Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends
A reproducible transformation of IRCC’s official Express Entry invited-candidate dataset, organized by intended province or territory and the source field called “Invitation Category.” For current round-by-round CRS scores and invitation counts, see MAK’s latest Express Entry draw results. For eligibility, program and CRS context, see the Express Entry overview.
Research by: Usman Khalil, RCIC R709592 | CPA Ontario C83028834 | ORCID 0009-0006-5104-2472.
Portal “Date Modified” at this snapshot: 15 September 2026. Snapshot coverage: through 31 July 2026. Source rechecked: 3 November 2026. Publication QA: 30 September 2026.
2026 is YTD through July 31, 2026 and must not be read as a completed-year total.
3 November 2026: IRCC’s source now runs through 31 August 2026 (file dated 20 October 2026). This version remains a fixed snapshot through 31 July 2026 and has not been updated. IRCC states its data are preliminary and subject to change; for example 2023 British Columbia PNP is 5330 in this snapshot and 5325 in IRCC’s current file.
Recent months (MAK’s inference, not IRCC’s statement): because the count includes a candidate only after they apply, recent figures may still rise in later files. MAK’s sum of the same 35 rows for 2026 is 72,345 in this snapshot (through July 31) and 92,705 in IRCC’s file with data as of August 31, 2026, a rise of 20,360, while IRCC’s rounds dated August 2026 issued 15,811 invitations (MAK’s sum of 8 rounds).
What this dataset tracks
The source reports Express Entry candidates who were invited and later applied, by intended province or territory and invitation category. IRCC states that values between 0 and 5 are shown as --, although some cells in the file do show 5, and it rounds all other published values to the nearest multiple of 5. This observatory never imputes suppressed cells and never manufactures a zero where a category row is absent.
For the broader source-linked immigration data hub, see MAK’s Immigration Data Observatory.
Government of Canada dataset record · Exact IRCC resource
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. IRCC source rows are not relicensed under CC BY 4.0. This is a MAK adaptation, not an official IRCC publication or a Government of Canada endorsement.
2026 YTD snapshot
These are MAK’s sums of IRCC’s published rounded cells through July 31, 2026 (fixed snapshot), not counts of invitations issued. The 2026 source rows in this build contain no suppressed -- cells.
2026 YTD by intended province or territory
| Intended destination | Published rounded-cell sum | Suppressed cells |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 45,850 | 0 |
| British Columbia | 10,665 | 0 |
| Alberta | 7,340 | 0 |
| New Brunswick | 2,900 | 0 |
| Manitoba | 2,660 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,390 | 0 |
| Saskatchewan | 745 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 295 | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 245 | 0 |
| Yukon | 125 | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 75 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 55 | 0 |
Annual invitation-category summary, 2015–2026 YTD
Each cell is the sum of disclosed numeric source cells. “supp.” means one or more underlying cells were suppressed by IRCC. The numeric sum adds disclosed rounded cells only, so it is neither an exact total nor a guaranteed lower bound. An em dash means that category has no row in IRCC’s CSV for that year. MAK does not add a zero itself; IRCC’s Excel version of the same table shows 0 for such combinations.
| Year | CEC | FST | FSW | PNP | Not Stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8,045 (1 supp.) | 1,845 (2 supp.) | 8,665 (2 supp.) | 2,980 (1 supp.) | — |
| 2016 | 10,320 (2 supp.) | 1,305 (4 supp.) | 6,970 (1 supp.) | 7,130 (1 supp.) | — |
| 2017 | 29,220 (1 supp.) | 340 (5 supp.) | 29,090 (2 supp.) | 9,095 | — |
| 2018 | 25,070 (1 supp.) | 300 (5 supp.) | 36,225 (1 supp.) | 10,130 | — |
| 2019 | 25,635 | 115 (2 supp.) | 32,655 (2 supp.) | 13,225 | — |
| 2020 | 44,670 | 195 (1 supp.) | 22,155 (2 supp.) | 14,130 | — |
| 2021 | 85,760 (1 supp.) | — | 8,650 (2 supp.) | 13,685 | 0 published + 1 suppressed cell |
| 2022 | 12,970 (1 supp.) | — | 5,200 (2 supp.) | 19,150 | — |
| 2023 | 41,455 | 0 published + 1 suppressed cell | 21,710 (2 supp.) | 22,580 | — |
| 2024 | 43,870 | 0 published + 2 suppressed cells | 21,040 | 25,095 | — |
| 2025 | 35,190 | — | 29,165 | 10,195 | — |
| 2026 YTD through Jul 31 | 41,650 | — | 24,620 | 6,075 | — |
Publisher Data Pack: reusable figures and source tables
These figures are derived only from the R03 source transformation. Each has a stable figure ID, downloadable SVG and source-data CSV, a plain-language attribution line and the same suppression/rounding controls as the underlying observatory.
