Background Recent reports have indicated that circular RNA (circRNA) may regulate tumorigenesis development. However, the function of circRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unclear. Material and method The RT-qPCR assay was performed to detect hsa_circ_0012563 expression in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Then, the MTT assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometric assay, and cell migration and invasion assay were performed to examine the function of hsa_circ_0012563. In addition, the RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect XRCC1 and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related gene expression. Results The RT-qPCR revealed that the hsa_circ_0012563 expression was remarkably upregulated in ESCC tissue and ESCC cell lines. Functionally, downregulation of hsa_circ_0012563 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis. Mechanically, the knockdown of hsa_circ_0012563 inhibited XRCC1-mediated EMT pathway to suppress cell migration and invasion. Conclusions Therefore, these results reveal hsa_circ_0012563 is a critical oncogene and may be a novel biomarker in ESCC.