Canadian immigration is more accessible than ever in 2022. It was the largest contributor to Canada’s growing labour force from 2016 to 2021, and the country is already on track to fulfil its target of 431,645 immigrants in 2022. Interestingly, more than half of these planned admissions will be from the Economic Class category to address Canada’s current workforce shortage. According to a report by Canada statistics, employers across Canada were actively looking to fill 997,000 vacant positions in the second quarter of 2022, marking a 4.7% increase from the first quarter of the year.
Canada requires skilled workers who will fill critical gaps in the country’s economy and drive economic growth. The country’s immigration policy is tailored to attract driven professionals who can contribute immediately and make a difference to the economy. It accommodates candidates from different countries, backgrounds, professional experience and age groups. From 2016 to 2021, India was the top source of immigrants (18.65% ), followed by the Philippines (11.4%) and China (8.9%).
Most immigrants (95%) were under 65, meaning they could immediately contribute or become future economic contributors. The overwhelming presence of working-age immigrants begs the question, does age play a significant role in immigrating to Canada? And what is the ideal age to immigrate? Let’s look at the situation in detail and find out for ourselves.
What are the average ages of people immigrating to Canada?
Statistics Canada data on immigration between 2016 and 2021 revealed that:
- 17.1% of recent immigrants were children younger than 15
- 10.9% were youth between the ages of 15-24 and
- 64.2% were in the core working age group of 25-54.
- 3.6% were aged 55 to 64.
Does age matter when immigrating to Canada?
Yes, the data shows the system favours people of working age. Most people immigrating beyond this age group are usually parents and relatives of Canadian citizens or permanent residents moving to Canada through Super visas or sponsorships.
Are there any age limits for immigrating to Canada?
No, the IRCC does not set any age limits for immigration.
Does Express Entry have age requirements
No, the Express entry program does not have an age requirement. However, younger candidates have an advantage over older candidates under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
The CRS ranks the profiles of candidates in the Express Entry pool based on many factors, including age, and invites the topmost candidates for permanent residency.
Below is a table showing how CRS points are assigned based on age.
| Age | With a Spouse or common-law partner (Max 100 points) | Without a Spouse or common-law partner (Max 110 points) |
| 17 years of age or less | 0 | 0 |
| 18 years of age | 90 | 99 |
| 19 years of age | 95 | 105 |
| 20 to 29 years of age | 100 | 110 |
| 30 years of age | 95 | 105 |
| 31 years of age | 90 | 99 |
| 32 years of age | 85 | 94 |
| 33 years of age | 80 | 88 |
| 34 years of age | 75 | 83 |
| 35 years of age | 70 | 77 |
| 36 years of age | 65 | 72 |
| 37 years of age | 60 | 66 |
| 38 years of age | 55 | 61 |
| 39 years of age | 50 | 55 |
| 40 years of age | 45 | 50 |
| 41 years of age | 35 | 39 |
| 42 years of age | 25 | 28 |
| 43 years of age | 15 | 17 |
| 44 years of age | 5 | 6 |
| 45 years of age or more | 0 | 0 |
As the table above shows, candidates between 20 and 29 are assigned the highest points.
Points are dropped for every year beyond this age, with the rate increasing significantly once a candidate touches 40. By the time they reach 45, candidates no longer receive any points for their age- considerably lowering their chances of successfully immigrating through Express Entry.
What is the right age for immigration under Express Entry?
You can maximize your CRS score by immigrating between 20 and 29. This move guarantees the maximum 110 points allotted for the ‘age’ criteria.
Candidates between 30- 40 stand to gain anywhere between 105 to 50 points
Beyond 40, the points drop off rapidly, and candidates must compensate with compelling scores in other categories to remain competitive. A complete list of all the categories is given below:
- Core/ Human capital factors (max 500 points)
- Age
- Level of education
- Proficiency with official languages
- Canadian work experience
- Spouse or common-law partner factors
- Skill Transferability factors- (max 100 points)
- Additional points- (max 600 points)
- Brother or sister living in Canada
- French language skills
- Post-secondary education in Canada
- Arranged employment
- Provincial nominee program (PNP) nomination
What was the cut-off score in the latest Express Entry draw?
The latest invitation round #235 of November 9th, 2022, had 4,750 invitations issued.
The CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in this round was 494.
What should I do if I’m older than the average Express Entry candidate?
Youth is an advantage but not the deciding factor for Express Entry. You can still receive an Invitation if you have exceptional qualifications in your profile.
Alternatively, you can also try other methods of moving to Canada. We’ll look into some of them and their suitability for an older immigration candidate.
Immigrating to Canada with the Start-up visa program
If you are a successful entrepreneur with a business idea, you can try the Start-up visa. The program has no age limits and allows you to become a permanent resident if you have the skills and potential to build a business in Canada. It requires you to:
- Get the backing of designated organizations to invest in your idea.
- Meet language requirements in either English, French or both.
- Bring enough money to settle in Canada. The latest figures, according to the official site, are:
| Number of family members | Funds required |
| 1 | $13,310 |
| 2 | $16,570 |
| 3 | $20,371 |
| 4 | $24,733 |
| 5 | $28,052 |
| 6 | $31,638 |
| 7 | $35,224 |
| 8 | $3,586 |
Applications can only be submitted online. The program has a processing time of over 31 months and costs $2,140.
While it does not mention age and is open to all, this route requires you to be a successful entrepreneur who can attract investors and support yourself in Canada. This makes it out of reach for most middle to lower-class individuals.
Moving to Canada through Family sponsorship
Canadian citizens and permanent residents over the age of 18 can sponsor the permanent residency of their parents and grandparents. This is a viable immigration route for older individuals with children in Canada.
However, progress under this route is very slow. The IRCC is still working on inviting 23,100 potential sponsors from a pool of 155,313 who submitted an interest to sponsor in 2020.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the system favours young professionals. The additional points under the Comprehensive Ranking System are crucial to make it to the top ranks of any Express Entry pool.
Immigration is an exhaustive process, and having the energy and intensity of youth on your side can make all the difference. It also allows you more time to adapt, settle down and find your feet in Canada.
