Top 10 countries of citizenship that received the most Express Entry Invitations To Apply in 2017

A new report on the Government of Canada's Express Entry economic immigration system shows candidates from India and China led their fellow Express Entry candidates in invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence in 2017.

The following table provides a comparison of the top 10 nationalities of Express Entry candidates issued Invitations to Apply in 2016 and 2017.

Top 10 countries of citizenship in 2016 and 2017

Country of Citizenship	Express Entry ITAs — 2016		Country of Citizenship	Express Entry ITAs — 2017
India	11,037	33%	India	36,310	42%
China	2,741	8%	China	7,466	9%
Philippines	1,736	5%	Nigeria	5,130	6%
United Kingdom	1,544	5%	Pakistan	3,339	4%
United States	1,319	4%	United Kingdom	2,652	3%
Ireland, Republic Of	1,227	4%	United States	2,030	2%
Nigeria	1,041	3%	Brazil	1,672	2%
Pakistan	949	3%	Iran	1,382	2%
Australia	849	2%	Ireland, Republic Of	1,274	1%
France	830	2%	Australia	1,264	1%
Other	10,509	31%	Other	23,503	27%
	33,782	100%		86,022	100%

This data along with other interesting insights from the Express Entry pool were revealed as part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s review of the Express Entry economic immigration system in 2017.

The top three occupations invited last year were all in the Information and Technology sector, a sector that has long tapped highly skilled talent from India.

The top occupations were Information Systems Analysts and Consultants, Software Engineers and Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers.

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BC, Ontario and Alberta are top destination provinces

The report also looks at the number of permanent resident admissions by province. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta led once again as the top three destination provinces for permanent residents in 2017.

There were also noteworthy increases in the Atlantic Canada provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The number of admissions in all three economic programs managed by the Express Entry system and Canada's Provincial Nominee Programs increased by 40 per cent in Nova Scotia and more than doubled in New Brunswick.

Canada's prairie region also witnessed growth with Saskatchewan and Manitoba reporting increases in admissions in 2017.

Overall, 65,401 overseas applicants and their family members landed as permanent residents in Canada through immigration programs managed by the Express Entry system in 2017.

For more information on settling in one of Canada’s provinces and territories, visit our “Life in Canada” page.

The map below illustrates the provincial distribution of newly admitted permanent residents under Express Entry immigration categories. The province of Quebec manages its economic immigration programs outside the Express Entry system.

To find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration, complete our free online assessment now.