Most of the Express Entry ITAs were granted to PNP (Provincial Nominee Programs) candidates in 2022, according to the data released from IRCC. A total of 19,160 applicants are invited.
As a result of 37,315 ITAs issued, 51% of ITAs were issued to PNP candidates in 2022. Upon receiving an ITA, IRCC evaluates a candidate as a potential permanent resident and allows them to submit their application for IRCC’s final approval.
In the updated IRCC data, ITAs and CRS scores for enhanced PNP nominations are included, along with more information on enhanced PNP nominations.
CRS based invitations
Approximately 17,905 Express Entry candidates obtained an ITA if their CRS scores in 2022 fell between 491-600. Over 19,160 applicants were still eligible for Express Entry based on upgraded provincial nominations and had scored over 600 on the CRS.
Enhancing a nomination is when a province is interested in a candidate in the Express Entry pool due to his or her high likelihood of settling and integrating readily into the province’s economy. It is not possible to obtain a CRS score over 600 without a provincial nomination.
Program based invitations
CEC (Canadian Experience Class) candidates received the most invitations after the PNP. 12960 candidates received ITAs in total. IRCC approved 5,200 FSWP – (Federal Skilled Worker Program) applications.
The FSTP – (Federal Skilled Trades Program) did not invite any applicants in 2022.
An FSWP applicant must have held a job that qualifies for the National Occupational Skill TEER 0 or 2 for one year or have acquired an equivalent amount of paid work experience during the previous ten years. The organization also requires a validated language proficiency test with a benchmark of at least 7 for all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in either English or French.
The candidate must receive at least 67 out of 100 points in order to be considered for the FSWP. The evaluation grid considers candidates’ age, their education, their work experience, their planned employment, and their language proficiency. Last but not least, candidates must meet the settlement money criteria if they want to remain financially stable in Canada.
The CEC requires candidates with either a NOC TEER category 2 or 3 jobs, or a NOC TEER category 0 or 1 job to have a CLB of 5 and a CLB of 7, along with one year of full-time labor experience in Canada. PR applicants who apply through the CEC are mainly temporary residents of Canada.
Most of the Express Entry ITAs granted to PNP candidates in 2022 – Invitations based on provinces
ITAs of different types were issued in 2022 based on the province of the desired destination. As a result of the 17,920 candidates who selected Ontario as their preferred province, it was the most popular destination. The province received 8,990 CEC applications with an ITA, of which 8,990 wanted to reside there. Consequently, Ontario was the only province where CEC candidates outnumbered PNP members who intended to settle.
As a destination, British Columbia was the most popular option for Express Entry candidates. PNP candidates who intended to live in the province received 4,240 ITAs out of 7,495 ITAs issued for all programs.
2,195 ITA recipients were headed to Manitoba, while 4,655 were headed to Alberta. With less than 50 ITA grantees in each province, except Newfoundland and Labrador, each province had fewer than 2,000 grantees.
Province-specific Enhanced Nominations
Most Express Entry ITAs were issued by IRCC to applicants with improved PNP nominations. Unlike other provinces, Quebec chooses all its economic immigration candidates regardless of program, pursuant to a special agreement with the federal government.
| Province | Number of Nominations |
| Prince Edward Island | 385 |
| New Brunswick | 775 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,620 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 305 |
| Ontario | 5,170 |
| Alberta | 3,385 |
| Manitoba | 1,995 |
| Saskatchewan | 1,235 |
| Yukon | 25 |
| British Columbia | 4,240 |
| Northwest Territories | 15 |
| Total | 19,160 |
The PNP allocations are increasing
Immigration targets are expected to rise following the publication of the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025 in November. By 2025, IRCC wants to admit up to 117,500 people per year under the PNP, up from 105,000 in 2023. Express Entry and any other economic class immigration scheme prioritize this.
IRCC officials announced that the number of PNP allocation places for provinces had increased significantly following the meeting of the FMRI – (Forum for Ministers Responsible for Immigration). Provincial immigration levels are also based on a multiyear strategy. The provinces will be informed three years in advance of how the national PNP funds will be divided. An increase in immigration can be effectively planned for by using this information.
It has significantly increased from 9,750 to 16,500 under the new plan, the maximum number of immigrants that Ontario can accept under the PNP for 2022. Over 40% of all immigrants to Canada come from Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. By 2025, the PNP goal for Ontario is expected to reach over 18,000 people.
It is beneficial to other provinces as well to set higher targets. As an example, Manitoba’s PNP allocations for 2023 have increased by 3,175 over 2022. The Provincial Nominal Plan for Saskatchewan and the Provincial Nominal Plan for Alberta both anticipate large allocation increases over the next three years, reaching 8,500 and 10,849 spaces in each province by 2025, respectively.
Express Entry in 2023
The Express Entry lottery since January has awarded 37,559 ITAs to applicants. As a result, there are more ITAs in 2023 than in 2022 as a whole.
The only draw that was an all-program was in mid-March. Specifically, there were three PNP draws and one FSWP draw. All applicants from all programs were considered in the first of three back-to-back all-program draws that IRCC held on March 15.
Most of the tickets were produced between March 15 and March 29, when three consecutive draws were held.
Following recent announcements by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, the IRCC will begin holding draws later this year to target Express Entry candidates who have particular work experience, proficiency in a foreign language, education, or any other attribute that will fill a critical need in the Canadian economy.
