Canada saw an Express Entry first quarter like none seen before in 2022, issuing the lowest number of Invitations to Apply ever seen with not a single one going to a federal program candidate.

As Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) dealt with an enormous backlog of applications, the federal component of Express Entry was effectively put on hold.

It meant that just 6,470 ITAs were issued, lower than even the first quarter in the history of the selection system, in 2015 when 6,851 invitations were sent out.

The 2022 number is just 15 percent of the record-high number of ITAs issued in the first quarter of 2021, when 43,840 invitations were sent out, boosted by more than 27,000 in a single draw on February 13.

Records That Tumbled In Q1 2022

Least ITAs issued in a first-quarter: 6,470 (previous record 6,851, 2015)

Most ITAs in a PNP draw: 1,082 (previous record 1,032, December 13, 2021)

While Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has indicated federal program ITAs will resume in the spring, candidates continue to wait for that resumption. The last Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw took place on September 14, 2021, when 2,000 ITAs were issued, while the last all-program draw dates back to December 2020.

Canada’s application backlog was caused by the record number of ITAs issued in 2021, plus the impact of the TR to PR Pathway, introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an immigration system implemented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on January 1, 2015 which manages skilled worker applications under federal economic programs. This includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program the Canada Experience Class and parts of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Comparing this year’s first quarter to the eight that have been seen since 2015, when Express Entry began, shows exactly how few ITAs have been issued between January and March.

Five of the eight quarters saw 17,500 or more ITAs issued, with four over 20,000 and one over 40,000.

The only quarters in any way comparable to this year were 2015 and 2016, the first two years of Express Entry when IRCC was still clearing the backlog from the previous first-come, first-served system.

In fact, the first quarter of 2021 is second only to the second quarter of 2021 as the largest two Express Entry quarters of all time.

IRCC followed by the 44,124 ITAs issued between January and March last year by beating that total between April and June, issuing 44,591 ITAs. These two quarters are part of the reason for the significant application backlog being tackled by IRCC.

The two quarters since way in front of the next largest for Express Entry ITAs – the 29,855 issued in the second quarter of 2017. At the time this was an unprecedented number of ITAs, as IRCC looked to create an inventory of profiles in the new system.

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Just to make the top 10 Express Entry quarters of all time requires more than 22,200 ITAs to be issued, again showing how low the total for 2022 is in comparison.

For IRCC to be issuing such a low number of ITAs in a system that is supposed to have matured since its beginnings in 2015 and 2016 is further evidence of the mismanagement that occurred last year.

Express Entry was meant to be the reason why Canada’s immigration system was never again mired in backlog. Instead an irresponsible number of ITAs were issued, with no foresight into whether the required processing capacity existed when applications were submitted.

Provincial Nominee Program Draws

Every draw issued so far in 2022 has been for Provincial Nominee Program candidates.

These are applicants with a provincial nomination (and usually a job offer) in hand, scoring an automatic 600 points on top of their Express Entry profile scores.

The 6,470 PNP invitations issued in the first quarter of 2022 are a record for that program in any quarter. Four of the draws during the quarter also broke the previous record for the largest PNP-only draw, with the new mark set at 1,082 ITAs on February 17, with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 674.

Express Entry in the Rest of 2022

With Fraser already hinting that full Express Entry draws will return this spring, all eyes are focused on the regular Wednesday and Thursday slots for when normality returns.

It is possible that IRCC will resume Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws before moving to all-program draws. Ottawa may also jump back into all-program draws – it is simply a case of waiting and seeing.

With larger draws set to resume, it is unlikely such a small quarter of Express Entry ITAs will happen again in the near future.

However, the elephant in the room is the backlog. IRCC has so far failed to reduce the number of applications in the queue, with the latest figure put at 1.84 million through all immigration channels.

For candidates, it remains a case of waiting and seeing how quickly officials can tackle the backlog, and how soon IRCC feels ready to start issuing larger numbers of invitations.