Question Period Note: EXPRESS ENTRY

Status of the Express Entry system which is used for managing applications in a number of economic immigration categories.

PROPOSED RESPONSE:
• Immigration remains crucial to addressing Canada’s longstanding demographic challenges and labour shortages, especially during the pandemic.
• Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for key economic immigration programs, which focus on Canada’s long-term economic growth. Top-ranked candidates are regularly invited to apply for permanent residence.
• Economic results for Express Entry applicants are positive: These individuals are becoming economically established with high employment rates and employment income, and are working in their primary occupations.
• To address the impacts of the global pandemic, IRCC leveraged the responsiveness and adaptability of the Express Entry system – in particular the Canada Experience Class – to reduce barriers for clients and to maximize economic immigrant admissions.
If pressed on BIA
• The Government is seeking to build on the success of Express Entry and fill labour market shortages. The proposed changes to the Express Entry Draws will allow IRCC to better respond to a range of evolving economic needs and Government priorities.
• Should they be passed by Parliament, these amendments would authorize the invitation foreign nationals to apply for permanent residence via Express Entry, on a new basis - their eligibility to be members of a category that would support an identified economic objective.
• Eligibility requirements to be a member of a category could be based on factors such as specific work experience, educational background, or language skills.
If pressed on pause
• IRCC has temporarily paused invitations to apply to federal high skilled programs managed by Express Entry since September 20, 2021, while continuing to run invitation rounds for the Provincial Nominee Program. The Department is scheduled to resume issuing invitations this summer to be able to meet multi-year levels targets while remaining within published service standards.
• The pause on invitations has positioned IRCC to address the existing skilled worker inventory, and return to the six-month service standard for new applications. The pause on invitations has not reduced the planned number of new skilled worker permanent residents arriving in Canada.
• IRCC has been consulting regularly with provinces and territories on immigration measures during the pandemic, and will continue to engage with them as we collectively address the continued impact of COVID-19 on our programs and operations.

BACKGROUND:
• Launched in January 2015, Express Entry provides the means to control application intake and invite foreign nationals who are selected for their skills and ability to contribute to Canada’s economy.
• Applications received through the Express Entry system are electronic. Completing an Express Entry profile is the first step for immigrants considering the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program as their pathway to permanent residence.
• Applicants who meet the minimum criteria are entered into a pool, awarded points based on information in their profile and ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The top ranking candidates are then invited to apply for permanent residence.
• The composition of the pool of candidates is constantly changing as new candidates submit profiles, existing candidates take steps to improve their CRS points and other candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence. As such, we cannot speculate on future Express Entry draws since cut-off scores vary over time.
Current Status
System performance
• An evaluation of Express Entry was published in 2020, which found that applicants generally demonstrate high levels of labour market participation and employment income, and are working in their primary occupations. The Express Entry system was designed to select candidates with high human capital, who have the potential to achieve economic success in the Canadian labour market over the longer term, and these early economic results are generally encouraging. It should also be noted, however, that these findings pre-date the current economic shock related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Express Entry applicants also generally outperform their non-Express Entry counterparts. Nearly all Express Entry principal applicants had a job in their first years as a permanent resident (95% in the first year following their admission). Of those who were working at the time of the evaluation:
o 83% reported doing so in their primary occupation;
o Express Entry principal applicants earned 20% more than non-Express Entry principal applicants; and,
o 43% of Express Entry principal applicants were in occupations usually requiring university education (NOC A) for their first job as a permanent resident compared to 25% for non-Express Entry principal applicants.
• The Department is implementing an action plan to address the recommendations of the evaluation, namely monitoring the Comprehensive Ranking System, making improvements to the electronic application system, a more systematic approach to managing integrity, and addressing certain gaps in information collection.
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2019) also examined “Expression of Interest” systems and identified Canada’s Express Entry as a model for successful economic immigration management, noted for its refinement in ranking of candidates, ongoing testing and adaptation to evidence, and focus on human capital factors.
• IRCC continues to monitor and report Express Entry results, engage with partners and stakeholders and consider international comparators, with the aim of ensuring that Canada continues to benefit from immigrants with high human capital, and the diverse skills and experience needed to grow our economy.
