The Canadian government's latest data from January to September 2023 provides a detailed breakdown of the human capital profiles of individuals who received Express Entry invitations. Over this period, Canada granted 53,455 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates in the Express Entry system.
In October, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued an additional 9,173 invitations. These figures, notably, do not include these October ITAs. This comprehensive dataset details the distribution of ITAs across multiple categories, encompassing program type, province, Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, age, and occupation.
The Express Entry system manages candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) within Canada's immigration framework. Additionally, it administers a segment of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Every program within the Express Entry system has its specific eligibility criteria. However, all candidates undergo evaluation and ranking via the CRS. This system assigns point values to a candidate's human capital attributes, including work experience, age, language proficiency, and education.
The data also takes into account Express Entry candidates who have received a nomination through the PNP. When nominated, they receive an extra 600 points added to their CRS score.
Analyzing the available data, the individuals most likely to receive an ITA are those in their twenties, engaged in the CEC, working as software engineers, and residing or planning to settle in Ontario.
Candidates within the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) received the majority of ITAs throughout the initial nine months of 2023. These candidates have at least one year of eligible Canadian work experience and fulfill the language proficiency criteria set by IRCC.
Notably, 23,910 CEC candidates received an ITA, representing almost 45% of the total ITAs issued. Candidates in the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) received no ITAs.
There were certain similarities in the occupations that received the most ITAs across various programs. Among the top five occupations, software engineers were consistently listed across these three programs:
| Occupation | No. of ITAs |
| Software engineers and designers | 1,725 |
| Computer programmers and interactive media developers | 1,745 |
| Information systems analysts and consultants | 1,375 |
| Food Service Supervisors | 1,240 |
| Administrative assistants | 855 |
| Occupation | No. of ITAs |
| Financial auditors and accountants | 650 |
| Dentists | 570 |
| Software engineers and designers | 565 |
| Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and public relations | 505 |
| Database analysts and data administrators | 420 |
| Occupation | No. of ITAs |
| Other occupations | 970 |
| Software engineers and designers | 820 |
| Information systems analysts and consultants | 615 |
| Computer programmers and interactive media developers | 595 |
| Welders and related machine operators | 420 |
These three tables show the number of ITAs received for different occupations under the CEC, FSWP and PNP programs in the Express Entry system.
Here's a breakdown of Express Entry candidates based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores:
Achieving a CRS score of approximately 600 is possible only through receiving a provincial nomination, which contributes 600 points out of the maximum 1,200 available to an Express Entry candidate.
Over half of the Express Entry candidates either lived in or planned to settle in Ontario. According to the data, these candidates were issued an impressive total of 31,550 ITAs.
Following Ontario, British Columbia received the second highest ITAs, with 10,655, while Alberta got 5,280 ITAs.
Nova Scotia received 1,595 ITAs; all other provinces received fewer than 1,500 each. This shows that many candidates prefer Ontario as their destination, as they received the most invitations among all regions.
Candidates in their twenties received the most ITAs, totaling 28,970, showing that this age group was the most frequent recipient of ITAs.
Additionally, 20,865 candidates in their thirties received invitations to apply. However, fewer than 4,000 candidates aged 40 or older were issued ITAs.
Based on a longitudinal analysis conducted by Statistics Canada, IRCC assigns higher CRS scores to younger candidates. The analysis revealed that newcomers arriving at a younger age have more time to adapt to the Canadian labour market.
Research from Statistics Canada highlights age as one of the most influential factors in immigrant labour market success. Younger arrivals typically have more time to enhance their English and/or French proficiency, acquire Canadian work experience, and establish professional networks. In the Express Entry system, a single candidate aged 20-29 earns 110 CRS points, while a 19-year-old candidate receives 105 points.
In 2021, the number of Express Entry candidates invited totalled 108,105. In comparison, the count of candidates invited from January to September 2023 exceeded the total for 2022 (37,335) but fell short of the peak seen in 2021.
The previous two years were exceptional due to the pandemic. In 2021, IRCC increased ITAs to CEC candidates to meet the target of admitting over 400,000 immigrants amid pandemic-related challenges, including border restrictions. However, this led to a backlog and slower service standards, resulting in IRCC reducing Express Entry ITAs in 2022
Before the pandemic, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) was the leading program for ITAs. However, following the onset of the pandemic, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates have become the primary recipients of ITAs.
IRCC has targeted welcoming 110,770 permanent residents to Canada through the Express Entry programs in 2024. This figure is projected to increase to 117,500 annually in 2025 and 2026.
The number of ITAs tends to be lower than the number of admissions. This is due to successful Express Entry candidates being eligible to land with their partners and children who meet IRCC criteria. Their inclusion significantly contributes to the overall count of admissions.
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