CIMM – Federal High Skilled Programs – November 25, 2024

Key Facts And Figures

In the first ten months of 2024 (January 1 to October 31), Canada welcomed more than 414,000 new permanent residents.
Approximately 29% (118,940) of all permanent residents welcomed in this time were admitted through Express Entry.
From January to October 2024, the top intended occupations of permanent residents admitted through Express Entry were software engineers and designers (4,555), computer programmers and interactive media developers (4,100), and information systems specialists (3,505).

Canada’s Federal High Skilled Programs (Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Workers Programs, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program) are managed by Express Entry, which allows Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to invite skilled workers with high human capital, who are most likely to succeed economically in Canada in the long term, to apply for permanent residence.
The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan includes Federal Economic Priorities (with a target of 41,700 permanent resident admissions for 2025), which will enable IRCC to admit eligible individuals with specific skills, training, and language ability through categories established in the Express Entry system.
In 2025, admissions will include individuals with work experience in key healthcare and trade occupations, as well as those with French-language proficiency.
A new feature that has been introduced in the Levels Plan this year is an In-Canada Focus, which emphasizes work to transition temporary residents who are already in Canada as graduates and workers into permanent residents (with a target of 82,980 permanent resident admissions for 2025).
- This feature primarily includes admissions from the Canadian Experience Class and other regional immigration pathways but may also include Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades admissions.

Express Entry is the Government of Canada’s flagship application management system for three federal high skilled programs (Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class, and the Canadian Experience Class) and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program, all of which focus on Canada’s long-term economic growth.
Express Entry’s category-based selection (launched in June 2023) allows Canada to attract and select candidates who meet specified economic priorities and goals. Categories established in 2023 and continued in 2024 included healthcare, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), trade, transport, and agriculture and agri-food, as well as individuals with strong French-language skills.