According to the recently released Express Entry year-end report for 2023, more than double the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued in the 2023 Express Entry draw compared to 2022.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 110,266 ITAs in 42 Express Entry draws between January 11 and December 21, 2023. This is a 136% increase compared to 2022’s 46,539.
In total, 488,571 profiles were submitted. Of these, 343,875 (67%) were eligible, while 144,696 (33%) were ineligible.
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Express Entry is an application management system designed to facilitate accelerated processing for economic immigration applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to score and rank candidates, assigning each candidate a score out of 1200. Those with higher scores are most likely to receive an ITA.
In addition, category-based selection draws are introduced in 2023. These draws consider all Express Entry program candidates, but target them based on their occupation or language ability rather than giving most weight to their CRS score.
Which candidates got ITA?
Programs
The report said that most ITAs (40,052) were issued to CEC candidates, followed by Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates (26,445) and FSWP candidates (17,898). IRCC issued only eight ITAs to FSTP candidates. However, it also said that candidates eligible for FSTP and CEC will be considered under the processing hierarchy for candidates eligible for more than one program. It gives an example of a candidate eligible for CEC and FSTP. He will receive an ITA through CEC.
Following the introduction of the category-based selection round in June, IRCC issued 25,870 ITAs, representing 23% of all ITAs. Again, by schedule, 12,073 were CEC candidates, 13,790 were FSWP candidates, and 7 were FSTP candidates.
CRS Score
The majority of CRS scores in the pool were between 300-550, representing 93% of all candidates.
The average CRS score for all event (general) draws increased above 500 following the introduction of category-based selection.
| Draw Type | Minimum Score | Maximum Score | Score range for obtaining ITA |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (includes FSWP, CEC, and FSTP) | 484 | 561 | 484 – 561 |
| Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 691 | 791 | 691 – 791 |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 489 (only one draw took place in 2023) | 489 | |
| CBS Healthcare Business | 431 | 476 | 431 – 476 |
| CBS Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Business | 481 | 486 | 481 – 486 |
| CBS French Proficiency | 375 | 486 | 375-486 |
| CBS Trades Business | 388 | 425 | 388-425 |
| CBS Transport Business | 435 (only one draw in 2023) | 435 | |
| CBS Agribusiness | 354 | 386 | 354-386 |
gender
The data shows that overall, the majority of applicants for Express Entry were men. Specifically, 57% of the ITAs issued went to men while the remaining 43% went to women. According to the program, more men received ITAs under the CEC (52%) and PNP (26%) than women. However, according to 2022 data, women were more likely to receive ITAs through the FSWP (33% vs. 22%)
profession
A candidate’s occupation largely determines his or her eligibility for Express Entry. Some occupations are more in demand or more likely to receive an ITA.
In 2023, the vast majority of ITAs went to Express Entry candidates in computer, technology, and finance occupations. However, 48% of all ITAs went to candidates in “other” occupations, which are not listed in the report.
For the second time in a row, software engineers and designers were most likely to receive an ITA (7,259), followed by software developers and programmers (5,183).
Of the 15 occupations selected in the report, 10 are classified as TEER 1 under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system. These occupations usually require a university degree.
| Primary Occupation | Training Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) Ranking | ITAs to be issued in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| NOC 21231; Software engineers and designers | 1 | 7,259 (6.5%) |
| NOC 21232; Software developers and programmers | 1 | 5,183 (4.7%) |
| NOC 62020; Food service supervisor | 2 | 3,277 (2.9%) |
| NOC 21222; Information systems specialist | 1 | 2,951 (2.6%) |
| NOC 13110; Administrative assistant | 3 | 2,538 (2.3%) |
| NOC 21223; Database analyst and data administrator | 1 | 2,151 (1.9%) |
| NOC 11202; Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and public relations | 1 | 2,142 (1.9%) |
| NOC 11100; Financial auditors and accountants | 1 | 2,090 (1.8%) |
| NOC 22221; User support technician | 2 | 1,844 (1.6%) |
| NOC 20012; Computer and information systems manager | 0 | 1,841 (1.6%) |
| NOC 13100; Administrative officer | 3 | 1,747 (1.5%) |
| NOC 21211; Data Scientist | 1 | 1,654 (1.5%) |
| NOC 21221; Business systems specialist | 1 | 1,600 (1.4%) |
| NOC 12200; Accounting technicians and bookkeepers | 2 | 1,599 (1.4%) |
| NOC 21230; Computer systems developers and programmers | 1 | 1,475 (1.3%) |
| Other | 70,915 (64.3%) | |
| Total | 110,266 (100%) |
Country of residence and citizenship
As seen in 2022, the majority of candidates receiving ITA in 2023 listed Canada as their country of residence (76,791). India once again came in second place (7,394).
