Around 110,000 immigrants obtained Canadian PR in 2019 through Express Entry

The federal Express Entry immigration system is gaining more popularity among PR applicants with every passing year. The data released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the year 2019 stated that a total of 332,331 Express Entry profiles were submitted to the immigration authorities in Canada over the year. The total number of Express Entry profiles submitted in 2019 has increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year. Thus, it shows that the potential immigrants are immensely using the Express Entry system to apply for permanent residence with the country. Also Read: 9 Easiest Ways to Immigrate to Canada This year, on June 26, the federal department of IRCC published its Express Entry Year-End Report for 2019, which offers a comprehensive overview of the operating activities of the Express Entry system over the past year. The Express Entry program manages the pool of applicants under its three economic immigration pathways:

Federal Skilled Worker Class
Federal Skilled Trades Class
Canadian Experience Class

Applicants interested in immigrating to Canada have to first check their eligibility in one of the three programs, and then they have to submit an Express Entry profile. Afterward, qualifying candidates for each program enter the Express Entry pool. Each applicant is scored and ranked under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on the human capital characteristics. The human capital factors based on which you will be awarded CRS points include age, education, language ability (English or French), skilled work experience, and other factors. Candidates in the Express Entry pool can increase their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through:

A territorial or provincial nomination (600 points)
A Canadian employment offer (50 or 200 points)
A Canadian post-secondary degree (15 or 30 points)
French language proficiency (15 or 30 points)
A sibling in Canada (15 points)

The IRCC holds Express Entry draws every two weeks, and candidates with the highest scores and ranks receive an ITA for permanent residency in Canada.

Almost 110,000 newcomers welcomed via Express Entry

In 2019, a total of 109,595 principal applicants with their accompanying dependants had obtained permanent residency in Canada under the Express Entry system, against 92,229 applicants in the year 2018. This means that the percentage of admitted newcomers increased by 19% in one year. In the 2019 data, the largest proportion of the invited individuals belonged to the Federal Skilled Worker Program with 58,173 admissions, followed by candidates in the Canadian Experience Class with 30,230 admissions, then the candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program with 20,014 admissions, and lastly the candidates under the Federal Skilled Trades Program with 1,178 admissions.

Over 85,000 Express Entry invitations issued in 2019

The data from the yearly report of 2019 shows that out of 332,000 submitted Express Entry profiles, 72 percent were eligible in one of the three economic immigration programs. However, this percentage is similar to that of the previous year. In 2019, the IRCC held around 26 rounds in which the federal department has issued 85,300 invitations. In this year, the candidates from Federal Skilled Worker Class received 45 percent of the total ITAs issued. In exact figures, 38,809 ITAs were issued to FSWP candidates out of 85,300 ITAs. After the Federal Skilled Worker Class candidates, the nominees from the Canadian Experience Class received the second-highest number of ITAs in 2019, that is, 30,563 ITAs, followed by, the ITAs issued to candidates under Provincial Nominee Program with 14,928 nominations (Nominees under PNP increased by 6 percent over the last year).

More Insights into 2019’s ITAs

Locations

In 2019, maximum invitations were issued to the individuals already residing in Canada. Out of all the countries, India had a primary share in the ITAs, followed by the US, Nigeria, UAE, and Pakistan. India was also the leading source of citizenship for ITA recipients. The figure was followed by Nigeria, China, Pakistan, the UK, and Brazil.

Occupations

In 2019, out of all ITAs, 6,529 were issued to software engineers and designers, making it the primary occupation on the list. However, computer programmers and media developers accounted for the most common arranged employment occupations.

Ontario remains the most-liked province, but slightly less compared to 2018

Around 62 percent of the total applicants preferred Ontario over other provinces and listed it as the province for the destination, which is somewhat less compared to 2018 when 65 percent named the same. The data concluded that the applicants have started showing considerable interest in choosing Alberta, Manitoba, Nunavut, or Prince Edward Island as their destination province.

Increase in the average cut-off CRS score

In 2019, the CRS cut-off ranged between 438 and 475, making it a median score of 461 points; however, this cut-off score was 442 points in the year 2018. The rise in the average cut-off CRS score implies that the competition in the Express Entry pool also increased in 2018. The partial factors that contributed to this rise were:

The larger size of Express Entry pool, and
More candidates nominated through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Successful applicants under PNP receive additional 600 points, which improves their overall CRS score, and thus, increases their chances of receiving an ITA under the Express Entry pool.

Female applicants in the Express Entry pool

In 2019, the share of female applicants in the Express Entry pool was 41 percent, against that of 38 percent in 2018. While comparing in terms of eligibility, the profiles submitted by women were more often eligible for at least one of the programs compared to those of men. Out of total profile submissions made by women, 76 percent were eligible in any one of the economic immigration programs, on the other hand, only 69 percent were eligible out of total submissions made by men. Also Read: How to apply for Canadian Express Entry without a Job Offer. Out of all the ITAs, most were offered to administrative assistants, making it primary occupation among women nominees. However, the food service supervisor accounted for the most common arranged employment occupation among female applicants. Out of total candidates who were invited to apply under the French language proficiency factor, women nominees accounted for 48 percent. At the same time, they made up 47 percent of those who were invited to apply by siblings. Collectively, the most common primary occupations among female applicants who received an ITA included more low-skilled occupations compared to those of male applicants. In 2019, out of all the Express Entry applications for permanent residence, women accounted for 43 percent.

Lagging processing times

In 2019, the average processing time taken by the IRCC was eight months. The IRCC aims to process Express Entry applications within six months; however, the federal department did not meet its processing standard of completing 80 percent applications over six months for this year. Against the processing standard, they were only able to process 60 percent of the total Express Entry applications within six months.