2024: Express Entry year in review
We saw many changes to Canada’s Express Entry system in 2024.
In this article, we’ll review the major changes to Express Entry, many of which have significant implications for foreign nationals seeking Canadian permanent residence (PR).
Reviewing recent developments and highlighting trends may also give us a better sense of what to expect in the coming year.
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Express Entry in 2024: Overview and comparison
In 2024, the Canadian federal government issued 98,803 invitations to apply (ITAs) through Express Entry in 52 draws.
Both the number of draws and the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores for candidates varied greatly by category and program.
From January to April of 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held General (considering all candidates of the Express Entry pool) and category-based rounds of selection through the Express Entry system.
After May, however, the department began to focus much more closely on Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and French language proficiency candidates, a trend that has continued through to the end of the year.
As a result of these fluctuations and the increased selectivity IRCC can implement through Express Entry categories, the number of draws and the CRS cut-off scores candidates needed to be invited varied greatly by category and program:
| Program/Category | Number of draws | Minimum CRS | Maximum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provincial Nominee Program | 14 | 663 | 816 |
| French language proficiency | 11 | 336 | 478 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 10 | 507 | 547 |
| General | 9 | 524 | 549 |
| Healthcare occupations | 3 | 422 | 463 |
| Trade occupations (Version 1) | 2 | 433 | 436 |
| Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 1 | 437 | 437 |
| STEM occupations | 1 | 491 | 491 |
| Transport occupations | 1 | 430 | 430 |
A full list of this year’s Express Entry draws can be found here.
As of the latest data provided, there were 221,310 candidate profiles in the Express Entry pool—more profiles than in 2023. The following table shows the number of candidate profiles in the Express Entry pool in Dec of each of the previous three years:
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of candidate profiles | 216,512 | 232,606 | 190,953 |
IRCC issued 11,463 more ITAs in 2023 than in 2024, even though immigration targets for the Express Entry system rose by 27,890 admissions in the latter year.
The increase in candidates has also caused CRS cut-off scores to change significantly, rising higher in 2024 than in the year previous. In addition to changes in terminology, and differing program priorities, Express Entry draws and cut-off scores in 2024 were markedly different from those in 2023:
| Category/Program | 2024 Draws | 2024 CRS Range | 2023 Draws | 2023 CRS Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provincial Nominee Program | 14 | 663 - 816 | 5 | 691 - 791 |
| French language proficiency | 11 | 336 - 478 | 6 | 375 - 486 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 10 | 507 - 547 | 0 | (Invited under “General” and “No Program Specified” draws) |
| General | 9 | 524 - 549 | 2 | 542 - 561 |
| Healthcare occupations | 3 | 422 - 463 | 3 | 431 - 476 |
| Trade occupations | 2 | 433 - 436 | 2 | 388 - 425 |
| Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 1 | 437 - 437 | 2 | 354 - 386 |
| STEM occupations | 1 | 491 - 491 | 2 | 481 - 486 |
| Transport occupations | 1 | 430 - 430 | 2 | 435 - 435 |
| No Program Specified | 0 | No draws in 2024 | 17 | 481 - 531 |
| Federal Skilled Worker | 0 | No draws in 2024 | 1 | 489 - 489 |
What trends will influence Express Entry in 2025?
This year saw a number of policies instituted that have had profound influence on how Express Entry draws have been conducted in 2024 and are predicted to continue to influence the system in 2025.
Removal of CRS points for job offers
In December of 2024, Minister of Immigration Marc Miller announced his intention to remove CRS points awarded for valid job offers. This change will be implemented in spring of 2025 and is intended as a “temporary measure.” At this time IRCC has not announced when this measure will conclude.
Under the CRS, candidates can receive either 50 or 200 additional CRS points for having a valid job offer.
To be considered a valid job offer for the purposes of Express Entry, the job must meet specific requirements. The federal government defines what constitutes a valid job offer for the CEC, and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
With the impending removal of points, CRS scores within the Express Entry candidate pool may see a significant drop—though the degree to which this may occur, and the outcomes of this change are difficult to predict relative to CRS cut-off score trends in 2025.
See our recent article for a more in-depth analysis of the effect of this change for Express Entry candidates.
Immigration Levels Plan
In November of this year, IRCC announced that they would be increasing immigration targets under the “Federal High-Skilled" allocation, under which Express Entry falls. This allocation rises from 1107,770 landings* to 124,590 landings in 2025. This allocation has also newly been broken down into two sub-categories: the “In-Canada Focus” category, and the “Federal Economic Priorities” category.
The increase in admissions targets to these federal pathways in 2025 occurs at the same time as a reduction in overall immigrant levels by roughly 20% of 2024 targets. By increasing the number of admissions through the federal immigration system (while simultaneously significantly cutting allocations for provincial immigration), Canada’s federal government has implemented targets in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan that give it more control over immigration to the country overall.
*Note that landings are not the same as ITA issuances. An ITA allows a candidate in the Express Entry system to apply for PR. A “landing” is when a newly approved permanent resident completes a final interview with an immigration officer and formally claims their PR status by signing their Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). IRCC’s Immigration Levels Plan details planned new immigrant landings, which differ from ITA issuances due to department processing times between ITA issuance and receiving PR, and other influencing factors.
In-Canada Focus
The “In-Canada Focus” Category, (allocated 82,890 admissions) will primarily consider candidates within Canada, inviting them through draws for:
- The Canadian Experience Class (CEC); and
- Express Entry-aligned PNP programs (also called “enhanced PNPs”).
- This category will also consider candidates in the FSWP and the FSTP.
The In-Canada Focus category makes up 66% of the total Federal High-Skilled allocation, meaning that Express Entry draws in 2025 may emphasize draws for eligible groups to this category.
The prevalence of both CEC and PNP draws since July of 2024 is already a sign of the prioritization of these candidates for ITAs through the Express Entry system.
Federal Economic Priorities
The “Federal Economic Priorities” category allocates admissions for newcomers in the Express Entry pool with “specific skills, training and language ability” to meet Canada’s labour market needs and demographic goals. These categories are established every year.
Starting in 2023, category-based selections within the Express Entry system were initially created to give IRCC the ability to issue invitations to certain classes of newcomers, based on federal labour market and demographic priorities.
These category-based selection draws often have much lower CRS cut-off scores than other draws, due to the smaller “sub-pool” of candidates they consider.
The federal government has indicated that priority categories for 2025 will include
- Healthcare occupations;
- Trade occupations; and
- French-language proficiency.
In 2024, priority categories also included agriculture and agri-food, transport, and STEM occupations—however the 2025 Levels Plan does not account for these groups in the Federal Economic Priorities allocation.
Due to their special allocation, it is likely that IRCC will prioritize ITAs for healthcare, trade, and French-proficiency candidates. Though healthcare and trade occupations draws have not been as frequent in 2024, 2025 may see more draws for these categories as IRCC continues to prioritize them.
French proficiency draws, on the other hand, have steadily taken place all year (and especially after July of 2024), and are likely to see continued importance within the Express Entry system. This is due in large part to IRCC’s commitment to francophone immigration, as instituted through Canada’s Official Languages Act.
Per IRCC’s Francophone Immigration policy, IRCC plans to allocate 7% of its total immigration levels in 2025 to francophone candidates looking to settle outside of Quebec.
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