Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4,300 Invitations to Apply (ITA) in an all-program Express Entry draw on Tuesday.
The Aug. 15 draw allows foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
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This latest draw, Canada’s 14th all-program draw this year, featured a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 496, 21 points lower than the previous all-program draw.
Canada on track to issue record number of ITAs by the end of this year
Canada has now issued 77,748 ITAs so far this year, 32,633 or 72.3 per cent more than the 45,115 the country issued in all of 2022.
At the current rate of issuance of ITAs, Canada’s immigration department is on track to send out 125,566 ITAs by the end of this year.
That result, if the current trend continues, would see the IRCC easily beat its record of 114,431 ITAs in 2021, to all CEC and PNP candidates. The previous record was 107,350 ITAs in 2020.
In its 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Ottawa has set its immigration target for 2023 at 465,000 new permanent residents. The country is also to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and another 500,000 in 2025.
That’s a total of 1.45 million immigrants to Canada over three years.
The latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on August 15, 2023 at 14:23:51 UTC. If more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.
This was the 26th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2023 and 262nd overall.
Candidates for immigration to Canada have 60 days to submit their applications
Candidates have a 60-day window to submit their applications, which will be processed within the six-month standard.
CRS scores are expected to continue to fall in 2023 as Canada increases the number of ITAs issued.
The FSW program allows qualified foreign nationals from all over the world to immigrate to Canada by selecting candidates with the highest probability of successfully settling in the country. Under Express Entry, candidates across 370 eligible occupations who meet minimum entry criteria can submit a profile to the Express Entry Pool.
The FST program offers permanent residence to workers who are qualified in a skilled trade classified under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system as:
- major group 72, technical trades and transportation officers and controllers, excluding sub-major Group 726, transportation officers and controllers
- major group 73, general trades
- major group 82, supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production
- major group 83, occupations in natural resources and related production
- major group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors, and utilities operators and controllers
- major group 93, central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, excluding sub-major group 932, aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
- minor group 6320, cooks, butchers and bakers
- unit group 62200, chefs
The CEC program recognizes the benefits to Canada of candidates who have spent significant amounts of time pursuing their studies and careers in the country. It recognizes their contributions to the Canadian economy and the creation of strong links to Canadian society.
Almost all PNPs can nominate skilled workers for immigration
Under a shared jurisdiction between Ottawa and the provinces, Canada operates a two-tiered immigration system, offering programs for skilled workers at both federal and provincial levels.
Through a network PNPs, almost all of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories can nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada with the specific skills required by their local economies.
Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities. This is an important component of all provincial programs.
