Canada’s Express Entry system has undergone changes in the last two years.
In 2023, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced category-based selection draws under Express Entry—a policy that allows the immigration department to target candidates that meet the country’s economic and demographic goals.
So, have these changes made a difference in how the Express Entry system invites candidates? The following breaks down Express Entry draws in 2024 so far, compared to the same time in 2023. Though IRCC has issued more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) this year than the same time in 2023, a better analysis requires a deeper look at the data.
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What is category-based selection?
Category-based selection draws are a tool IRCC uses for the selection of immigration candidates through Canada’s Express Entry system. They allow IRCC to invite candidates with greater consideration to specific human capital attributes, (namely their professional experience and language abilities), than their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
The current Express Entry categories are as follows:
Healthcare occupations;
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations;
Trade occupations;
Transport occupations;
Agriculture and agri-food occupations; and/or
French language proficiency.
How many ITAs has Canada issued so far this year, compared to last year?
As of the latest draw (September 19th at the time of writing) IRCC has issued 84,874 ITAs through the Express Entry system in 2024.
By the 20th of September in 2023, IRCC had issued 81,948 ITAs.
It’s worth noting that the federal allocation of landed immigrants for the Express Entry system has changed from 2023 to 2024. Landings from ITAs issued under the Express Entry system count toward the “Federal High Skilled” allocation in the annual Immigration Levels Plan. In 2023, IRCC expected to welcome 82,800 immigrants through the system. In 2024, the immigration department expects to welcome 110,770 immigrants through Express Entry.
How many draws has IRCC held through Express Entry this year, compared to the same time last year?
Thus far, IRCC has held 37 draws through the Express Entry system, across nine different categories and streams. The average size of these draws (so far) is 2,294 ITAs, though this varies greatly depending on the category or stream in question.
By the same time last year, IRCC had held 28 draws across eight categories and streams. The average draw size across these draws was 2,927 ITAs, though similarly to 2024 draw sizes varied greatly depending on category and stream selected for.
The disparity in number of draws is partly due to a historic July for the Express Entry system in 2024, wherein IRCC held nine draws—the most draws in a single month since the start of Express Entry in 2015.
Which streams/categories had the most draws so far in 2024 compared to 2023?
The following table presents the number of draws conducted by category/stream, and the number of ITAs issued thus far for each category/stream in 2024, and for the same time in 2023:
Category/streamNumber of draws so far in 2024Number of ITAs issued so far in 2024Number of draws by 20 Sept 2023Number of ITAs issued by 20 Sept 2023
Agriculture and agri-food occupations category001150
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)624,80000
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)0013,300
French language proficiency category820,40036,900
Healthcare occupations category27,25022,000
General (includes Canadian Express Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP))914,44500
No Program Specified (includes Canadian Express Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)001563,900
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)810,55442,848
STEM occupations category14,5001500
Trade occupations category11,80011,500
Transport occupations category197511,000
Note that there has been a sharp increase in both CEC and PNP draws through the Express Entry system since May and June of this year respectively, following comments by Immigration Minister Marc Miller about conducting more “domestic draws” for Express Entry candidates. In 2023 there was a total of 4 PNP draws, and no CEC draws under Express Entry. In comparison, 2024 thus far has seen eight PNP draws and six CEC draws already.
Also of note is the growing importance of the French language proficiency category. While 2023 only saw three draws for this category, there have already been eight French category draws in 2024. IRCC has also indicated that the allocation of French speaking immigrants outside of Quebec (under the levels plan) is set to grow from 6% this year, to 8% by 2026.
Finally, to better compare cut-off scores in each stream or category, the following table breaks down the highest and lowest CRS cut-off scores in 2023 and 2024, for categories and streams selected multiple times in both years.
Category/streamHighest CRS cut-off score in 2024 so farLowest CRS cut-off score in 2024 so farHighest CRS cut-off score in 2023 by September 20thLowest CRS cut-off score in 2023 by September 20th
French language proficiency category446336439375
Healthcare occupations category445422476463
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)739663791691
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How many ITAs has Canada issued through Express Entry this year vs. last year?
