Foreign nationals in Canada seeking permanent residence via the Express Entry system may benefit from the latest Immigration Levels Plan. According to the plan, more slots for permanent residency will be allocated in 2025, increasing the likelihood of foreign nationals acquiring permanent residency to get an invitation.
Who can benefit from the new plan? The latest Immigration Levels Plan is available to candidates based in Canada and those who qualify for category-based draws. If you don’t fit in any of the categories, obtaining an invitation to apply through the Express Entry system may be difficult. If your chances are slim, you may want to consider going another route.
Express Entry Allocation Increase
The federal government may have cut its targets for permanent residency admissions by about 20%. However, instead of decreasing its allocation, it actually increased the 2025 allocation toward Express Entry.
- 2024 target: 110,770 (last year’s plan)
- 2025 target: 124,680 (current plan)
- 2025 target: 117,500 (last year’s plan)
The target for the year 2025, which is 124,680, for the In-Canada Focus and Economic Priorities categories, represents an increase from the targets for 2024 and 2025.
In 2024, the IRCC targeted about 110,770 candidates for its Federal High Skilled category, a grouping of the three Express Entry federal immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. For the Immigration Levels Plan in 2024, the IRCC targeted 117,500 (an increase) to be processed next year. So, those candidates who seek to immigrate through the Express Entry programs can expect to get invited, as more invitations will be issued next year than last year’s.
How Canada Prioritizes Candidates
Introducing the new In-Canada Focus category can significantly help candidates based in Canada. If you currently live in Canada and expect an invitation, the new category will give you hope. It will increase your chances of receiving an invitation next year. The IRCC already has a target set for this particular category — a whopping 82,980, about 42% of the economic target of 197,650. Unfortunately, overseas candidates for the FSTP and FSWP reduce their chances of getting an invitation.
Note: The total immigration target is about 232,150, but we have subtracted the Quebec Skilled Workers and Business candidates, which is 34,500.
