Canada opens application tracking services for Express Entry applicants

Canada has extended its online application status trackers to four new categories - allowing candidates to monitor their application and stay informed on updates.

The new status trackers will apply to Express Entry candidates in the Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It will also apply to candidates in Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

How to check your Express Entry application status

You have 60 days after you’ve been invited to apply to submit your application for permanent residence.

Once you have submitted your application, you can check its status in your account.

• Go to “View the applications you submitted”
• Click “Application status and messages”

On the “Application status and messages” page, you’re able to see

• the overall status of your application
• the current status of each application step
• messages with additional steps to take, if required

If you need to make updates to your account, we’ll send you an email. Make sure you complete the requested updates as soon as possible, or the processing of your application could be delayed.

Easing immigration
Launched in May 2021 for citizenship applications, the tracker was later expanded to include spouse, partner and dependent child sponsorship immigration categories in February 2022.

Canada Express Entry is the most popular immigration system offering Canadian permanent residence, introduced by the federal government in January 2015 to replace the old “first come, first served” process.

Canada has been struggling with a high backlog of immigration applications. As of January 31, the number of applicants in inventory stood at just over 2.1 million.

According to the most recent data, 47,868 applicants for Express Entry programs are in queue as of January 31 and 66,214 for PNPs.

Acknowledging the backlog, IRCC has said that it is taking steps to improve the speed at which applications are processed. It aims to have a less than 50 per cent backlog across all lines of business by the end of March 2023, CIC News reported.

In 2022, Canada welcomed a historic number of newcomers - welcoming 431,645 new permanent residents. The country unveiled a goal of seeing 500,000 people arrive each year by 2025 as it seeks to address a critical labor shortage.