New figures obtained by a Canadian immigration lawyer under the Access to Information Act reveals that Indian citizens were supplying the best candidates through the country’s Express Entry programme a month after the programme was introduced.
The figures, which were obtained by lawyer Richard Kurland, relates to internal Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) data produced in late January 2015.
Of the top 775 candidates who were in the selection pool at that time, 228 came from India, while 122 were from the Philippines and 46 from Pakistan. Ireland had the fourth most qualified candidates (34), while 19 of the top 775 applicants were British citizens.
While Kurland acknowledges that this is a very early snapshot of a programme which was only implemented at the start of this year, he said that should the trends hold it will give a good indication as to the source countries skilled immigrants to Canada are likely to come from over the coming years.
“If the trend holds, it looks like Express Entry is going to be a real game-changer for where Canada sources skilled workers,” he said.
Through Express Entry, instead of applying directly for a visa, candidates must instead submit an Expression of Interest, which ranks applicants against certain criteria for which they score points. Individuals with the most points are considered the top candidates, with a draw held every two weeks to determine who receives an “invitation to apply” for a permanent residency visa.
Applications stay in the pool for up to a year, but if a candidate is not selected in that time, then they will need to re-apply.
Skilled immigrants who receive a permanent job offer backed by a positive labour market impact assessment, or those nominated by a provincial government, are typically among the first to receive an offer to apply for permanent residency.