Canada approves record number of permanent residence applications in 2022 through Express Entry

On October 12, 2022, Canada held its eighth Express Entry drawing, which includes such immigration programs as Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades. The Express Entry electronic system is one of the most popular ways for foreign workers to move to the country. Applicants are usually screened every two weeks for all programs, but are sometimes limited to one or two. Each year, Canada's Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) accepts more than 100,000 skilled workers through Express Entry.

In the latest draw, the Comprehensive Rating System for Relocation to Canada (CRS) threshold was lowered to 500. This means that all applicants with that number of points received an invitation to permanent residence in Canada (ITA). A total of 4,250 applications were approved. The primary purpose of the CRS is to evaluate an applicant's chances of moving to the country based on the information provided in the Express Entry profile. Each selection has tended to gradually decrease the rating system score and increase the number of ITAs issued. For comparison, in the last round of 09/28/2022, the minimum score was 504 and the number of invitees was 3,750.

Tie-breaking rule

If two candidates have the same passing score, the Tie-breaking rule is used to make the final decision. Candidates are assigned ranks based on the date and time of registration in Express Entry. Priority is given to those profiles that have been in the Pool of Candidates for a longer period of time.

Tie-breaking rule for Express Entry #233 was applied on October 10, 2022 at 17:10:53 UTC. All applicants with a CRS score of 500 who created a profile in Express Entry before that date and time received an ITA. This rule is published for each draw, regardless of whether there was a draw originally. If a candidate has a score above the minimum threshold, they do not need to worry about the Tie-breaking rule - they automatically receive an invitation.

Short-term plans

As of October 10, 2022, there were 235,120 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. Canada has now welcomed a record 32,288 foreign professionals through the electronic system. The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship still plans to hold Express Entry draws for all programs every two weeks. The next anticipated drawing is due Oct. 26.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser also announced that the country is on track to reach this year's immigration goal of more than 430,000 people, a record for Canada. In addition, the state is aiming for about 447,055 new permanent residents in 2023 and 451,000 in 2024.

Source: News Canada Immigration