--, although some cells in the file do show 5, and it rounds all other published values to the nearest multiple of 5. IRCC also states its data are preliminary and subject to change, so recent 2026 figures may still change. MAK never imputes suppressed cells or turns an absent category row into zero.R03-F01 · Annual invited-candidate trend by program
CEC, FSW and PNP published-known annual sums. Federal Skilled Trades is in the table below and in the cleaned CSV, not in the F01 figure CSV, and is omitted from the plotted series because its scale and suppressed/absent rows would make the main chart less readable. The underlying table identifies suppressed-cell counts; affected annual sums exclude suppressed cells and may be above or below the true unrounded totals.
Archived files notice (updated 3 November 2026): Zenodo version 2026-11-03-correction-4 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23925769) and the downloads on this page carry the corrected wording. Version 2026-11-03-correction-3 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23924477) stays on Zenodo with the same data values, but without the later wording corrections. Version 2026-11-03-correction (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23389040) stays on Zenodo with the same data values, but without the student workbook or the recent-months warning. Version 2026-11-03-correction-2 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23915715) stays on Zenodo with the same data values; the Read Me link in its student workbook v1.4 opens a replaced version. The older versions 2026-09-26 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23119703; cleaned CSV and workbook only) and 2026-10-05 stay on Zenodo as published: their workbook (the same file in both; Overview A26, Annual_Category_Summary column G, 2026_YTD_Province column F) and the 2026-10-05 F01 SVG call affected sums lower bounds, which is not guaranteed because published cells are rounded, and that workbook’s Overview C12 says “ITA count”, although these figures are not counts of invitations issued.
Suggested attribution: MAK Canadian Immigration Services, R03-F01 · Annual invited-candidate trend by program, from “Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends,” version 2026-11-03-correction-4, source: IRCC Open Government, coverage through 31 July 2026. https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/#r03-f01-program-trend
View the underlying figure data
| Year | CEC published-known sum | CEC suppressed cells | FSW published-known sum | FSW suppressed cells | PNP published-known sum | PNP suppressed cells | FST published-known sum | FST suppressed cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8045 | 1 | 8665 | 2 | 2980 | 1 | 1845 | 2 |
| 2016 | 10320 | 2 | 6970 | 1 | 7130 | 1 | 1305 | 4 |
| 2017 | 29220 | 1 | 29090 | 2 | 9095 | 0 | 340 | 5 |
| 2018 | 25070 | 1 | 36225 | 1 | 10130 | 0 | 300 | 5 |
| 2019 | 25635 | 0 | 32655 | 2 | 13225 | 0 | 115 | 2 |
| 2020 | 44670 | 0 | 22155 | 2 | 14130 | 0 | 195 | 1 |
| 2021 | 85760 | 1 | 8650 | 2 | 13685 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 12970 | 1 | 5200 | 2 | 19150 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 41455 | 0 | 21710 | 2 | 22580 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 43870 | 0 | 21040 | 0 | 25095 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025 | 35190 | 0 | 29165 | 0 | 10195 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 41650 | 0 | 24620 | 0 | 6075 | 0 |
R03-F02 · 2026 YTD invited candidates by intended destination
All 12 destinations are shown. The 2026 source rows in this build contain no suppressed cells; values remain sums of rounded published cells rather than exact unrounded counts.
Suggested attribution: MAK Canadian Immigration Services, R03-F02 · 2026 YTD invited candidates by intended destination, from “Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends,” version 2026-11-03-correction-4, source: IRCC Open Government, coverage through 31 July 2026. https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/#r03-f02-province-2026
View the underlying figure data
| Province/Territory | 2026 YTD published-known sum | Suppressed cells |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 45850 | 0 |
| British Columbia | 10665 | 0 |
| Alberta | 7340 | 0 |
| New Brunswick | 2900 | 0 |
| Manitoba | 2660 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 1390 | 0 |
| Saskatchewan | 745 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 295 | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 245 | 0 |
| Yukon | 125 | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 75 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 55 | 0 |
R03-F03 · 2026 YTD program mix for top six destinations
Top six destinations are selected by their 2026 YTD published-known sum. The table below lists all 12 destinations; the downloadable F03 CSV holds the six plotted.
