The Canadian government is looking to welcome 341,000 new immigrants in 2020 under all of their immigration programs. This includes the economic classes, family class, and refugees and protected persons. This is an increase of 1,000 new immigrants from 2019’s target.

195,800 of these new immigrants will be from the economic classes, most of which use the Express Entry system.

What is the Express Entry System?

The Express Entry system is designed to provide individuals with full Canadian Permanent Residency within as little as six months of applying. In order to qualify to apply, you need to have at least one year of post-secondary education, at least one year of full-time paid work experience and be fluent in French or English.

Canada does not have an “in-demand” occupation list, instead, they are looking for those who have work experience in management positions, professional occupations that typically require a university degree, technical jobs and skilled trades.

All applicants who apply through the Express Entry system are then assigned a score based on a variety of factors including age, education, work experience and language proficiency. This applicant’s score is then used to rank the applicant against all of the other applicants wanting to move to Canada.

An application will include the applicant’s spouse and dependent children, if applicable. The Canadian Government then selects the top-ranking candidates bimonthly. Those who are successful will then be considered for Canadian Permanent Residency.