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Starting April 30, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will raise Canada’s immigration fees for permanent residency applications. This increase is part of a biennial adjustment trend that began in 2020. In 2022, fees went up by a modest 3%, but the upcoming hike will be steeper, around 12-13%. The new rates are calculated based on the cumulative percentage rise in the Consumer Price Index over the last two years (2022 and 2023), as reported by Statistics Canada, rounded to the nearest five dollars. Notably, applicants for permanent residency are exempt from paying the Right of Permanent Residence Fee, except for dependent children and protected individuals.

New Canada Immigration Fees Effective April 30, 2024

in a momentous development, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the results of the most recent Express Entry draw on February 28th.

The draw resulted in 1,470 talented workers receiving invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency, marking an important milestone in their path to establishing themselves in Canada.

Summary of the Express Entry Draw today

• Number of invitations issued: 1,470
• Rank required to be invited to apply: 1,470 or above
• Date and time of round: February 28, 2024, at 14:57:26 UTC
• CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 534
• Tie-breaking rule: January 16, 2024, at 03:51:05 UTC

With fewer invitations in today’s draw, we may see targeted draws in the coming days. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates.

Canada held its first Express Entry draw of the year today, and the first since November 23.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued invitations to 5,500 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 507. Eligible candidates were invited from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). All are programs that operate under the Express Entry system.

This draw marks an increase in the number of ITAs issued, and is the largest all-program Express Entry draw since they resumed last July. There were 750 additional invitations over the November 23 draw, which invited 4,750 candidates, as well as a higher CRS score than has been seen since the draw on September 28.

Today, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Canada exceeded a record-breaking target for admissions of permanent residents in 2022.

In a Tweet, IRCC stated that Canada welcomed over 437,000 new immigrants last year. This is higher than the target they had set at 431,645 new immigrants and marks an all-time record for Canadian permanent residence admissions in one year. The previous record was set in 2021 when Canada landed over 405,000 new immigrants.

“Today marks an important milestone for Canada, setting a new record for newcomers welcomed in a single year.” said immigration minister Sean Fraser. “It is a testament to the strength and resilience of our country and its people. Newcomers play an essential role in filling labour shortages, bringing new perspectives and talents to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole. I am excited to see what the future holds and look forward to another historic year in 2023 as we continue to welcome newcomers.”

IRCC processed 5.2 million applications across all lines of business in 2022. This includes applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship and is double the number of applications processed in 2021.

IRCC credits new resources, new technology, streamlined processing, and bringing more processes online for the increase in applications processed, as well as the high number of admissions. The government also committed $50 million to IRCC for 2022-2023 in the Fall Economic Statement to address the ongoing backlog of applications, which stands at 1.09 million applications across all lines of business as of November 30, 2022.

This July marked the return of the Express Entry system for the Federal Skilled Worker Class, as Canada invited skilled immigrants from overseas for the first time since 2020.

There are three programs managed by the Express Entry system:

The Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP);
The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP); and
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Candidates within the Express Entry pool are issued invitations to apply (ITAs), based on their Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS).

Roughly every two weeks, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issues ITAs to candidates in the Express Entry pool who meet the CRS cut-off. This year, all Express Entry draws have been general, choosing candidates from the FSWP and the CEC.

CRS in 2022
On July 6th IRCC resumed Express Entry draws, inviting 1,500 candidates from the Express Entry pool who had a CRS score of at least 557.

As draws continued throughout the year, IRCC would increase draw sizes (eventually to 4,750 candidates in the most recent draw), while decreasing CRS cut-offs to below 500.

As Canada continues to grapple with a post-COVID reality, labour shortages remain high throughout the country. Canada has identified immigration as the primary means by which it can address urgent economic needs; likely a driving reason to Express Entry’s return, and the progressively lowering CRS score in 2022.

British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan have issued invitations to apply to candidates through their Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs) this week.

Although provincial nomination is not in itself the same as a permanent residence, it can act as the first step towards gaining permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Most Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut) operate their own Provincial Nomination Programs. Through these programs, interested candidates may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Quebec’s immigration programs are administered by the province and are distinct from Canada’s immigration programs.

In an email to CIC News, an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) spokesperson has confirmed that there have been IT issues in the Express Entry system following the implementation of National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021. This includes Express Entry candidates who are in the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

While IRCC says the department is closely examining these issues and working to resolve them, no timeline has been given for such resolutions.

IRCC says they will update candidates as more information becomes available.

For instance, while the current NOC system (NOC 2016) requires that an Express Entry candidate has work experience classified under NOC skill types 0, A or B, IRCC’s shift to NOC 2021 will bring with it a shift to the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) system.