Posted on December 06 2021

Canada immigration performance update from IRCC for the year 2021

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated July 25 2023

Here’s an update on Canada immigration that gives you a picture of its performance in 2021. Here are the facts:

IRCC processes more than 14,000 CEC applications and not more than 600 FSWP applications each month under the Express Entry program.
85% of all completed Canada Express Entry applications were from immigration candidates belonging to the CEC stream.
IRCC is currently favoring Express Entry applicants. Upon approval of their applications, IRCC sends a COPR to them. If they have a history of residing in Canada as a temporary resident, they may need to convert it to a permanent residence upon arrival in Canada.
There was a shift of focus towards immigration candidates who have stayed in Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic. IRCC has made the claim that 90% of CEC applicants were residing in Canada during the COVID-19 and were relatively immune to the obstacles created by the pandemic restrictions.
IRCC was also keen to encourage Canada PNP candidates to provide assistance to Canadian provinces in meeting their labor market demands.
IRCC differed from their practice of inviting candidates who rank the highest from the Express Entry pool as it did before the pandemic struck. IRCC instead selected PNP and CEC candidates who scored the highest which has led to a dip in the total CRS cut-off scores.
IRCC issued 108,860 COPRs between January and October 2021 to CEC candidates. 12,514 PNP candidates also received COPRs in the same period.
The least number of COPRs issued in 2021 was to FSWP candidates. Only 6,795 COPRs were received by FSWP candidates between January and October 2021.
In 2021, maximum resources have been shifted by IRCC to processing applications from CEC candidates. IRCC perceives this as a productive strategy to ensure that Canada meets its target of 401,000 newcomers in 2021.
In September and October 2021, IRCC finalized the processing of around 600 applications from FSWP candidates each month.
The backlog of temporary and permanent residence permit applications has now come to 1.8 million.
IRCC will be able to process all 48,000 remaining CEC applications by January 2022 if it maintains its current rate. But IRCC prefers to restart inviting FSWP and CEC applicants after it reduces its inventory of Canada Express Entry applications by more than half.