A report by CIC news, has revealed that more than one-third of successful applicants had no Canadian work experience at all in securing permanent residence (PR) through Canada’s Express Entry system.
Released on November 3, 2025, the report reviews express entry outcomes throughout 2024, and offers a detailed breakdown of these invitations, examining outcomes by programme, levels of work experience, professional background, and both country of citizenship and country of residence, providing a comprehensive picture of who benefitted most from the system during the year.
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It shows that while Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates received the largest share of Invitations to Apply (ITAs), By contrast, only one per cent of invitees lacked foreign work experience, and over half (56 per cent) had two years or less of Canadian work experience.
In 2024, a total of 98,903 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued through Canada’s Express Entry system, with the majority going to candidates already residing in the country. Indian nationals dominated the pool of successful applicants, receiving more than four times the number of ITAs compared with the second most common source country, Cameroon.
Programme trends
In 2024, the Canada Experience Class accounted for the largest share of ITAs, issuing 26,500 invitations, or 27 per cent of the total, with an average Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut‑off score of 524 points. French‑language proficiency draws followed closely, issuing 23,000 ITAs (23 per cent) and recording the lowest average CRS cut‑off of any category at 409 points.
The Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) contributed 15,483 ITAs (15 per cent), though candidates faced the highest average CRS threshold at 725 points. Other draws, including general, STEM, healthcare, trade, transport, and agriculture categories, collectively issued thousands of invitations, although several of these draw types have not been used in 2025. By November 2025, French‑language draws had overtaken CEC as the leading category, with 36,000 ITAs issued, while healthcare and social services draws rose sharply in prominence, reflecting shifting priorities in Canada’s immigration system.
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Work experience patterns
Canadian experience: 56 per cent of invitees had two years or less of Canadian work experience.
Foreign experience: Virtually all successful candidates had at least one year of foreign work experience, underscoring its importance in achieving competitive CRS scores.
No Canadian experience: 34 per cent of invitees had none, benefiting from category-based draws requiring French proficiency or relevant work experience in eligible occupations.
IT, healthcare roles receive the most ITAs
Information Technology (IT) and healthcare roles featured prominently among the top ten professions to receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in 2024, yet the data indicates that broader work experience and human‑capital factors ultimately carried greater weight.
The most frequently named occupations included software engineers and designers, food service supervisors, software developers and programmers, as well as administrative assistants.
A comparison with the 2024 Express Entry occupation‑based lists reveals a strong concentration in STEM fields, alongside a moderate presence of healthcare professions such as registered nurses and general practitioners. However, several high‑volume roles, among them food service supervisors, administrative assistants, administrative officers and retail sales supervisors, did not appear on the targeted occupation lists. This suggests that invitations for these candidates were issued through general or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws rather than occupation‑specific rounds.
Significantly, “other professions” accounted for around two‑thirds of all ITAs, totalling 65,279 of the 98,903 issued. This pattern highlights that, in 2024, most invitations were awarded not for narrowly defined occupational experience but for overall human‑capital strength and skills transferability. Factors such as age, education, language proficiency and Canadian work or study experience proved decisive in determining success within the Express Entry system.
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Francophone countries take the lead
Beyond Canada, the data show an increasingly diverse global footprint of invitees by country of residence, with an emphasis on Francophone nations.
French-speaking nations such as the republic of Cameroon, Morocco, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire all ranked among the leading countries of residence, with several others also appearing in the top tier of citizenship groups.
The rise of French‑speaking nations is closely linked to the introduction of French‑language proficiency draws in 2023, which were expanded further in 2024. These category‑based selections have significantly boosted the representation of Francophone Africa within the Express Entry system, marking a notable shift in Canada’s immigration landscape.
