and as a result the country’s population growth fell to the lowest level since the First World War. Prior to the pandemic, Canada was targeting the arrival of 341,000 new immigrants per year.

In 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) focused on transitioning as many temporary residents who were already in Canada to permanent residents in order to meet its target. IRCC felt this was the most effective way to achieve its target amid COVID-19 travel restrictions and other pandemic related challenges. Among the measures it took to land more permanent residents from within Canada, IRCC held Express Entry draws that invited high totals of Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates from January until September. In May, IRCC launched six immigration streams (“TR to PR”) in an effort to land some additional 90,000 international students and temporary foreign workers living in Canada.

Most of Canada’s immigrants arrive under economic class programs. Prior to the pandemic, 30 per cent of new economic class landings were applicants from within Canada while 70 per cent were economic class arrivals from abroad. This was reversed in 2021, with 70 per cent landing from within Canada and 30 per cent coming from abroad.

IRCC’s large CEC invitation rounds and the launch of the six TR to PR streams help to explain why its landings increased significantly in the second half of 2021. IRCC welcomed a large number of new in-Canada applications in the first half of last year and then ramped up processing by June and concluded the year landing upwards of 40,000 permanent residents per month.

How did Canada’s new immigrants land in 2021?

A total of 252,975 permanent residents landed under the economic class. This works out to 62 per cent of all immigrants landed in 2021, which is higher than the 58 per cent figure that was targeted under the 2021 levels plan. In fact, Canada welcomed over 20,000 more economic class immigrants in 2021 than it had targeted.

A total of 80,990 under family class landed in 2021, which was well short of the 103,500 family class immigrants Canada targeted under the 2021 levels plan. The family class accounted for 20 per cent of new landings last year, which was below the levels plan target of 26 per cent.

In all, 60,115 permanent residents landed as refugees and protected persons in Canada, slightly below the levels plan target of 65,000 people. This was 15 per cent of all new landings, a fraction below the 16 per cent targeted under the levels plan.

The remaining amount were classified by IRCC as falling under “All Other Immigration.”

CEC leads the way accounting for almost one-third of new permanent residents
The CEC was the leading pathway for new permanent residents with 130,555 people landing under the program, or 32 per cent of all immigrants landed in 2021. In 2019, the CEC accounted for roughly 30,000 people or about 9 per cent of all new landings.

IRCC entered 2021 with the belief it would need to depend heavily on the CEC to achieve its 401,000 target. As an example of the great lengths it went to in order to land high levels of CEC candidates, the department invited all 27,332 CEC candidates in the Express Entry pool on February 13, 2021, by far the most exceptional draw in Express Entry’s history. The draw was exceptional since it saw nearly five-times more invitations issued than the previous record, with the lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement since Express Entry was launched in 2015, and every single CEC candidate in the pool on that date receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

IRCC only landed 8,320 people under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) in 2021. Prior to the pandemic, the FSWP was the main program for new federal economic class landings. In 2019, Canada landed 58,760 immigrants under the FSWP.

The decline last year was a function of IRCC prioritizing CEC and other applications submitted from within Canada. Newer IRCC data suggests that FSWP application processing has increased since December, with IRCC now finalizing an average of 800 FSWP applications per week.

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) accounted for 53,960 landings last year. The PNP has been fully operational throughout the pandemic as IRCC and the provinces and territories have been holding regular invitation rounds, and in some cases, on a weekly basis.

Some 23,885 people landed under the temporary TR to PR program. This suggests IRCC is yet to land the bulk of the some 90,000 people that applied for the program in 2021.

Spouses and partners are the leading group of family class landings. They comprised 64,120 landings last year.

Where did Canada’s new immigrants land?

Ontario landed 49 per cent of all new immigrants last year, a higher share than the some 45 per cent it landed prior to the pandemic, in 2019. This can be explained in large part by IRCC’s dependence on the CEC, given that most of these candidates reside in Ontario.

BC was another major beneficiary of IRCC’s dependence on the CEC. It landed 17 per cent of all new immigrants, compared with 15 per cent in 2019.

Quebec came in third, at over 12 per cent of 2021 landings, followed by Alberta at almost 10 per cent. Quebec’s share remained the same compared to 2019, whereas Alberta’s share fell from the 13 per cent it landed in 2019. Alberta’s lower share can be explained in large part to it not landing as many immigrants under the CEC as Ontario and BC. Manitoba and Saskatchewan saw their national shares also fall for the same reason.

The Atlantic region as a whole also saw their national share decline, since they depend on the PNP and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot for their arrivals. On the other hand, Nova Scotia set a provincial record by landing over 9,000 immigrants last year.

Where did Canada’s immigrants come from?

The top source countries of Canada’s new immigrant landings are similar to those prior to the pandemic. India remains the leading source country, accounting for almost one-third of landings in 2021, compared with 25 per cent in 2019. This may potentially be explained by the high numbers of CEC landings. India is the main source of Canada’s international students, and many of these students eventually gain permanent residence through the CEC.

IRCC’s January to November data shows us the top 10 countries are as follows:

1) India (32%)

2) China (8%)

3) Philippines (4.3%)

4) Nigeria (3.8%)

5) France (3.2%)

6) United States (3%)

7) Brazil (2.9%)

8) Iran (2.8%)

9) South Korea (2.1%)

10) Pakistan (2%)

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The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) invited candidates who had profiles in the Express Entry system. Nova Scotia periodically invites Express Entry candidates in targeted occupations to apply for a nomination under its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). In the new draw, the NSNP invited nurses who may be eligible for Nova Scotia’s Labour Market Priorities Stream.

To get the nomination, candidates need to have a primary occupation as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse. Their duties should align with National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3012.

They will need to provide letters of reference from employers to demonstrate that they have at least three years of experience in their occupation.

Invited candidates need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 9 or higher in English or French in all language abilities. They also need to hold a bachelors degree or have completed a program of at least three years at a post-secondary institution.

The deadline to apply is before midnight on March 10. If their applications are successful, they will receive a provincial nomination from Nova Scotia. They will be considered PNP candidates in the Express Entry system, which will allow them to apply for permanent residence if they are invited in an Express Entry draw.

About Express Entry
The first step to get an invitation to apply for Nova Scotia’s Labour Market Priorities Stream is to create a profile in the Express Entry system.

Express Entry manages applications for Canadian permanent residence through three federal immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Express Entry candidates are ranked on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). They are awarded points based on factors such as their age, work experience, education, and language ability in English or French.

Now that Nova Scotia has issued invitations, also known as Letters of Interest, invited candidates now have 60 calendar days to complete their application for a provincial nomination.

If they receive the provincial nomination from Nova Scotia, they will automatically be awarded an additional 600 CRS points. This award is enough to effectively guarantee they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

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