Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is dramatically increasing the processing of Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applications under the Express Entry system, while prioritizing far fewer applications from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
According to newly released IRCC data, the department has been finalizing over 14,000 CEC applications monthly in recent months, representing approximately 85% of all completed Express Entry files in 2021. In comparison, fewer than 600 applications under the FSWP are being finalized per month, making up just 5% of the total Express Entry approvals this year. This stands in stark contrast to pre-pandemic years, when FSWP applicants accounted for nearly half of all Express Entry invitations.
This trend is largely driven by Canada’s immigration goals for 2021, which include welcoming over 401,000 new permanent residents. In pursuit of this target—and amid COVID-19 travel restrictions—IRCC shifted its focus toward applicants already inside Canada, particularly CEC candidates who are typically working in the country on temporary status. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates have also remained a priority, as they support local labour market needs.
IRCC’s most notable move came in February 2021 when it issued invitations to over 27,000 CEC candidates in a single draw, with an unprecedented Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off of just 75 points. This dramatic measure was aimed at meeting year-end immigration goals and highlighted IRCC’s intent to convert as many temporary residents to permanent status as quickly as possible.
Processing volumes have surged since the summer. While IRCC finalized only 7,000 to 10,000 Express Entry files per month early in 2021, that number nearly doubled starting in June. As of late October, there were still about 48,000 CEC applications in inventory, but based on current trends, IRCC is expected to clear these by January 2022.
Despite these gains, many FSWP applicants remain in limbo. The program has not seen new invitations since December 2020. As of October 25, about 165,000 FSWP candidates were in the Express Entry pool, representing the vast majority of all current applicants. The extended pause raises concerns among those stuck in long wait times, some of whom submitted their applications before the pandemic began.
IRCC currently faces an extensive backlog of approximately 1.8 million immigration applications, including around 140,000 from Express Entry alone. Officials have indicated that until this inventory is significantly reduced, new rounds of invitations for FSWP and CEC candidates are unlikely to resume.
Looking ahead, the Canadian government is expected to release its Immigration Levels Plan for 2022–2024 no later than February 10. This plan, along with the mandate letter to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, will provide greater clarity on IRCC’s post-pandemic immigration priorities and the future direction of Express Entry.
Maple News will continue to monitor developments closely as IRCC repositions its immigration strategy amid evolving global and domestic challenges.