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2023 has come to a close! Let's review this year's immigration spotlights!
Canada has long been regarded as a land of opportunity and diversity, attracting immigrants from around the globe with its high quality of life, robust economy, and welcoming society. The Canadian immigration system has undergone significant changes in recent years, with the Express Entry system playing a crucial role in selecting skilled workers for permanent residency. Let’s take a look at the 2023’s biggest Canadian immigration changes and moments!
Canada's Caregiver Pilot Programs reduced work experience requirement by 50%
Early in the year, Canada lowered the 12-month minimum work experience requirement for in-country caregivers seeking permanent residence (PR) under the Home Child Care Provider (HCCP) or Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP).
This was done to attract more at-home caregivers. In 2022, nearly 1,100 caregivers and their families became permanent residents via the two pilot programs.
On January 1st, 2024, fresh applications will be accepted for these two pilots.
Introduction of category-based Express Entry rounds
The Express Entry system, introduced in January 2015, has become the cornerstone of Canada’s economic immigration strategy. It manages the pool of candidates for three federal economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. The system operates through regular draws or rounds, where candidates above a certain Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score are invited to apply for permanent residency.
The first-ever category-based draw was held on June 28 this year and before that candidates were assessed based on their human capital factors including work experience, professional fields, language skills, education, and age. They were then ranked using an assigned CRS score. After each draw, candidates with the highest CRS scores (according to the cut-off) are issued ITAs, allowing them to apply for permanent residency.
To align with labor market needs and promote the French language, IRCC introduced new category-based selection criteria on May 31. The six new categories included:
- Healthcare
- STEM professions
- Trades
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- French-language proficiency
International students were a strong backbone for immigration in 2023
A recent study by ApplyBoard looked at new info from the Canadian government. Between January and June 2023, Canada gave out over 280,000 new study permits. That’s a significant increase—77% more than the same time in 2022.
During this period, the Canadian government also processed many study permit applications—more than 435,000 in the first half of 2023. That’s a significant increase of 49% compared to the same time last year.
In 2022, Canada had a record number of international students—551,405 from 184 countries. And by the end of 2022, a whopping 807,750 international students had valid Canadian study permits.
Recently, Immigration Minister Marc Miller shared that Canada is on track to host around 900,000 international students in 2023. This shows that Canada remains a top choice for students worldwide, and more and more students are picking Canada for their studies.
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International Graduates were given PGWP extension
On April 6, a voluntary process was introduced for PGWP holders looking to extend their work permits.
Those international graduates whose permits had already expired in 2023 could apply for an additional 18-month work permit. This also extended to those meeting the 2022 PGWP facilitative measure criteria—a policy shift that enabled foreign nationals with permits expiring between Sept. 20, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022, to apply for an extra 18 months. This could be achieved by extending their current work permit or applying for a new one.
Additionally, international graduates with expired work permits were allowed to restore their status under the recent policy change, even if they had exceeded the 90-day restoration period. Applicants in this category were permitted to work while awaiting the processing of their applications.
However, recently, IRCC announced that this policy will not be extended beyond its current eligibility period. Foreign nationals with a post-graduation work permit expiring up to December 31, 2023, are still eligible to apply under the existing policy.
Express Entry still a popular prefered immigration method
Express Entry draws saw an increase in the number of rounds in 2023 compared to last year and even saw a significant number of invites sent out, indicating a heightened focus on addressing labor market demands and supporting economic expansion.
In 2023, 42 draws were held by the IRCC majority of which were all-program draws that considered candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Among these draws, 19 Express Entry draws were all-program, 5 were for PNP, one was for FSWP and the remaining 17 were category-based selection draws.
In total, between the first draw of the year on January 11 and the December 21 draw, the department issued 110,266 ITAs.
Compared to 2022 which saw a total of 38 Express Entry draws through which 132,000 invitations were issued.
While the numbers may be lower from 2022, IRCC’s target for 2023 was 82,880 Express Entry candidates, and the same was met.
What was the frequency of Express Entry draws?
December 2023 saw the highest number of draws, with seven taking place between December 6 and 21. The second-highest volume occurred in July, with five draws happening from July 4 to 12.