Interestingly, Cameroon has risen to third place in terms of the number of ITAs (3,828), just six ITAs more than Nigeria (3,822).
Lebanon is no longer in the top ten, however, Pakistan received 1,173 ITAs despite not being among the top 10 countries in 2022.
| Country of residence | ITAs to be issued in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 76,791 (69.6%) |
| India | 7,394 (6.7%) |
| Federal Republic of Cameroon | 3,828 (3.4%) |
| Nigeria | 3,822 (3.4%) |
| United States | 2,526 (2.2%) |
| Morocco | 1,681 (1.5%) |
| Algeria | 1,349 (1.2%) |
| Pakistan | 1,173 (1.0%) |
| United Kingdom and overseas territories | 1,157 (1.0%) |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,051 (0.9%) |
| Other | 9,494 (8.6%) |
| Total | 110,266 (100%) |
Note, these numbers measure country of residence, not country of citizenship. India is the largest source country of Express Entry ITA recipients by citizenship, followed by Nigeria and China.
| Country of Citizenship | ITAs to be issued in 2023 |
|---|---|
| India | 52,106 (47.2%) |
| Nigeria | 7,263 (6.5%) |
| People’s Republic of China | 5,854 (5.3%) |
| Federal Republic of Cameroon | 4,335 (3.9%) |
| Iran | 2,693 (2.4%) |
| Philippines | 2,593 (2.3%) |
| Pakistan | 2,565 (2.3%) |
| Morocco | 2,049 (1.8%) |
| brazil | 1,777 (1.6%) |
| Algeria | 1,592 (1.4%) |
| Other | 27,439 (24.8%) |
| Total | 110,266 (100%) |
Education
As in previous years, most ITAs admitted candidates with post-secondary education. Of those, 46% had three years or more of post-secondary education and 43% had a master’s degree or entry-to-practice professional degree.
| Education level | ITAs to be issued in 2023 |
|---|---|
| High school or less | 810 (0.7%) |
| One or two year post-secondary credential | 7,819 (7.0%) |
| Post-secondary credential of three years or more | 50,294 (45.6%) |
| Master’s degree or entry-to-practice professional degree | 47,529 (43.1%) |
| PhD | 3,814 (3.4%) |
| Total | 110,266 (100%) |
Language
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements vary between Express Entry programs. However, candidates who demonstrate proficiency in an official language tend to have higher overall CRS scores. Data from 2023 shows that 78% of Express Entry candidates had a CLB score between 7 (24%) and 9 (31%).
The other 18% had a maximum high score of CLB 10. However, this still represents a 2% drop compared to 21% in 2022.
| First official language (English or French) level | ITAs to be issued in 2023 |
|---|---|
| CLB/NCLC 4 | 5 (<1%) |
| CLB/NCLC 5 | 1,192 (1.0%) |
| CLB/NCLC 6 | 3,849 (3.4%) |
| CLB/NCLC 7 | 26,173 (23.7%) |
| CLB/NCLC 8 | 25,214 (22.8%) |
| CLB/NCLC 9 | 33,872 (30.7%) |
| CLB/NCLC 10 | 19,961 (18.1%) |
| Total | 110,266 (100%) |
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