Industries with the highest growth rates for immigrants to Canada

The economy of Canada is renowned for being strong and steady. Following the pandemic, the nation saw a robust recovery in several industries, with many of them experiencing significant growth.

The high immigration goals of Canada are one of the main drivers of the nation’s sustained economic prosperity. By the end of 2025, Canada will welcome 500,000 immigrants annually, according to the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025. Nearly 25% of the more than 39,000,000 individuals who call Canada home identify as immigrants.

In Canada, newcomers frequently arrive prepared to fill labor shortages brought either by a significant number of retirements or a dearth of suitable applicants. Among employment sectors, some stand out as the fastest growing with the most in-demand skills.

Healthcare

Compared to past generations, Canadians are living longer and needing more medical care for longer. The provinces of Canada are putting a lot of effort into luring foreign healthcare personnel because of the rising need.

Currently, 39% of dentists, 23% of registered nurses, and over 35% of physicians practise in Canada. The healthcare sector has the biggest overall number of open opportunities, at 143,800, as of February 2023, according to the most recent statistics on job openings from Statistics Canada.

The pandemic had a particularly negative impact on the nursing industry, forcing many nurses to take extended leaves of absence or abandon the field entirely.

In order to make it simpler for healthcare professionals to become permanent residents, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has begun lifting some of the restrictions for doctors who were previously regarded as self-employed. Typically, self-employed professions are ineligible for Express Entry.

How to Immigrate as a Healthcare Professional to Canada?

Many healthcare workers enter Canada via the Express Entry programme. Express Entry programmes seek highly competent people for the Federal competent Worker Programme, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Trades Programme.

Furthermore, because healthcare is a provincial duty, the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) has streams for healthcare personnel in most provinces. Alberta, for example, recently established the Dedicated Healthcare Pathway as part of the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

Other provinces perform PNP draws on a regular basis to find applicants for healthcare jobs. This type of draw occurs practically every week in British Columbia, while Ontario just invited 2,349 healthcare candidates through its Human Capital Priorities stream.

In addition, there are two federal trial programmes for careers of seniors and children. The government announced earlier this year that the work experience in Canada required for a carer to qualify for permanent residency through these programmes will be cut from 24 to 12 months.

Agriculture

Agriculture employs about 243,000 Canadians and has a job vacancy rate of more than 14,000 at the moment.

According to a recent Royal Bank of Canada research, 40% of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033. According to the report, Canada needs welcome 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to create their own farms and greenhouses or take over existing ones in order to offset a short-term skills shortage.

How to immigrate to Canada with an agricultural occupation?

To fill some of these positions, IRCC recently announced that it is extending the Agri-Food Pilot Program and removing occupational caps. Eligible occupations include:

• Retail butchers
• Industrial butchers
• Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• Food processing labourers
• General farm workers
• Harvesting labourers

Like healthcare workers, there are also dedicated streams under some PNPs for agriculture workers.

Tech

One of the main components of the federal budget 2023 was investing $20 billion to support the building of major clean electricity and clean growth infrastructure projects. This investment is likely to lead to increased demand in the tech sector.

It also notes that many of the careers in the clean technology manufacturing sector do not require a university degree, and the average worker compensation in this sector in 2021 was $90,252—well above Canada’s economy-wide average of $69,311.

The growth of the AI sector also plays a part in Canada’s demand for tech workers. Invest in Canada, a government website designed to attract investment in Canada’s tech industry, reports that Canada has 1,032 AI and machine learning companies. In addition, the Global AI Index shows that Canada ranks 4th for its global competitiveness in AI implementation, innovation, and investment.

How to immigrate to Canada with a tech occupation?

To bring in more tech workers, IRCC offers programs like the Global Talent Stream. This program is part of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and is designed to encourage the growth of Canada’s tech industry. The program aims to achieve a processing standard of two weeks once the final application is submitted by the potential employee.

There are also targeted draws through the Provincial Nominee Program. Some examples of provincial tech streams include the BC Tech Stream, OINP Tech Draw, Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway, and the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway.

The IRCC has announced new Express Entry selection categories.

Sean Fraser, Canada’s Immigration Minister, has announced the start of category-based selection lotteries for Express Entry hopefuls.

Express Entry candidates with strong French language skills or work experience in the following fields will be prioritized by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):

Allowing IRCC to invite more talented workers in these specific fields, according to the minister, will help Canada’s goal to invite in-demand experts into communities around the country.

• healthcare
• science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
• trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
• transport
• agriculture and agri-food

A complete list of qualified occupations under the new categories can be seen here.

The new category draws are slated to begin later this summer.

Why are new Express Entry categories being introduced?

The new categories are intended to fill open positions across Canada. Immigration is regarded as a critical component in alleviating labour shortages and increasing the dominance of the French language in French minority communities outside of Quebec.

