2024 thus far has seen many changes for the Express Entry system. Here’s all about Express Entry draws in 2024.
From routine updates with proof of funds requirements and Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s stated intention to have more ‘domestic draws’ for Express Entry applicants – to significantly higher CRS scores, and a month-long pause in draws.
So, how does the issuance of ITAs compare between the first six months of 2024 and the first half of 2023? And what can this tell us about how Express Entry will operate for the rest of 2024?
How Many ITAs Were Issued In The First Six Months Of 2023?
In the first six months of 2023, IRCC held over 13 Express Entry draws, thus issuing 49,948 ITAs to immigration applicants.
Draw types were:
- General (encompassing the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Program)
- Provincial Nomination Program
- FSWP Specific
In 2023, IRCC also used the designation ‘No program specified’ to denote a general draw.
How Many ITAs Were Issued In The First Six Months Of 2024?
In the Express Entry draws in 2024 (first six months), IRCC held 19 draws and issued 41,855 ITAs to immigration applicants.
Draw types so far have included:
- General
- French Language Proficiency
- Healthcare Professions
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Professions
- Transport Professions
- STEM Professions
- PNP
- CEC Specific
Additional draw types in 2024 are the outcome of Express Entry category-based selections. This is a new policy within the Express Entry system, allowing applicants who qualify in one of the six categories to be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence (PR) based on their conclusion, with less importance given to CRS scores in these instances.
How Do ITAs and Express Entry Draws In 2024 Compare To 2023?
Between both 2023 and 2024, some fascinating contrasts have emerged.
While 2023 witnessed a lower number of draws in the first six months, more ITAs were issued during the same period last year as compared to the first six months of 2024.
The increase in both the number of draws and draw types can likely be attributed to the new category-based selection draws, which Canada began to implement in the latter half of 2023.
These new draw types might also be impacting both the cut-off scores and draw sizes of general draws via the way that they impact the composition of the Express Entry pool.
Filtering just general draws between the two years, we can see that the draw frequency, average CRS cut-off and draw size of general draws in the first six months of 2023:
- Frequency of general draws 2023: 8
- Average general draw size 2023: 5475 ITAs issued
- Average general draw cut-off score: 489
These are significantly different from the draw sizes and cut-off scores in the same six months of 2024:
- Frequency of general draws 2024: 9
- Average general draw size 2024: 1605 ITAs were issued
- Average general draw cut-off score: 536
So, while Express Entry draws in 2023 technically held more draws overall in the first half of 2024, the average draw size has decreased, with the department issuing more than 7,000 invitations in less time between January and June 2024. Moreover, we can see that the average CRS score cut-off in 204 is almost 50 points higher than the average of general draws during the same period in 2023.
What Can This Information Tell Us About How Express Entry Will Function For The Remainder Of 2024?
Express Entry draws in 2024 will require 7,000 fewer ITAs issued than in the first six months of 2023.
This dynamic becomes more relevant when looking at the Immigration Levels Plan which IRCC released last year. According to the plan, Express Entry will be allocated 110,770 in 2024. This is an increase of close to 30,000 from 2023 when it was allocated a target of 82,800.
Notably, these targets aren’t for ITAs but rather for landings (when a new permanent resident abroad arrives in Canada for the first time or when a new permanent resident already in Canada completes their transition to PR status – in both cases formalizing their new status in the country) of immigrants.
Given relevant processing and travel times, IRCC likely plans for many newcomers to arrive in Canada. For instance, the ITAs issued in the latter half of 2023 is likely to account for landings in 2024. This will, in turn, count towards the landings target IRCC has set out for the 2024 Immigration Levels Plan. IRCC has a published service standard of six months in order to process all Express Entry applications.
In 2023, IRCC issued over 110,226 ITAs through the Express Entry system in order to meet the levels plan target. With a higher level plan allocation this year, it is possible that the immigration department will pursue more ITAs to meet larger immigration goals. This fact, coupled with the finding that IRCC has, to date this year, issued 7,000 fewer ITAs than in 2023, could yield an Express Entry system that holds more frequent draws/ draws of greater sizes throughout the remainder of the year 2024. However, this is just one possible outcome.
This data can be pertinent to ITAs. However, it remains uncertain how many ITAs IRCC will issue throughout the remainder of the year.
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