A data-heavy report released Nov 3 and analysed by industry observers on Nov 4 provides the clearest picture yet of who succeeds in Canada’s flagship Express Entry system. Of 98,903 Invitations to Apply issued in 2024, over 33 % went to candidates without any Canadian work experience, while just 1 % lacked foreign work experience—underscoring the continued value of overseas professional history.
Canadian Experience Class draws still issued the largest raw number of invitations, but French-language proficiency and healthcare-occupation draws had the lowest CRS cut-offs and saw dramatic growth in 2025, accounting for 36,000 and 9,792 ITAs respectively by Nov 4.
![New IRCC Report Shows One-Third of Express Entry Invitees Had No Canadian Work Experience]()
India remained the dominant citizenship among invitees, yet the report highlights a surge in Francophone African countries such as Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire as top residences, reflecting Ottawa’s bilingual-skills focus.
For employers, the findings validate recruiting strategies that consider strong foreign credentials even when candidates lack in-country experience. They also signal that French-language training can be a high-ROI investment for global talent pools aiming at Canadian PR.
Canadian Experience Class draws still issued the largest raw number of invitations, but French-language proficiency and healthcare-occupation draws had the lowest CRS cut-offs and saw dramatic growth in 2025, accounting for 36,000 and 9,792 ITAs respectively by Nov 4.
India remained the dominant citizenship among invitees, yet the report highlights a surge in Francophone African countries such as Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire as top residences, reflecting Ottawa’s bilingual-skills focus.
For employers, the findings validate recruiting strategies that consider strong foreign credentials even when candidates lack in-country experience. They also signal that French-language training can be a high-ROI investment for global talent pools aiming at Canadian PR.