| # | Date | Round type | Invitations issued | CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited |
| 278 | 21-Dec-23 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations (2023-1) | 400 | 386 |
| 277 | 20-Dec-23 | Transport occupations (2023-1) | 670 | 435 |
| 276 | 19-Dec-23 | Trade occupations (2023-1) | 1,000 | 425 |
| 275 | 18-Dec-23 | No Program | 1,325 | 542 |
| 274 | 8-Dec-23 | STEM occupations (2023-1) | 5,900 | 481 |
| 273 | 7-Dec-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 1,000 | 470 |
| 272 | 6-Dec-23 | No Program Specified | 4,750 | 561 |
| 271 | 26-Oct-23 | Healthcare occupations (2023-1) | 3,600 | 431 |
| 270 | 25-Oct-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 300 | 486 |
| 269 | 24-Oct-23 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,548 | 776 |
| 268 | 10-Oct-23 | No Program Specified | 3,725 | 500 |
| 267 | 28-Sept-23 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations (2023-1) | 600 | 354 |
| 266 | 27-Sept-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 500 | 472 |
| 265 | 26-Sept-23 | No Program Specified | 3,000 | 504 |
| 264 | 20-Sept-23 | Transport occupations (2023-1) | 1,000 | 435 |
| 263 | 19-Sept-23 | No Program Specified | 3,200 | 531 |
| 262 | 15-Aug-23 | No Program Specified | 4,300 | 496 |
| 261 | 3-Aug-23 | Trade occupations (2023-1) | 1,500 | 388 |
| 260 | 2-Aug-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 800 | 435 |
| 259 | 1-Aug-23 | No Program Specified | 2,000 | 517 |
| 258 | 12-Jul-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 3,800 | 375 |
| 257 | 11-Jul-23 | No Program Specified | 800 | 505 |
| 256 | 7-Jul-23 | French language proficiency (2023-1) | 2,300 | 439 |
| 255 | 6-Jul-23 | Healthcare occupations (2023-1) | 1,500 | 463 |
| 254 | 5-Jul-23 | STEM occupations (2023-1) | 500 | 486 |
| 253 | 4-Jul-23 | No Program Specified | 700 | 511 |
| 252 | 28-Jun-23 | Healthcare occupations (2023-1) | 500 | 476 |
| 251 | 27-Jun-23 | No Program Specified | 4,300 | 486 |
| 250 | 8-Jun-23 | No Program Specified | 4,800 | 486 |
| 249 | 24-May-23 | No Program Specified | 4,800 | 488 |
| 248 | 10-May-23 | Provincial Nominee Program | 589 | 691 |
| 247 | 26-Apr-23 | No Program Specified | 3,500 | 483 |
| 246 | 12-Apr-23 | No Program Specified | 3,500 | 486 |
| 245 | 29-Mar-23 | No Program Specified | 7,000 | 481 |
| 244 | 23-Mar-23 | No Program Specified | 7,000 | 484 |
| 243 | 15-Mar-23 | No Program Specified | 7,000 | 490 |
| 242 | 1-Mar-23 | Provincial Nominee Program | 667 | 748 |
| 241 | 15-Feb-23 | Provincial Nominee Program | 699 | 791 |
| 240 | 2-Feb-23 | Federal Skilled Worker | 3,300 | 489 |
| 239 | 1-Feb-23 | Provincial Nominee Program | 893 | 733 |
| 238 | 18-Jan-23 | No Program Specified | 5,500 | 490 |
| 237 | 11-Jan-23 | No Program Specified | 5,500 | 507 |
Canada reopened Parents and Grandparents Program
On October 10, IRCC started sending invitations to apply for the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP) for 2023.
IRCC sent invitations to apply to 24,200 interested potential sponsors for two weeks. These ITAs were sent to randomly selected potential sponsors from the remaining 2020 pool of submissions.
What's the immigration plan for 2024?
In 2024, Canada expects to attract approximately 281,135 economic immigrants, which is over half the annual target percentage. By 2026, this figure will have risen to 301,250.
The Express Entry objective for 2024 will be 110,770 permanent resident admissions, rising to 117,500 immigrants in 2025 and 2026.
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will be 110,000 immigrants in 2024, rising to 120,000 in 2025 and another 120,000 in 2026.
In 2024, the family class target will be 114,000 immigrants, or 24% of all admissions. This figure will climb to 118,000 immigrants by 2026, accounting for 24% of total admissions.
Spousal, Partner, and Child sponsorship will look expect to have 82,000 in 2024, which will increase to 84,000 in each of 2025 and 2026. The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will target 32,000 immigrants in 2024, followed by 34,000 in 2025 and 2026.
Humanitarian admission targets for 2024 will be 89,865 immigrants.
Is Canada still a top destination for immigrants?
Looking at all the numbers given above, Canada can still be considered one of the top choices for immigrants from around the world.
As of 2022, the Canadian population included over eight million permanent residents, constituting roughly 20 percent of the total population. Additionally, there were 963,400 individuals holding work permits, over 800,000 international students, and 24,935 refugee claimants.
Among the provinces, Ontario has continued to be a popular destination for students and other immigrants. British Columbia and Alberta follow this province.
If you are ready to start your Canadian journey, you can contact our Immigration Consultant in Brampton at +1 289 298 1000 or Book Free Consultation on our website canozvisas.com
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Bakhash Deep Singh
Registered Australian
Migration Agent
MARN: 1171673
He provides comprehensive and personalized services to his clients. He has handled many complex cases for Australian Immigration for his clients and has a very high success rate. He is known for his analytical and strategic approach. He is Originally from India, he has a good command over English, Hindi and Punjabi language.
Canadian Immigration
Australian Immigration
Do you want
to Study or Immigrate to
Canada or Australia?
We are Canoz Visa Services and our team is committed to provide the highest standards of client service in a friendly environment.