COVID-19: Invitations Issued through Express Entry, Application Processing and Facilitative Measures
• In 2021, 114,431 invitations were issued to highly skilled foreign nationals over 40 rounds of invitations, surpassing the 107,350 invitations issued over 37 rounds of invitations in 2020, and the 85,300 invitations issued in 2019.
• Invitation to candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for the Canadian Experience Class
o Since the imposition of COVID-19 related restrictions, Express Entry rounds of invitations have focused largely on inviting Canadian Experience Class applicants, the majority of whom are already in Canada, and provincial nominees, whom provinces have identified as possessing needed skills for their local labour market.
o These CEC-focused rounds allowed the Department to meet levels in 2021 while international travel was restricted. Over 139K admissions out of the 405K were from Federal High Skilled which includes Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The majority of individuals invited during 2021 CEC rounds were processed in-year.
o In 2021 there were 99,653 invitations to apply to CEC, making up 87% of all Express Entry invitations issued that year. In 2020, there were 58,201 invitations to apply to CEC. CEC invitations made up 54% of all Express Entry invitations issued in 2020.
o In order to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, candidates must:
 meet the required language levels needed for their job
 have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada in the last 3 years before they apply
 have gained work experience while being authorized to work in Canada
 be admissible to Canada
o Individuals selected through the Canadian Experience Class historically have a high incidence of employment. The 2020 Express Entry evaluation found that CEC candidates selected had an employment incidence of 97%.
• A provincial nomination guarantees an invitation to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry; the proportion of invitations issued to candidates nominated by a province or territory was approximately 18% in 2019, 13% in 2020 and 13 % in 2021.
o This decrease is a reflection of the higher emphasis on CEC at the beginning of 2021 (for example, the large CEC-only round in February consisting of 27K candidates invited), as well as the launch of the TR to PR pathway. However, the numbers for PNP are comparable to past years: 2021; 14,778 (13%), 2020; 14,209 (13%), 2019; 14,928 (18%).
• At the start of the pandemic, the invitation to apply period for permanent residence was increased from 60 to 90 days to provide clients with additional time to prepare their applications, in response to challenges they faced in acquiring the necessary documentation.
• As of June 29, 2021, the Department returned to the 60-day timeframe which will support IRCC in processing higher volumes of applications in an expedited fashion. Facilitation measures for clients who are unable to provide complete applications due to the effects of the pandemic remain in place.
• The Department temporarily paused the invitation of new Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) candidates through Express Entry rounds in April 2020, with a resumption between July and December 2020.
• Travel restrictions throughout most of 2020 and 2021 have delayed the processing of overseas applications, leading to significant growth in the Federal High Skilled (FHS) processing inventory. Processing times for the FSW and FST programs are now much longer than Express Entry’s six-month service standard.
• To manage the large processing inventory and position IRCC to process existing applications in a timely manner, the Department temporarily paused invitations to apply to the FHS programs managed by Express Entry since September 20, 2021, while continuing to issue invitations to the Provincial Nominee Program. Invitations to apply to the FHS streams are scheduled to resume this summer, once the processing inventory is reduced enough to allow for new applications to be processed within the 6-month service standard. Applicants currently on inventory can expect longer than average processing times.
o As of January 1, 2022, the processing time for the FSW Program is 27 months;
o The processing time for the FST program is 23 months;
o And, the processing time for the CEC is 7 months.
National Occupational Classification – 2021 (NOC 2021) reforms
• The NOC is the national classification of occupations developed and maintained by ESDC and Statistics Canada. It is used across IRCC lines of business for the purposes of immigration selection.
• In fall 2022, IRCC will align with ESDC to implement the latest iteration of the NOC—NOC 2021. This revision will overhaul the classification’s structure to include a more nuanced categorization of skill that takes into account the training, education, experience and level of responsibility of each occupation in Canada. Sixteen occupations formerly categorized as lower-skilled will become eligible for IRCC’s high-skilled immigration streams as a result.
• IRCC and ESDC are closely collaborating to ensure timely and coordinated implementation, as well as consistent messaging with stakeholders.
