By: Yan Desjardins, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Canada remains a top destination for immigrants
In 2021, Canada welcomed 405,000 new permanent residents, a record high number of admissions. Canada’s Express Entry program accounted for most of the new admissions, while other programs such as family sponsorships and international student graduates contributed to this all-time high number.
At the beginning of this year, IRCC announced a target of 431,000 new permanent residents to be admitted to Canada. So far, Canada has admitted 275,000 new permanent residents. Once again, the Express Entry program accounts for most of it.
The immigration backlog
It is no secret that Canada’s immigration system is experiencing a substantial backlog. Canada’s priority response to global humanitarian crises added to the long backlog that occurred over the pandemic.
Recently, Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the ongoing efforts being deployed to reduce the immigration backlog. IRCC will hire 1,250 new employees by the fall to speed up the processing of all lines of business, including the Express Entry program.
This measure is in addition to the Express Entry program resumption of the invitation rounds, IRCC’s investment of CAD85 millions and other temporary policies to reduce the backlog.
For more information on IRCC backlog reduction measures, click here.
Last but not least, IRCC committed to more transparency with regards to the backlog management and expected reduction targets. Applicants can now see the IRCC backlog statistics on their website.
Why choose the Express Entry program?
I am often asked: What is the easiest way to immigrate to Canada? While there is no easy answer to this, since immigration is tailored to everyone’s needs, it is safe to say that the Express Entry program is the fastest way to immigrate to Canada.
The Express Entry program allows you to use your previous work experience, education, age and language skills to get Express entry scoring points that can get you an invitation to apply for a permanent residence visa for Canada.
Additionally, most of the applications for the Express Entry program are processed in approximately 6 months. As we mentioned above, IRCC is working at reinstating the normal processing delays, which is encouraging news for those wishing to immigrate to Canada.
The Express Entry program rounds of invitations
Since July 2022, IRCC has resumed the rounds of invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence under the Express Entry program. Here are the details of the invitations as well as the Express entry scoring benchmarks since July.
- August 17, 2022:
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- 2,250 invitations issued
- Express entry score: 525
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- August 3rd, 2022:
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- 2,000 invitation issued
- Express entry score: 533
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- July 20th, 2022:
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- 1,750 invitations issued
- Express entry score: 542
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- July 6th, 2022:
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- 1,500 invitations issued
- Express entry score: 557
As IRCC progresses in issuing ITA to qualified candidates in the Express Entry program pool of qualified candidates, we can expect to see the Express entry scoring benchmarks to reduce gradually.
Immigration streams of the Express Entry program
Applicants who wish to qualify for immigration under the Express Entry program can do so using 4 different streams, most commonly referred to immigrating to Canada under the skilled categories.
- The Federal Skilled Workers Class
- The Federal Skilled Trade Class
- The Canadian Experience Class
- The Provincial Nominees Program
You can find more information on these programs by clicking the links to our website above.
How can Phan Immigration help you?
If you are looking for reliable immigration consulting for the Express Entry program, then look no further. At Phan Immigration, we have extensive experience in immigration consulting and a dedicated waiting to help you ignite your dreams of living in Canada.
As we covered in this article, since the Express Entry program round of invitations have resumed more than 7,000 applicants have been invited to apply. With increasing immigration targets in 2022 and 2023, now is the time to apply for immigration under the Express Entry program.
Take our self-assessment test today to see how you can qualify.
