2022 was a unique year for Canada’s Express Entry immigration system and an overview of Canada’s express entry system 2022. The all-program draws were on pause for the opening six months of 2022 and then resumed for five more months until a technical issue caused them to be suspended once again. Only late 2022 showed signs of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) application backlog being reduced significantly.
After seven years of steady growth since the system’s inception in 2015, this was the first year that saw a complete halt. That being said, it is only provisional as record immigration levels have been forecasted for the coming three years and are expected to increase to 500,000 annually by 2025. Consequently, the Express Entry immigration system will likely come back with greater vigor in 2023 when Canada attempts to battle its constant labor shortage.
The backlog of Express Entry applications started to clear out in the second half of 2022. The Canadian government has committed even more funds to clear the backlogs, thus it is expected that they will decrease even more significantly in the next year.
The introduction of an updated National Occupational Classification System in 2022 was another significant development. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) System was updated during the year. The Provincial Nominee Programs have been modified to work with the new TEER system, which now assigns vocations a five-number code instead of a 4.
The NOC system is used by Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to establish a candidate’s eligibility for Express Entry. Express Entry profiles can only currently be submitted by candidates who have NOC skill types A, B, or 0 of work experience. Jobs in TEERs 0, 1, and 3 will be eligible for Express Entry programs under the new system.
It effectively means that in advance of the introduction of occupation-specific draws in early 2023, officials and employers will be better able to identify the employees they want.
All of the newly added occupations, which were included in the Federal Skilled Worker Program when NOC 2021 was introduced in November 2022, are mentioned in full below:
- Payroll administrators;
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants;
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates;
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants;
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants;
- Sheriffs and bailiffs;
- Correctional service officers;
- Bylaw enforcement and other regulatory officers;
- Estheticians, electrologists, and related occupations;
- Residential and commercial installers and servicers;
- Pest controllers and fumigators;
- Other repairers and servicers;
- Transport truck drivers;
- Bus drivers, subway operators, and other transit operators;
- Heavy equipment operators; and
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors.
Express Entry immigration system
Using the Express Entry immigration system to enter the country is the process of submitting an application for skilled immigrants who wish to live permanently in Canada and contribute to its economy. The Express Entry immigration system is the fastest and most popular route for immigrants looking to start over in Canada.
Every year, Canada welcomes over 110,000 skilled workers under the Express Entry immigration system.
The three economic programs can be used by prospective immigrants who want to immigrate to Canada:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
If an applicant meets the requirements of the Express Entry immigration system, they may submit the required supporting documents and upload a profile on the IRCC website. The candidates will then receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which is used to compare each candidate in the application pool. The probability of receiving an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for permanent residence rises with higher test scores.
Number of ITAs
As per ministerial instructions, Express Entry applicants received 46,538 ITAs during the period of the 23 draws in 2022. These figure covers draws held between January and July just for participants in Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). There were 35,750 ITAs in total for just all-program draws, which started in July and continued through the rest of the year.
Honorable Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, stated in April of last year that all-program Express Entry draws would start up again in July. At the first draw, which was held on July 6, 1,500 applicants attended.
Due to the gap in drawings of the Express Entry immigration system in the first half of the year, there are fewer ITAs overall than in the past. The smallest draw occurred on July 6. The number of ITAs increased over the period of the next 10 draws in increments of either 250 or 500 applicants, reaching its peak on October 26, November 9, and November 23, when 4,750 candidates were invited in each draw.
To find out more details about “2022 was a unique year for Canada’s Express Entry immigration system” you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.
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