Legislative Changes Announced in Budget 2021
• Budget 2021 announced the Government of Canada’s intention to propose amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This was reiterated in Budget 2022. These amendments will further streamline Express Entry by providing the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with the authority to use Express Entry Ministerial Instructions to better select candidates that match Canada’s changing and diverse economic and labour force need Timing of the introduction of the legislative amendments is to be determined.
Express Entry Reforms and Results
• A number of reforms to Express Entry have been introduced since 2016, informed by internal monitoring and feedback from clients, partners and stakeholders. These changes have been made to better attract and retain top talent and support the Global Skills Strategy, drive innovation, cut red tape for employers and prioritize workers with the skills needed for the economy.
• The adjustments have demonstrated that the Express Entry system can adapt to changing contexts and priorities, and has proven to be a flexible tool to select and admit applicants through economic immigration programs..
Highlights
• First introduced in June 2017, bonus points for candidates with strong French-language skills under Express Entry have been successful at increasing French-speaking admissions outside Quebec. This is why the number of bonus points awarded through Express Entry were further increased in October 2020 from 15 to 25 for French-speaking candidates and from 30 to 50 for bilingual candidates, increasing their likelihood of receiving an invitation to apply.
o The October 2020 change in Express Entry will help deliver on the government’s commitment to reach the target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrant admissions outside Quebec by 2023 and will contribute to the achievement of goals of the Department’s Francophone Immigration Strategy announced in 2019.
o In 2019, 5.6% of invitations to apply through Express Entry were issued to French-speaking candidates, declining slightly to 5.2% in 2020. However, the ongoing toll of the pandemic has led to the share of invitations issued to French-speaking candidates under Express Entry declining to 2.2% in 2021.
o In 2020, French-speaking admissions under Express Entry represented the majority (58%) of French-speaking admissions outside Quebec overall, making Express Entry one of the most promising tools to increase French-speaking admissions outside Quebec. From January to November 2021, French-speaking Permanent Residents admitted to Canada outside Quebec, via Express Entry, represented 44% of all French speakers outside Quebec.
o In an effort to support admission levels in 2020, the Department invited almost double the number of candidates that met Canadian Experience Class criteria. The lower number of Francophone admissions was likely due to travel restrictions, border closures and the focus on inviting CEC eligible candidates, who are more likely to be in Canada– this group tends to include fewer French speakers.
• Former international students have benefited from points for Canadian study credentials (15 points for one or two year post-secondary credentials, and 30 points for three year or university level credentials) since 2016, giving them a competitive edge against candidates who studied elsewhere.
o 59% of those invited to apply in 2021 had points for Canadian education compared to 39% of those invited to apply in 2020.
• In 2016, points assigned for offers of arranged employment were reduced (from 600 to 200 for candidates with job offers in National Occupational Classification major group 00 occupations (senior managers), and to 50 for all other occupations). Since then, most candidates are invited based on their high human capital, such as Canadian work experience. Research has demonstrated that Canadian work experience, rather than a job offer, contributes significantly more to immigrants’ early labour market success.
o 16% of those invited to apply for permanent residence in 2021 had points for a job offer, compared to 15% in 2020.
o Job offers are likely under-reported by those ranked highly enough to be invited without one; for those candidates the process for claiming job offer points is an unnecessary burden.
• Facilitative measures for job offers have included, since 2016, exempting certain candidates from the requirement to validate their offer of arranged employment with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and changing the duration of offers of arranged employment from “indeterminate" to a minimum of one year in duration, to facilitate job offers to candidates in contract-based industries.
• Implementation of the changes to job offer points, in conjunction with larger invitation round sizes from September 2016, also appear to have had a significant impact on the occupation mix of invited candidates.
o Since then, the top ten occupations invited have mostly been NOC A occupations (jobs that require a university education).
o Prior to the points change, top occupations included chefs and cooks; now they are dominated by STEM fields and include software engineers and designers, IT analysts, computer programmers, and financial experts, in line with the Global Skills Strategy.
• According to recent data from Statistics Canada (January 2021), immigrants who previously held a work permit often report higher wages one year after becoming permanent residents. In 2018, the average entry wage of immigrant tax filers with work permits surpassed the Canadian median wage of $37,400.

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