PNP
Over Half of Express Entry Invitations Went to PNP Candidates in 2022
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) data, 19,160 invitations to apply (ITAs) were issued to PNP candidates in 2022. In addition, a total of 37,315 ITAs were issued, implying that PNP candidates received 51% of all ITAs in 2022.
The updated IRCC data also provides more information on enhanced PNP nominations, such as the number of ITAs per province and invitations by the CRS scores.
ITAs By CRS Score
If a candidate’s CRS score fell between 491-600 in 2022, the majority of Express Entry candidates 17,905 obtained an ITA. The remaining 19,160 applicants had upgraded provincial nominations under Express Entry and had CRS scores over 600.
ITAs By Program
Most candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were invited after the PNP where a total of 12,960 candidates received ITAs. To applicants for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), IRCC granted 5,200 ITAs. In 2022, no applicants from the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) were invited.
ITAs By Province
In 2022, ITAs were distributed according to the province of the final destination in a variety of numbers and types.
With 17,920 candidates total, Ontario was the most popular choice for the desired province of residence. Of those, 8,990 CEC applicants who were given an ITA said they wanted to live in the province. As a result, Ontario is the only province where there were more CEC candidates than PNP members who intended to settle.
With more than 4,240 ITAs granted to PNP candidates, British Columbia was the second most popular destination for Express Entry candidates. A total number of 4,655 ITA recipients were destined for Alberta, while 2,195 were going to Manitoba.
Provincial Enhanced Nominations in Canada
The Express Entry applicants with enhanced PNP nominations received the majority of the ITAs issued by IRCC (excluding Quebec)
Province No. of Invitations Newfoundland and Labrador 305 Prince Edward Island 385 Nova Scotia 1,620 New Brunswick 775 Ontario 5,170 Manitoba 1,995 Saskatchewan 1,235 Alberta 3,385 British Columbia 4,240 Yukon 25 Northwest Territories 15 Total 19,160
What is Enhanced Nomination?
When a province shows interest in a candidate who is already in the Express Entry pool because they are most likely to settle and readily integrate into the province’s economy, it is referred to as an enhanced nomination.
PNP Allocations Expected to Rise in Canada
After the release of the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025 in November, the immigration targets are expected to rise. In 2023, IRCC wants to accept more than 105,000 new permanent residents through the PNP, and by 2025, it wants to admit up to 117,500 people annually.
The maximum allocation of 9,750 new immigrants that Ontario was permitted to accept under the PNP for 2022 has been significantly increased to 16,500 under the new plan. By 2025, the PNP goal for Ontario is expected to reach over 18,000 people. The benefits of higher targets extend to other provinces as well. For instance, the Manitoba PNP allocations for 2023 are 3,175 more than they were for 2022. Both Saskatchewan and Alberta anticipate large allocation increases over the next three years, with Saskatchewan’s PNP expected to reach 8,500 spaces by 2025 and Alberta’s expected to reach 10,849.
