Express Entry through Category based
Canada is ready to enhance Express Entry through category based selection to better meet the Canada's evolving economic needs.
How immigration supports economic growth
In the long term, increasing immigration, with a focus on economic classes, will help address labour market needs and support economic growth. The Bank of Canada has recognized that high immigration levels will boost labour supply and, combined with business investment, will result in a rise in labour productivity growth. According to Statistics Canada, from 2016 to 2021, immigrants accounted for four-fifths of Canada's labour force growth.
Immigrants are a central pillar of Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic and future success: they are educated, fill targeted labour market shortages, and have the skills needed to quickly integrate and adapt to the Canadian labour market.
Canada has a variety of economic immigration programs designed to balance filling current job vacancies with selecting people who have the skills that will make them successful over the long term. Federal economic and pilot programs are complemented by regional immigration and pilot programs that support provincial and territorial jurisdictions in responding to their unique labour force and demographic needs.
Key insights about Express Entry
The Express Entry system manages some of Canada’s skilled immigration programs, and is designed to select individuals based on skills and abilities like official language proficiency, post-secondary education, and Canadian work experience. These are predictors of economic integration, with better employment rates and higher earnings.
The profiles of candidates who are issued invitations to apply continue to reflect skilled candidates with the potential to integrate and contribute to Canada’s economy. Between 2019 and 2021, of those candidates invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry, the most common primary occupations were:
- 1. Food service supervisors
- 2. Administrative assistants
- 3. Financial auditors and accountants
- 4. Retail sales supervisors
- 5. Software engineers and designers
- 6. Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
- 7. Cooks
- 8. Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- 9. Information systems analysts and consultants
- 10. User support technicians
- 11. Restaurant and food service managers
- 12. Administrative officers
(Note: In 2020 and 2021, the targeting of invitations to apply for permanent residence to those candidates more likely to be physically located in Canada and therefore less impacted by border restrictions resulted in significant shifts from previous years in terms of occupational profile. For example, in 2020 and 2021, candidates working in Canada in occupations such as food service supervisors or administrative assistants received a higher proportion of invitations than in previous years.)
Candidates invited to apply also remain highly educated, with 75% in 2021 claiming to hold a post-secondary educational credential of at least 3 years. The majority of candidates invited to apply are in their 20s and 30s. In 2021, 64% of invitations were sent to candidates aged 20-29, followed by 19% aged 30-34. Candidates also have high levels of demonstrated official language proficiency. In 2021, 83% demonstrated at least a level 7 Canadian Language Benchmarks/Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in their first Canadian official language, and 2,517 candidates who met criteria for additional points for French-language proficiency were invited to apply.
Workers with these skills are proven to be better able to adapt to evolving labour market needs over the long term. An evaluation of Express Entry (May 2020) found that principal applicants were generally outperforming their non-Express Entry counterparts, becoming economically established with high employment rates and employment income. For example, they were earning 20% more than non-Express Entry principal applicants.
What is category-based selection?
On June 23, 2022, legislative changes that allow Express Entry to better select candidates able to help meet specific economic goals received royal assent. This selection will be done by creating “categories” – in other words, by selecting immigrants based on key attributes that support identified economic priorities, such as educational credentials, work experience, or official language knowledge. For example, we could create a category for those with work experience in a particular occupation or with a particular educational background, or a category that could include multiple characteristics, such as international students who graduated with a particular degree or hold a certain language level. Candidates who meet a particular category would be ranked according to their Comprehensive Ranking System scores and the top among them invited to apply.
Category-based selection is limited to candidates who qualify for the programs managed under Express Entry, including: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program
. It will comprise a portion of overall invitations to apply, and invitations based on the Comprehensive Ranking System scores and individual programs will remain.
