Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for the Federal Skilled Worker, the Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. The 2019 year-end report provides an overview of Express Entry and presents data from across all stages of the Express Entry continuum, including profile submissions, invitations to apply, applications, processing times, and admissions. In 2019, 332,331 express entry profiles were submitted through the system, which represents an increase of nearly 20% from 2018 and more than 30% since 2017.
Highlights of the report
Nearly 110,000 new permanent residents were admitted through Express Entry
A total of 109,595 principal applicants and their family members were granted permanent residence through express entry in 2019, compared to 92,229 in 2018. This represents a year over year increase of 19%. Federal Skilled Worker Program candidates represented the largest proportion of all individuals admitted in 2019 with 58,173 admissions, followed by candidates in Canadian Experience Class (30,230) Provincial Nominee Program (20,014) and Federal Skilled Trades (1,178).
Most common primary occupations
Software engineers and designers were the most common primary occupation with 6,529 invited to apply for permanent residence. The most common arranged employment occupations went to computer programmers and interactive media developers.
Locations
Most people who received an invitation were already in Canada. Of all foreign countries India was the most common place to be issued ITAs, then the United States., Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan. India was also the most common country of citizenship for ITA recipients. Then it was Nigeria, China, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
Most popular province of destination
About 62% of principal applicants choose Ontario as the province of their destination, slightly less than 2018 when 65% indicated the same. Interest increased considerably in Alberta, Manitoba, Nunavut, and Prince Edward Island.
Increase in median cut off scores
The CRS cut off ranged from 438 to 475 in 2019, making an average score of 461. In 2018 the average score was 442. This increase in average CRS cut-off score demonstrates that the express entry pool became more competitive last year. This increase was partially due to a larger pool size, as well as the increased number of candidates selected through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). PNP recipients automatically receive an additional 600 CRS points toward their overall score.
Female candidates in the express entry pool
The express entry pool in 2019 was made up of about 41% female candidates, up from 38% in 2018. However, profiles submitted by females were more often eligible for at least one program than those submitted by men. Of all the submissions by female candidates, 76% were eligible for at least one program compared to 69 per cent of those submitted by men. Most female candidates who received ITAs had administrative assistant listed as their primary occupation. Food service supervisors were the most common arranged employment occupation for female candidates. Female candidates made up 48% of those who were invited by French language proficiency and 47% of those invited to apply by siblings.
Overall, the most common primary occupations among female candidates who were invited to apply for permanent residence included more low-skilled occupations, in comparison to the most common primary occupations among men. Of all the applications for permanent residence through express entry in 2019, 43 per cent came from women.
How express entry works?
- The Express Entry system manages applications for permanent residence in two steps. First, individuals express their interest in immigrating to Canada by completing an online profile, which is screened electronically to determine if the individual is eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, or the Canadian Experience Class. Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for at least one of these programs are placed in the Express Entry pool and assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which is determined by comparing information in their profile to a transparent scoring criteria. Candidates in the pool are ranked against one another according to their CRS score.
The CRS is the backbone of the Express Entry application management system. A CRS score comprises two components: core points and additional points. A candidate without an accompanying spouse can receive a maximum of 600 points under the core component, depending on the person’s human capital characteristics (e.g., age, education, official language proficiency, work experience). These factors help predict candidates’ potential for success in the Canadian labour market. 6 Under the additional points component, a candidate can receive points for having a provincial/territorial nomination (600 points), arranged employment (50 or 200 points), Canadian post-secondary education credentials (15 or 30 points), French language proficiency (15 or 30 points), or a sibling in Canada (15 points). With the exception of points awarded for a provincial/territorial nomination, which is high enough to virtually guarantee a candidate an ITA in the following round that includes the Provincial Nominee Program, additional points increase the probability that a given candidate will receive an ITA without guaranteeing that outcome. The maximum CRS score a candidate can achieve is capped at 1,200 points—600 points under the core component and 600 points under the additional points component. All information provided at the profile stage for the purpose of generating a CRS score is self-reported and must be supported with appropriate documentation from the candidate at the application stage or the application could be refused.
- Ministerial Instructions are regularly published specifying the number of invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residence that will be sent to candidates in the Express Entry pool on a specific date. The Ministerial Instruction also specifies the economic program(s) for which the Express Entry ITA round will apply. For each round, invitations are issued to candidates, in descending CRS score rank order, until the maximum number of invitations specified in the associated Ministerial Instruction is met. The profiles of candidates who do not receive an ITA, or decline an ITA, remain in the pool for up to 12 months. Candidates that receive an ITA have 60 days to either decline the invitation or submit an online application for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Candidates who receive an ITA but take no action within the 60-day period are withdrawn from the pool.
- Upon submission, an immigration officer assesses the application to verify the applicant’s CRS score, program eligibility, and admissibility. If the immigration officer is satisfied that all conditions have been met and that the applicants are not inadmissible, they are approved for a permanent resident visa. Applicants and their accompanying family members become permanent residents when they are admitted to Canada.
- The processing standard for applications sourced via express entry is six months for 80% of cases. Processing time is measured from the day a complete application is received until a final decision is made by an immigration officer.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has elicited unprecedented challenges for the country throughout the spring of 2020, the IRCC is monitoring express entry and exploring ways the system could be used to ensure that Canada continues to derive maximum benefit from economic immigration in a rapidly evolving environment.
How Can-X can help?
- We make sure client qualifies for Express Entry (EE) program based on comprehensive assessment.
- We help is creating Express Entry (EE) profile.
- We review the documents and submit the final Permanent Residence application.
- We track the application throughout the process while communicating with the government on client’s behalf.
Contact us for consultation and assessment.
