The Canadian High Commission, IRCC(Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada), releases the Canada Express Entry Draws, which will probably be released in two weeks.
The IRCC has recently published the Annual Report of Express Entry cut-off list, and it explains that the Canadian High Commission has recently doubled the number of ITA(Invitation to Apply) issued in 2023 compared to 2024.
IRCC has published around 110,266 through over 42 Canada Express Entry Draws between January 11 and December 23, 2023. This data shows a 136% increase over 2022’s 46,539.
Entirely 488,571 profiles were submitted, out of which 343,875, almost 67%, were eligible, and 144,696, nearly 33%, were not eligible.
This article will provide every detail about the annual report of the Express Entry Draw. But before proceeding, let us give an overview of the Express Entry System.
What is the Canada Express Entry Program?
Canada Express Entry system is an application management system that is designed to streamline the processing of the application of economic immigration applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker Program(FSWP), Federal Skilled Trade Program(FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class(CEC).
This system uses a Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) Score to rank a candidate’s profile in the express entry pool. The CRS score is allotted to candidates out of 1200. Candidates with a high CRS Score have a high chance of receiving the ITA(Invitation to Apply).
Meanwhile, the year 2023 has seen a lot more changes in the Canadian immigration system. One of them was the introduction of Category-Based Selection Draws. It draws aims and considers applicants from Canada Express Entry. However, it considers candidates based on their skills, occupation, and language proficiency.
Which Candidates have received the ITA(Invitation to Apply)?
- Programs
According to the annual report, most ITAs were given to candidates through the CEC (Canadian Experience Class) program. PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) candidates received the second-highest ITAs (26,445) following CEC. Next in line was the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), which issued nearly 17,898 ITAs (Invitations to Apply).
Meanwhile, IRCC has only issued 8 ITA’s to FSTP(Federal Skilled Trade Program). However, the IRCC selects the program under which to issue the ITA through a processing hierarchy.
According to the hierarchy, an applicant qualified for FSTP and CEC would receive an invitation under the CEC (Canadian Experience Class). This hierarchy will explain the limited number of invitations issued under the FSTP to apply.
Following the June implementation of Category-Based Selection Rounds, the IRCC issued 25,870 ITAs or 23 percent of all ITAs. There were 12,073 candidates for CEC, 13,790 candidates for FSWP, and seven for FSTP, broken down by program.
- CRS(Comprehensive Ranking System) Score
The majority of candidates in the pool, or 93%, had CRS scores in the 300–550 range. After category-based selection was implemented, it was observed that the average CRS score for all-program (generic) draws increased to more than 500.
The following tabular representation provides information about some Canada Express Entry Draws.
| Draw Type | Minimum Score | Maximum Score | Range of Scores Needed for an ITA |
| General Draws (includes FSWP, CEC, and FSTP) | 484 | 561 | 484 – 561 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 691 | 791 | 691 – 791 |
| Federal Skilled Workers Program | 489 (In 2023, a single draw was made available) | 489 | |
| Healthcare Occupations | 431 | 476 | 431 – 476 |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Occupations | 481 | 486 | 481 – 486 |
| French language Proficiency | 375 | 486 | 375-486 |
| Trades Occupations | 388 | 425 | 388-425 |
| Transport Occupations | 435 (In 2023, a single draw was made available) | 435 | |
| Agriculture Occupations | 354 | 386 | 354-386 |
Gender
According to the data, men comprised most Express Entry applicants. Men received about 57% of the Invitations to Apply (ITA). In the meantime, 43% of ITAs went to women.
As per the program, almost 52% of men received the ITA under CEC(Canadian Experience Class) and PNP (26%) compared to females. Nonetheless, in line with data from 2022, women were more likely than males to receive an ITA through the FSWP (33% vs. 22%).
Occupation
Their prior job experience influences an applicant’s eligibility for Express Entry. Specific jobs are in higher demand or have a higher chance of getting an ITA.
A considerable share of 2023’s ITAs went to Express Entry candidates for computer, technology, and financial positions. On the contrary, 48% of all ITAs went to applicants in “other” vocations that were left out of the report.
Software engineers and designers were the most likely to get an ITA (7,259) for the second consecutive year, followed by software developers and programmers (5,183).
According to the National Occupation Classification (NOC) classification, ten of the fifteen professions in the report fall within the TEER 1 category. For these positions, a university degree is typically necessary.
| NOC Code | Occupation | TEER Ranking | ITAs Issued (2023) | Percentage of Total ITAs |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers | 1 | 7,259 | 6.5% |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers | 1 | 5,183 | 4.7% |
| 62020 | Food service supervisors | 2 | 3,277 | 2.9% |
| 21222 | Information systems specialists | 1 | 2,951 | 2.6% |
| 13110 | Administrative assistants | 3 | 2,538 | 2.3% |
| 21223 | Database analysts and data administrators | 1 | 2,151 | 1.9% |
| 11202 | Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and PR | 1 | 2,142 | 1.9% |
| 11100 | Financial auditors and accountants | 1 | 2,090 | 1.8% |
| 22221 | User support technicians | 2 | 1,844 | 1.6% |
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers | 0 | 1,841 | 1.6% |
| 13100 | Administrative officers | 3 | 1,747 | 1.5% |
| 21211 | Data scientists | 1 | 1,654 | 1.5% |
| 21221 | Business systems specialists | 1 | 1,600 | 1.4% |
| 12200 | Accounting technicians and bookkeepers | 2 | 1,599 | 1.4% |
| 21230 | Computer systems developers and programmers | 1 | 1,475 | 1.3% |
| Other | 70,915 | 64.3% | ||
| Total | 110,266 | 100% |
Citizen and Residence of Country
As per the express entry cou-off list data from 2022, most candidates who were granted ITAs in 2023 claimed to be residents of Canada (76,791). India dropped to second place (7,394) once more.
It’s interesting to note that Cameroon passed Nigeria (3,822) by just six ITAs to take third place with 3,828, the total number of ITAs.
While Pakistan received 1,173 ITAs despite not ranking among the top 10 nations in 2022, Lebanon has dropped out of the top 10.
The following tabular representation explains the ITAs issued 2023 to various citizens and residents of multiple countries.
ITAs Issued by Country of Residence (2023)
| Country of Residence | ITAs Issued (2023) | Percentage of Total ITAs |
| 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 of America | 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% |
ITAs Issued by Country of Citizenship (2023)
| Country of Citizenship | ITAs Issued (2023) | Percentage of Total ITAs |
| 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 Qualification
Previous data indicates that candidates with post-secondary educational levels received the majority of ITAs. Of these, 43% held a master’s degree or an entry-level professional degree, and 46% held a post-secondary credential lasting three years or more.
| Education Level | ITAs Issued (2023) | Percentage of Total ITAs |
| 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 longer | 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 Proficiency Level
The Canadian Language Benchmark level varies between various Canadian Express Entry programs. On the other hand, candidates with official language ability typically score higher overall on the CRS. According to data from 2023, 78% of applicants for Express Entry had a CLB score in the range of 7 (24%) to 9 (31%).
An additional 18% achieved the highest possible CLB 10 score. Still, this is a 2% decrease from the 21% in 2022.
| CLB/NCLC Level | ITAs Issued (2023) | Percentage of Total ITAs |
| 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% |
For further details, visit our Province immigration website, call us at 989-619-6762, or email us at info@provinceimmigration.com