“Everywhere I go, I hear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages,” Fraser adds. “These modifications to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they require to grow and succeed.” We can also expand our economy and assist businesses with labour shortages, while boosting the number of French-proficient applicants to ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities. Simply put, the immigration system in Canada has never been more sensitive to the country’s social and economic demands.”

Following revisions to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June 2022, category-based draws were planned to begin this year. The revisions empower the minister to pick immigrants based on important characteristics that promote Canada’s economic interests.

How were the categories determined?

The categories were chosen in accordance with legislative mandates that the Minister engage in public consultation with provinces and territories, industry representatives, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organisations, and immigration researchers and practitioners.

Each year, IRCC will report to Parliament on

• the categories chosen the previous year
• why and how they were chosen
• the instructions to establish a category
• the number of invitations issued for each category

4 new English language tests are approved by the IRCC for the Student Direct Stream.

Four additional language test results will be accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for candidates to the Student Direct Stream (SDS).

Starting on August 10, 2023, IRCC will start accepting test results from these four new examinations.

The tests that are now accepted are:

• CAEL 
• PTE Academic 
• CELPIP General
• TOEFL iBT Exam

Results from every test must show proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

For each of the four language speaking abilities on the CELPIP general tests, a score that is equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark of at least 7 is required.

Results from the academic CAEL and Pearson PTE tests must indicate a minimum score of 60.

A score of 83 is required on the Educational Testing Service (ETS) TOEFL iBT Test.

These assessments must be taken in person by students. Tests that are proctored online or remotely will not be approved for applicants to the SDS.

IELTS General and IELTS Academic were the two tests that the IRCC had previously approved for SDS applicants.

What is SDS?

Students from particular nations can expedite the processing of their study permits through the SDS. Students who are legal residents of the following countries are eligible: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Colombia, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, or Vietnam.

Canada has a service standard of 20 days for all applications for study permits that qualify for SDS.

The SDS was introduced in 2018 and is especially well-liked by foreign students from India.

Who is qualified for SDS?

Students who meet this requirement must also be legal residents of the following countries:

• supply a copy of the DLI’s (Designated Learning Institution) letter of admission;
• provide proof of the applicant’s initial medical examination;
• demonstrate that they have a $10,000 Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC);
• demonstrate that the first year’s tuition has been paid;
• demonstrate an IELTS score of 6 in English or an NCLC score of 7 in French obtained within two years of the SDS application being received; and
• at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), submit the application.

Today, there are more than 800,000 foreign students living in Canada.
At the end of 2022, according to the IRCC, Canada was home to more than 800,000 international students, a record for the nation. Several national and international factors have contributed to the quadrupling of the number of international students in Canada since 2008. For a variety of economic, social, and cultural reasons, the Canadian government and DLIs have increased their efforts to attract international students domestically. The expansion of the global middle class has contributed to an increase in the number of overseas students worldwide.

 

IRCC has invited candidates in the 13th Express Entry draw of 2023.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4,800 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates in an all-program draw.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 488.

This was the first all-program draw since April 26. In an all-program draw, candidates are considered from all three programs managed under the Express Entry application management system: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

This draw follows the most recent draw on May 10 in which 589 candidates received ITAs in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) specific draw. In a PNP only draw, candidates are only considered if they are in the Express Entry pool and have also been nominated by a Canadian province.

Express Entry in 2023

Express Entry throughout 2023 has not yet established a strong pattern in terms of the number of candidates invited, the frequency of draws or even the type of draw.

January draws followed the pre-pandemic pattern of being two weeks apart and inviting candidates from all programs. This changed in February when IRCC held four program-specific draws between February 1 and March 1. February also saw the very first program-specific draw for the FSWP.

There were three draws in February, and one draw each week in March. Over 21,000 candidates were invited throughout March. This was the second-highest number of ITAs issued in one month in Express Entry history.

April resumed the pre-pandemic pattern of one all-program draw every two weeks.

Later this year, it is expected that IRCC will begin holding draws that target Express Entry candidates on specific attributes rather than a high CRS score. This became possible when Bill C-19 received Royal Assent in June 2022.

The Bill will give Canada’s immigration minister the authority to invite candidates who can best support Canada in its economic goals by easing the pressure in specific sectors caused by chronic labor shortages.

Express Entry draws are totally at the discretion of IRCC and the immigration minister. According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, there is no rule to say when draws will occur, from which program, the number of candidates or the minimum CRS cut-off score. Put another way, there is no obligation for IRCC to follow a pattern or even hold draws at all if the minister does not deem it necessary.

The Critical Worker Program allow New Brunswick to accept up to 10% of PNP candidates.

