As Canada sets the stage to bolster Express Entry invitations, it is time to review the highs and lows of the Express Entry system in the year 2022.
Canada’s Express Entry application management system witnessed striking developments in 2022, with the resumption of draws after a long gap of 18 months. The shift to the new NOC 2021 and a significantly lower number of Express Entry draws are the main highlights of this year.
Canada’s Express Entry system manages applications for Federal High-skilled Immigration Programs. Candidates upload their profiles by confirming their eligibility for the program to receive a specific Comprehensive Ranking Score.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts periodic Express Entry draws to select profiles with top CRS scores and issues an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. Candidates having CRS scores higher than or equal to the cut-offs receive ITAs.
These are the year-wise numbers of ITAs:
- 2015- 31,018
- 2016- 33782
- 2017- 86,043
- 2018- 89,800
- 2019- 85,300
- 2020- 107,350
- 2021- 114,431
- 2022- 46,538
These are the CRS cut-offs for the year 2022:
- July 06- 557
- July 20- 542
- August 03- 533
- August 17- 525
- August 31- 516
- September 14- 511
- September 28- 504
- October 12- 500
- October 26- 496
- November 09- 494
- November 23- 491
Steps to strengthen Express Entry immigration
The focus of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada was to reduce the enormous application backlog while setting higher immigration targets for the years to come.
Introducing Bill C-19 empowers the Immigration Minister to focus on the economic needs to select Express Entry profiles. It underlines the significant shift from CRS scores to the economic factors for selecting permanent residents.
On November 16, 2022, IRCC switched to NOC 2021 to target candidates by evaluating the parameters of Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER categories). It will enable the smooth integration of candidates into the labor force.
