Maple News reports that Express Entry saw a notable slowdown during the third quarter of 2021, issuing just 20,981 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence — making it the quietest quarter of the year. This marks a sharp decline from the historic highs recorded in the first half of the year, and represents the lowest number of ITAs since Q4 2019.
Despite the drop in quarterly invitations, the cumulative ITAs for 2021 crossed a major milestone. By September 14, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had issued more invitations than in all of 2020, with the total reaching 109,696 by the end of September. This surpasses the 107,350 issued in the entire previous year, underscoring Canada’s aggressive immigration push since the start of the pandemic.
In Q3 2021, IRCC conducted a total of 12 Express Entry draws. Of these, seven targeted candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and five were for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants. CEC candidates received the bulk of invitations — approximately 81% — reinforcing the department’s focus on applicants already residing in Canada.
There were still no draws for candidates under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) during this period. The only update for these programs came in July, when IRCC revised proof-of-funds requirements.
According to an internal IRCC memo dated June 8, the agency strategically prioritized candidates within Canada to meet its ambitious 2021 immigration targets. The memo outlined a plan to hold large-scale CEC draws — around 6,000 candidates — through June and July. IRCC’s aim was to finalize 141,000 CEC applications in 2021, which required accepting approximately 25,000 applications by the end of July.
This prioritization was driven by processing timelines. For CEC cases, the average time from invitation to landing is estimated at four to eight months. Therefore, individuals invited after July were less likely to complete the landing process before year-end.
IRCC acknowledged concerns that issuing invitations to CEC candidates with lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores could lead to criticism. To address this, the department analyzed the profile of lower-scoring candidates who were still skilled and educated. Those with scores around 350 often had college-level education and experience in skilled trades, which complemented their intermediate language abilities.
While this Q3 strategy focused heavily on CEC applicants, IRCC’s internal analysis aimed to ensure that the quality of invited candidates remained aligned with Canada’s labor market needs. The agency also undertook extensive processing efforts to convert those invitations into finalized decisions within the calendar year.
Overall, this shift signals IRCC’s agile approach in responding to both public health realities and immigration targets, positioning the Express Entry system for a more balanced rollout in the latter part of 2021 and into 2022.