Since its inception in November 2022, the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot Program (NBCWP) has piqued the curiosity of qualified newcomers looking for a route to move to Canada.

The program is a collaborative effort between the provincial government of New Brunswick and the federal government to attract newcomers who can fill vacancies in the provincial employment force. It is an employer-driven stream of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NB PNP) with six participating employers from around the province representing a diverse variety of businesses and sectors:

• Cooke Aquaculture Inc.;
• Groupe Savoie Inc.;
• Groupe Westco;
• Imperial Manufacturing;
• J.D. Irving Ltd.; and
• McCain Foods

The New Brunswick government stated when the program was introduced that these firms were chosen because they have a history of exemplary immigrant recruitment practice’s and already have the requisite settlement program in place.

The pilot will last five years and will be evaluated on a regular basis.

What distinguishes it from other programs?

While the NB PNP targets economic immigration, qualifying candidates for the NBCWP will receive additional settlement assistance. To ensure that candidates receive this assistance, participating firms must demonstrate that they can provide:

• Robust settlement plans for housing and transportation, to best support the successful establishment of candidates in their new jobs and communities, with a strong commitment to long-term retention;
• Comprehensive human resources planning for recruiting and hiring skilled international talent, and for on-the-job skills enhancement;
• Provide up to 200 hours of language training, as required, to candidates; and
• Offer guidance and support to candidates who may wish to pursue their Canadian secondary education equivalency.

Who is qualified to apply?

To be considered for nomination, candidates in the program must have a valid work offer from an approved employer and be able to demonstrate their willingness to reside in the province.

The employment offer must be competitive with compensation rates in New Brunswick for the occupation. According to the government, the remuneration specified on the job offer must:

be comparable to the rate paid to workers with a comparable level of experience and training for related employment in New Brunswick; and be consistent with your employer’s pay compensation system.
Instead of applying to the provincial government, program participants apply directly to one of the program employers.

IRCC invites Express Entry candidates in PNP-specific draw

IRCC has held the twelfth Express Entry draw of 2023.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a total of 589 invitations to apply (ITAs) in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) specific draw.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 691.

In a PNP-specific draw, candidates are already in the Express Entry pool but have also received a nomination from a Canadian province. This is the fourth PNP-specific draw of 2023. The last one occurred on March 1 and invited 667 candidates. All draws since then have considered candidates from all Express Entry programs.

The Latest Ontario-OINP draw resulted in a record 2,349 PR invitations.

On May 8, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), commonly known as the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program, invited 2,349 Express Entry profiles directly.

This is the most invites ever sent in a single OINP draw, breaking the previous record of 1,863 set on May 5, 2023, in the OINP HCP Draw.

The rise in invites is mostly due to an increase in the Ontario PNP limit for 2023.

Since yesterday, invites have been delivered to Express Entry profiles generated between May 8, 2022, and May 8, 2023, under the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream.

Additionally, Express Entry profiles with CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) scores ranging from 427 to 482 in 42 healthcare-related vocations (listed below) are being invited.

The lower range of CRS cut off score reduces by 42 points when compared to the previous HCP healthcare targeted draw on March 8, 2023.

OINP has invited 7,751 Express Entry profiles in six HCP stream drawings since the beginning of 2023.

OINP checks the Express Entry pool on a regular basis. Send direct provincial nominations to profiles with high-demand occupations (NOC codes) as well.

This provincial nomination awards 600 points to chosen profiles.

List of Occupations Invited in OINP Draw Today

1. NOC 30010 – Managers in health care
2. NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
3. NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
4. NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
5. NOC 31103 – Veterinarians
6. NOC 31110 – Dentists
7. NOC 31111 – Optometrists
8. NOC 31112 – Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
9. NOC 31120 – Pharmacists
10. NOC 31121 – Dietitians and nutritionists
11. NOC 31201 – Chiropractors
12. NOC 31202 – Physiotherapists
13. NOC 31203 – Occupational therapists
14. NOC 31204 – Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
15. NOC 31209 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
16. NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors
17. NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
18. NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
19. NOC 31303 – Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
20. NOC 32100 – Opticians
21. NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
22. NOC 32102 – Paramedical occupations
23. NOC 32103 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
24. NOC 32104 – Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
25. NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
26. NOC 32110 – Denturists
27. NOC 32111 – Dental hygienists and dental therapists
28. NOC 32112 – Dental technologists and technicians
29. NOC 32120 – Medical laboratory technologists
30. NOC 32121 – Medical radiation technologists
31. NOC 32122 – Medical sonographers
32. NOC 32123 – Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
33. NOC 32124 – Pharmacy technicians
34. NOC 32129 – Other medical technologists and technicians
35. NOC 32200 – Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
36. NOC 32201 – Massage therapists
37. NOC 32209 – Other practitioners of natural healing
38. NOC 33100 – Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
39. NOC 33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
40. NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
41. NOC 33103 – Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
42. NOC 33109 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services

OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream draws 2023

Date	Number of NOIs	CRS score range	Express Entry Profile dates	Notes
May 8, 2023	2,349	427-482	May 8, 2022 – May 8, 2023	Targeted at 42 Healthcare related occupations.
May 5, 2023	1,863	475-482	May 5, 2022 – May 5, 2023	Targeted at 9 Tech occupations
March 10	815	479-489	March 10, 2022 – March 10, 2023	Targeted at 9 Tech occupations
March 8-9, 2023	822	469-489	March 8, 2022 – March 9, 2023	Targeted at 42 Healthcare related occupations.
February 2, 2023	1,127	481-489	February 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023	Targeted at 9 Tech occupations
February 2, 2023	775	476-489	February 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023	Targeted at 42 Healthcare related occupations

The latest PNP PEI draw only invites Labour and Express Entry!

On May 4, 2023, the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Programme (PEI PNP) held its seventh invitation round of the year. This draw corresponds to the projected PEI PNP draw schedule for 2023.

On the May 04th PEI PNP draw, no Business Work Permit Entrepreneur invites were granted.

Who was invited to the most recent draw on Prince Edward Island?

122 invitations were issued for labour and express entry.

The Prince Edward Island PNP has issued a total of 98 invitations to Business Work Permit Entrepreneur candidates and 2,130 invitations to Labour & Express Entry candidates in the last year.

Invitations to Business Work Permit Entrepreneurs in the last 12 months – 4%
Labour and Express Entry invitations in the last year – 96%

This latest PEI PNP draw continues Prince Edward Island’s practise of holding draws with higher ITAs and lower CRS scores. With the dates of the year’s future draws set, it is evident that the province intends to increase the number of individuals eligible to receive a nomination under PEI PNP-managed streams.

On May 4, the latest MPNP (Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program) draw for 2023 called 539 permanent residencies (PR) applicants.

A genuine Express Entry profile as well as a job seeker validation code were found in 204 of the 539 invited MPNP profiles.

This MPNP draws sought applications from the four categories indicated below:
Manitoba Skilled Workers – Occupation Targeted Draw

252 invitations were sent out.
Cutoff Score: 606 MPNP targeted profiles with existing employment in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 occupations/NOC codes:

Manitoba Skilled Workers – All Occupations

This category included all MPNP profiles that were not chosen in the above-mentioned targeted draw.

199 invitations were sent out.
650 is the cutoff score.
Stream of International Education

Invitations issued: 39

Skilled Worker Overseas MPNP Profiles that were explicitly invited by Manitoba as part of a Strategic Recruitment Initiative were examined in this category.

The total number of letters of advice to apply issued is 49.
The lowest-ranked candidate invited had a ranking score of 699.

When was the most recent Manitoba PNP draw?
The most recent Manitoba PNP Draw (Provincial Nominee Program) was held on May 4, 2023, and it attracted 539 applications for permanent residency (PR) under the categories stated below.

1. Occupation-Specific Skilled Workers in Manitoba (SWM): 252 invitations with a threshold score of 606 targeting 49 occupations in three primary groupings of NOC 2021.
2. Skilled Workers in Manitoba (SWM) – All occupations: 199 invitations were issued with a threshold score of 650, targeting all occupations.
3. Invitations to the International Education Stream (IES): 39
4. Skilled Workers Overseas (SWO): 49 invitations with a cutoff score of 699.

Today’s draw for the new Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program-OINP directly invites 1,863 Express Entry profiles under the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream.

Today’s OINP draw attracted profiles with 9 tech-related NOCs/occupations with CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) scores ranging from 475 to 482.

This draw considers Express Entry profiles created between May 5, 2022 – May 5, 2023.

List of invited NOCs/occupations in OINP Draw today.

• NOC 20012 – Computer and information systems managers
• NOC 21211 – Data Scientists
• NOC 21223 – Database analysts and data administrators
• NOC 21230 – Computer systems developers and
• NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
• NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
• NOC 21233 – Web designers
• NOC 21234 – Web developers and programmers
• NOC 21311 – Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)

In comparison to the last OINP HCP Tech draw on March 10, 2023, the lower and upper ranges of the CRS cutoff score both decrease by 4 and 7 points, respectively.

OINP regularly assesses the Express Entry pool, and profiles with in-demand professions receive an invitation to accept the provincial nomination.

The chosen profiles that accept the provincial nomination therefore receive 600 more points towards their CRS score.

Adding extra perspective, if they accept the provincial nomination, the total CRS score of Express Entry profiles developed in the aforementioned occupations will rise to 1,075–1,082.