A recently released Government of Canada review of its Express Entry economic immigration system reveals nearly one third of invitations to apply for permanent residence issued in 2017 went to candidates who completed a post-secondary program in Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released this information as part of a broader assessment of the federal Express Entry system’s performance in 2017.

The latest data show that 26,826 graduates of Canadian educational institutions were invited to apply for permanent residence in 2017 through the economic immigration programs managed under the Express Entry system. This number represents 31 per cent of the total number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued in 2017.

The chart below illustrates the number of ITAs issued to Express Entry candidates with Canadian study experience since the introduction of the Express Entry selection system in 2015.

Express Entry candidates started benefiting from Canadian education under the Express Entry system’s Comprehensive ranking system when the government introduced an additional 15 or 30 points for Canadian study experience in November 2016.

In order to obtain Canadian study experience points, candidates must have studied at an educational institution in Canada and obtained a certificate, diploma, or degree for a post-secondary program of a year or more.

A report released last December correlates the introduction of Canadian education points with an increase in eligible Express Entry profile submissions of 87 per cent in the six months following the introduction of the additional CRS points for Canadian education.

IRCC’s 2017 year-end report also demonstrates that nearly 50 per cent of international graduates with Canadian education who were issued an ITA last year had a core CRS score between 451 and 500.

Another 37 per cent of Express Entry candidates with Canadian education who were issued an ITA in 2017 had CRS scores between 401 to 450.

Source: IRCC, 2017

Candidates in the Express Entry pool without a Canadian educational credential made up more than half of those issued ITAs in 2017.

The report also shows that candidates without Canadian education received more ITAs across all CRS score ranges.

Canadian Experience Class invitations see an increase

A interesting insight from the report is the significant rise in ITAs issued to candidates in the Canadian Experience Class.

The number of candidates invited under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) increased from 15,102 in 2016 to 35,020 in 2017.

The CEC program is a popular option among international graduates who have attended a Canadian educational institution, who may become eligible for the CEC after working in a skilled occupation in Canada for one year.

Gaining one year of skilled work is made possible through the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, which gives eligible international students the ability to stay and work in the country for up to three years.

Once a graduate obtains at least one year of work in a skilled, professional or technical field, they may then become eligible to enter the Express Entry pool under the CEC.

International graduates with Canadian educational experience, who meet the eligibility requirements, may also submit a profile to the Express Entry pool through Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Class.