New data from the Canadian government offers more details on applicants who will receive Express Entry ITA in 2023 (between January & September). During this period, the nation issued over 53,455 ITAs to Express Entry applicants. Moreover, the data does not include ITAs, which IRCC issued in Express Entry draws throughout October. However, 9,173 extra ITAs were issued in the month of October. 

The numbers were broken down into several categories in order to show the number of ITAs by program, province, age, CRS score, occupation, etc. Express Entry oversees applicants in three economic immigration pathways, i.e., CEC, FSTP, & FSWP. In addition, it also manages a significant portion of PNP. 

Every program has unique eligibility criteria, but all applicants are evaluated & ranked using the CRS, which assigns point values for an applicant’s human capital attributes, like age, education, work experience, language proficiency, etc. 

The data also considers Express Entry applicants who have obtained a nomination via the Provincial Nominee Program. A provincial nomination automatically offers an extra 600 CRS points to the applicant’s profile.  

Thus, based only on the information available, the answer of who will receive Express Entry ITA in 2023 is CEC applicants who work as software engineers & reside in Ontario. 

Invitations Program 

In addition to who will receive Express Entry ITA, it is vital to note that most ITAs were issued to CEC applicants in the first nine months of 2023. These applicants had a minimum of one year of eligible work experience & met IRCC’s language proficiency criteria. In total, over 23,910 CEC applicants obtained an ITA. 

In addition, the Federal Skilled Worker Program applicants got the second-most ITAs at 15,855, followed by PNP applicants at 13,655. There were no ITAs issued to applicants in the FSTP. 

Top Professions 

There was some overlap in professions which obtained the most ITAs per program. Software engineering ranked among the top five professions for the programs mentioned below: 

  • Canadian Experience Class 

  • 1,725 Software Engineers & Designers  
  • 1,745 Interactive media Developers & Computer Programmers 
  • 1,240 Food Service Supervisors
  • 1,375 Consultants & Information Systems Analysts 
  • 855 Administrative Assistants 

  • Federal Skilled Worker Program 

  • 650 Accountants & Financial Auditors 
  • 570 Dentists 
  • 505 Professions in Marketing, Advertising, & Public Relations 
  • 565 Designers & Software Engineers 
  • 420 Data Administrators & Database Analysts 

  • Provincial Nominee Program 

  • 970 Other Professions 
  • 820 Designers & Software Engineers 
  • 615 Consultants & Information System Analysts 
  • 420 Welders & Related Machine Operators 
  • 595 Interactive Media Developers, as well as Computer Programmers 

Invitations By CRS Score 

Around half of all Express Entry applicants had a CRS score of 451-500 & 11,640 had scores between 501-600.
However, only 225 applicants obtained an ITA with a score between 601-700 & over 60 applicants scored between 701-800. Moreover, another 790 applicants scored between 801-900. 

Specifically, more than 77,550 Express Entry applicants had a CRS score between 901-1000 & around 5,040 had scores higher than 1,000. The only way to have a CRS score of about 600 is by obtaining a provincial nomination, which accounts for 600 out of 1,200 CRS points an applicant must receive. 

Invitations By Province 

More than half of all Express Entry applicants lived or intended to reside in Ontario. Data demonstrates that over 31,550 ITAs were issued to these applicants. In addition, BC had the second-highest number of ITAs at 10,655 & around 5,280 applicants in Alberta obtained ITAs.   

Furthermore, Nova Scotia obtained 1,595 ITAs. All other remaining provinces have less than 1,500 each. 

Invitations By Age

Most applicants obtaining ITAs were in the age range of 19-29. In total, over 28,970 applicants in their twenties obtained ITAs. Moreover, another 20,865 applicants in their thirties obtained ITAs. However, less than 4,000 applicants were issued ITAs in their 40s & later ages. 

IRCC assigns a higher CRS score to younger applicants depending upon longitudinal analysis. This analysis shows younger newcomers have more time to integrate into the labor market.

The Statistics Canada research reveals that age is among the strongest predictors of immigration labor market integration. Immigrants who come at a young age tend to have more time to improve their English/ French skills, gain relevant work experience, & develop professional networks. A single Express Entry applicant aged 20-29 obtains 110 CRS points, while a single 19-year-old applicant obtains over 105 CRS points. 

Express Entry Immigration Levels 

The number of Express Entry applicants invited this year exceeds the total number of applicants invited last year. However, this still falls short of the 108,105 in 2021.  

The last two years were outliers because of the pandemic. In 2021, IRCC increased ITAs to CEC applicants to help accomplish its goal of welcoming 400,000 applicants amid the pandemic. However, this has resulted in a backlog & slower service standards, thus leading to IRCC reducing ITAs in 2022. 

Since the pandemic, CEC applicants have obtained the majority of ITAs. However, before the pandemic, the FSWP was a prominent program for ITAs. 

Futuristically, IRCC has set a target of admitting over 110,770 PRs to Canada next year via Express Entry programs. Well, this number will increase annually in 2025 & 2026. The number of ITAs issued tends to be lower than the number of admissions since successful Express Entry applicants are eligible to land with their partners as well as children who also meet IRCC criteria.