Suggested attribution: MAK Canadian Immigration Services, R03-F03 · 2026 YTD program mix for top six destinations, from “Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends,” version 2026-11-03-correction-4, source: IRCC Open Government, coverage through 31 July 2026. https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/#r03-f03-program-province-mix
View the underlying figure data
| Province/Territory | Canadian Experience Class | Federal Skilled Worker | Provincial Nominee Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 29005 | 15720 | 1125 |
| British Columbia | 8150 | 990 | 1525 |
| Alberta | 2670 | 3795 | 875 |
| New Brunswick | 405 | 2155 | 340 |
| Manitoba | 340 | 1050 | 1270 |
| Nova Scotia | 650 | 255 | 485 |
| Saskatchewan | 265 | 385 | 95 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 70 | 75 | 150 |
| Prince Edward Island | 45 | 70 | 130 |
| Yukon | 25 | 45 | 55 |
| Northwest Territories | 15 | 35 | 25 |
| Nunavut | 10 | 45 | — |
R03-F04 · Intended-destination trend for top five 2026 destinations
The five plotted destinations are selected by their 2026 YTD published-known sum. 2026 is a partial-year value through July 31 and must not be compared as if it were a completed year. Historical points with suppressed cells sum disclosed rounded cells, exclude suppressed values, and are not exact totals or guaranteed lower bounds: Ontario 2021 and 2024, British Columbia 2023 and 2024, and Manitoba 2019.
Suggested attribution: MAK Canadian Immigration Services, R03-F04 · Intended-destination trend for top five 2026 destinations, from “Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends,” version 2026-11-03-correction-4, source: IRCC Open Government, coverage through 31 July 2026. https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/#r03-f04-top-province-trend
View the underlying figure data
| Year | Ontario | British Columbia | Alberta | New Brunswick | Manitoba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 44070 | 14530 | 6960 | 715 | 1610 |
| 2020 | 50750 | 17350 | 6235 | 850 | 1500 |
| 2021 | 65320 | 24860 | 8235 | 1480 | 1930 |
| 2022 | 17930 | 7495 | 4655 | 950 | 2200 |
| 2023 | 51225 | 16280 | 8975 | 2155 | 2470 |
| 2024 | 57655 | 14895 | 7800 | 2825 | 3320 |
| 2025 | 46230 | 10820 | 8475 | 2990 | 2555 |
| 2026 | 45850 | 10665 | 7340 | 2900 | 2660 |
Publisher pack: Download ZIP (4 SVG figures, 4 CSV tables, README, 2 citation files and a manifest). Individual figure downloads remain available above.
Download the cleaned data and workbook
Cite this resource
Suggested citation: Usman Khalil, “Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends,” MAK Canadian Immigration Services, version 2026-11-03-correction-4, updated 3 November 2026. https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/. Version DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23925769. All versions / latest DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23119702.
BibTeX / RIS
BibTeX
@dataset{khalil2026expressentryobservatory,
author = {Khalil, Usman},
title = {Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends},
publisher = {MAK Canadian Immigration Services},
year = {2026},
version = {2026-11-03-correction-4},
url = {https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23925769},
note = {Source data: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada / Government of Canada Open Government Portal}
}
RIS
TY - DATA AU - Khalil, Usman TI - Express Entry Invited Candidates Data Observatory: Program and Intended Province Trends PY - 2026 PB - MAK Canadian Immigration Services UR - https://makimmigration.ca/express-entry-invited-candidates-program-province/ DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23925769 Y2 - 2026/11/03 ER -
This block cites the exact version. The CITATION files in the deposit cite the all-versions DOI, 10.5281/zenodo.23119702.
Methodology and interpretation controls
The workbook preserves the original bilingual source rows verbatim in Source_Raw. The cleaned dataset uses English labels, the raw published total, a numeric total only when the value is disclosed, and an explicit suppression flag. Derived summaries sum numeric disclosed cells only and count suppressed cells separately.
The IRCC resource uses a .csv extension but the retrieved official source is tab-delimited. The cleaned CSV is a MAK transformation and does not replace or alter the Government of Canada source.
