Early Express Entry Immigrants And The Labor Market

Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently published a report showcasing the outcomes of immigrants in the three years after the introduction of the Express Entry. The study focused on how Express Entry immigrants fared in the labor market between the years 2015 and 2018.

They conducted a comparison of the results of the people who applied via the electronic Express Entry system, and the non-Express Entry immigrants who were continuing to use the old paper-based application system.

Results of the study

Almost all Express Entry immigrants managed to find employment within the first year after landing. They performed much better than the immigrants who arrived in Canada via the previous application system. This is an early testament to the ability of the Express Entry to revolutionize the Canadian immigration system.

The respondents in the survey had submitted their immigration applications via the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), or any of the enhanced Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

Express Entry immigrants had ‘generally positive’ experiences in the three years after the launch of this unique electronic application management system in 2015. IRCC has noted however that Express Entry was designed with the intention of helping immigrants wanting to be successful in Canada on a long-term basis.

Express Entry immigrants had stronger outcomes than their non-Express Entry counterparts in the labor market. In the first year post immigration, 95% of Express Entry immigrants had become employed as compared to the 87% of non-Express Entry immigrants employed within the same period.

Among the Express Entry immigrants who gained employment, around 83% were continuing work in their field of expertise. Express Entry applicants were generally more employable. Immigrants in the FSWP and CEC categories had the highest rates of employment.