{"id":74233,"date":"2019-12-29T14:38:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-29T19:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/immigrationca.staging.wpengine.com\/canada-immigration-2019-year-in-review"},"modified":"2021-08-28T01:02:49","modified_gmt":"2021-08-28T05:02:49","slug":"canada-immigration-2019-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/canada-immigration-2019-year-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Immigration – 2019 Year In Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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2019-12-29 – From a stable year at the federal level to a tumultuous 365 days of scrapped applications and reversed program changes in Quebec, there has been plenty to talk about regarding Canada immigration<\/a> during 2019.

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Federally, it was one of the least eventful periods in recent years, with few major changes made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).<\/p>\n\n

The further controversy surrounding the application process for the Parents and Grandparents Program and an overhaul of the caregiver immigration system were the two major federal hot topics of 2019.<\/p>\n\n

Meanwhile, Quebec produced plenty of talking points.<\/p>\n\n

The governing Coalition Avenir Quebec has lurched from scrapping 16,000 existing Quebec Skilled Worker applications to the start of invitations through Arrima, through introducing a Quebec values test, before introducing reforms to the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), then promptly rolling them back two weeks later.<\/p>\n\n

The CAQ, and Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, endured a baptism of fire while trying to reduce immigration in a province where employers are desperate for increased immigration.<\/p>\n\n

Elsewhere, Canada\u2019s other provinces produced a few new programs of their own, including new Tech Draws in Ontario and a regional entrepreneur stream in British Columbia.<\/p>\n\n

Here, immigration.ca looks back at 2019 developments in Canada immigration, and forward to what 2020 might have to offer.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Canada\u2019s Express Entry<\/a> system saw its most stable year, with consistent draw sizes and a Comprehensive Ranking System<\/a> (CRS) score that edge up gradually throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n

This was the first year since the system was introduced in 2015 that the total number of Invitations to Apply<\/a> (ITA) did not set a new annual record.<\/p>\n\n

Canada issued 85,1\\300 ITAs during 2019, down from the 89,800 issued in 2018 and the 86,023 issued in 2017.<\/p>\n\n

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What is Express Entry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

mmigration system implemented by Canadian immigration authorities (IRCC) on January 1, 2015, which manages skilled worker applications under Federal Economic programs. This includes the <\/strong>Federal Skilled Worker Program<\/strong><\/a>, the <\/strong>Federal Skilled Trades Program <\/strong><\/a>the <\/strong>Canada Experience Class<\/strong><\/a> and parts of the <\/strong>Provincial Nomination Programs<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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This is a sure signal that the system is maturing, with IRCC officials fully aware of how the ITAs it issues translate into permanent resident arrivals in Canada.<\/p>\n\n

In previous years, IRCC has tinkered with the CRS by introducing fewer points for qualified job offers and more points for Canadian education, among other changes. In 2019 there were no such CRS changes, indicating the system was working exactly how IRCC intended.<\/p>\n\n

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\"ITAs<\/p>\n\n

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It is logical that annual ITA totals will rise as Canada\u2019s high skilled immigration targets increase, meaning the 2018 record will almost certainly be broken in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n

5,800 new high skilled immigrants in 2020, up from 81,400 in 2019. More new arrivals must eventually mean more ITAs.<\/p>\n\n

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Federal High-Skilled Immigration Targets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
2019 <\/strong><\/td>\n2020 <\/strong><\/td>\n2021<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
81,400<\/td>\n85,800<\/td>\n88,800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n
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Individual Draw ITA Record Stands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The record for the highest individual draw remains the 3,923 ITAs issued on April 13, 2017.<\/p>\n\nIRCC peaked at 3,900 ITAs, a total issued in four out of 25 draws, during 2019. The same largest draw size was recorded in 2018.<\/p>\n\n

The preferred draw size in 2019 was 3,350 ITAs, issued in 10 draws, and 3,600 ITAs, issued in eight draws.<\/p>\n\n

IRCC continued its preference for draws every two weeks in 2019, although it twice left three weeks between draws due to system maintenance.<\/p>\n\n

The two Federal Skilled Trades Program-specific draws of 2019 produced a total of 1,000 ITAs.<\/p>\n\n

It was notable that both of the all-program draws that followed program-specific draws saw a marked increase in the CRS score, due to a build-up of higher-scoring profiles.<\/p>\n\n

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\"ITAs<\/p>\n\n

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Rising Minimum CRS Scores<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

One of the features of 2019, unwelcome for candidates with CRS scores in the low 400s, was the rising minimum CRS score.<\/p>\n\n

Minimum CRS scores went from a low of 438 in the January 30 draw, to a high of 475 on October 30. The graph below shows that sharp increases happen when IRCC strays from the pattern of draws every two weeks.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Minimum<\/p>\n\n

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Withdraws every two weeks, the CRS scores tend to edge down by a few points with each draw. However, when more than two weeks are left between draws, it rises sharply. This occurred four times during 2019:<\/p>\n