--, although some cells in the file do show 5; all other published values are rounded to the nearest 5. Because disclosed values are rounded, a sum of published cells is not a guaranteed lower bound on the corresponding unrounded total, whether or not other cells are suppressed. It also excludes suppressed cells. Separately, under IRCC’s definition it is not a count of invitations issued.Correction policy
If MAK identifies a factual, transcription or transformation error in this observatory or its downloadable files, the affected public file or page will be corrected and the change will be recorded in the change log below. Changes made by IRCC to the underlying source will be recorded as source updates rather than silently treated as MAK corrections. Suppressed values remain suppressed unless the official source itself changes.
Change log
3 November 2026 (page wording): Added the Open Government record’s shorter description of the data, renamed the “Date Modified” label, corrected the list of ZIP contents, added a note on which DOI each citation uses, named version 2026-11-03-correction-2 in the archived files notice, corrected the creator and the definition wording in the Dataset schema, moved the publication note from 29 to 30 September to match this page’s WordPress publish date and schema, and removed an internal note. No snapshot figure was changed.
3 November 2026 (fourth corrected version): Version 2026-11-03-correction-4 published on Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23925769). It corrects wording in both workbooks and the README; the student workbook is now v1.6, both citation files carry the new version, and the manifest and publisher pack were rebuilt to match. The figure, ZIP and workbook downloads on this page now open that version. No data value changed.
3 November 2026 (third corrected version): Version 2026-11-03-correction-3 published on Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23924477). It corrects one link in the student workbook, then v1.5, which opened a replaced version. The figure, ZIP and workbook downloads on this page opened that version until the fourth corrected version. No data value changed.
3 November 2026 (second corrected version): Version 2026-11-03-correction-2 published on Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23915715). It adds the student workbook and corrects notes in the data workbook, README and citation files; the manifest and publisher pack were rebuilt to match. The figure, ZIP and workbook downloads on this page opened that version until the third corrected version. No data value changed.
3 November 2026 (page notes): Added a warning that recent 2026 figures may still rise, with IRCC’s statement that data are preliminary and MAK’s inference labelled as MAK’s. Corrected the em dash note, the suppression wording and the wording on why a sum is not an invitation count, named the 2026-09-26 version in the archived files notice and updated the source recheck date. No snapshot figure was changed.
3 November 2026 (new dataset version): Version 2026-11-03-correction published on Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23389040) with the corrected workbook, F01 SVG, README and publisher pack. The figure, ZIP and workbook downloads on this page then opened that version. No data value changed.
3 November 2026 (source update): IRCC’s source now runs through 31 August 2026 (file dated 20 October 2026). This version remains a fixed snapshot through 31 July 2026 and has not been updated. IRCC states its data are preliminary and subject to change; for example 2023 British Columbia PNP is 5330 in this snapshot and 5325 in IRCC’s current file.
3 November 2026 (MAK correction): Labels corrected to carry IRCC’s definition: these figures count candidates invited to apply who subsequently applied for permanent residence, not invitations issued. The F01 SVG description and this page’s notes about the F01 and F03 downloads corrected; the F03 files did not change. Open Government Licence attribution added and one F03 table cell changed from 0 to a dash because the source has no such row. No snapshot figure was changed.
15 October 2026: Inline F01 figure description corrected and a notice added about the archived F01 SVG.
5 October 2026: Version 2026-10-05 deposited on Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23153378).
4 October 2026: Publisher Data Pack added with four stable figure IDs, inline publication-grade SVG charts, direct SVG/CSV downloads, underlying figure tables, source/coverage controls and copy-ready attribution. Existing R03 source data and statistical claims were not changed.
3 October 2026: Open Government metadata rechecked; Date Modified and Record Modified remain 15 September 2026 and temporal coverage remains through 31 July 2026. Stable public CSV/XLSX distribution URLs, citation formats, Usman attribution, correction policy and Dataset metadata added; underlying research data and statistical claims unchanged.
30 September 2026: Open Government metadata rechecked: Date Modified and Record Modified remain 15 September 2026 and temporal coverage remains through 31 July 2026. Publication package QA completed; cleaned CSV and XLSX were checked against the retained DA-R03 source artifacts before publication. Canonical MAK page published.
29 September 2026: Open Government metadata rechecked. Record still shows Date Modified and Record Modified as 15 September 2026, so the 26 September artifact build remains current; canonical MAK resource prepared for publication.
26 September 2026: Initial 471-row cleaned dataset and reproducible workbook created from the IRCC Province/Territory × Invitation Category resource.
