Relevance of the Express Entry System

The Express Entry system has given Canada’s immigration system an edge over all other countries. Skilled workers from countries all over the world are able to travel to Canada in order to fulfill their dreams.  Express Entry is the primary system responsible for managing the immigration applications that are submitted by talented workers across the globe.

Why is the Express Entry system revolutionary?

Introduced in 2015, Express Entry has changed the way Canada deals with immigration. Previously, Canada preferred to process the immigration applications in the chronological order in which they were submitted. As a result, the system was very slow, and the system could not handle a large number of applications. Successful applicants often had a wait of several years before they would get the good news from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about receiving permanent residence (PR).

Since Express Entry is meant to be dynamic, it allows candidates to upload their profiles on IRCC’s website for no cost. They are assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score on the basis of human capital characteristics like age, language skills, work experience, and education.

How are invitations issued?

IRCC distributes invitations to apply (ITA) every two weeks among candidates looking to attain permanent residence on the basis of their CRS scores. IRCC publishes a yearly analysis report on its performance called the Express Entry Year-End Report that provides important information about Express Entry and the demographic characteristics of candidates.

The report also states the percentage of candidates arriving from individual countries.  The top 5 countries to feature on this list in 2019 were:

• India (47% of all ITAs)
• Nigeria (7%)
• China (7%)
• Pakistan (3%)
• United Kingdom (2%)

In 2019, IRCC issued 85,300 ITAs to candidates from countries all over the globe.