On February 27, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced major updates to the Express Entry system, including a new category and adjustments to existing ones. These changes aim to align Canada’s immigration system with its economic and labour market needs.
Major Changes to Express Entry Categories in 2025
- Education Category Added: Five occupations have been added under this category to address labour shortages in the education sector.
- Transport Category Removed: The Transport category is no longer part of the Express Entry system.
- Expanded Healthcare Category: The Healthcare category is now expanded with several social services occupations added to meet increasing demand in these fields.
- Prime Focus Categories: Agriculture and agri-food occupations and Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations are still considered for category-based draws, but the prime focus categories would be French-language proficiency, Healthcare and Social service occupations, Trades occupations and Education occupations.
Current Express Entry Categories
These are the Express Entry categories for 2025:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare and Social Services occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trades occupations
- Agriculture and Agri-food occupations
- Education occupations
Additional Changes to the Express Entry Category-Based Occupations
The IRCC has updated the category-based occupations within the Express Entry system. Several occupations have been added, while others have been removed, as detailed below:
1. Healthcare and Social Services
The new categories include animal health technologists and veterinary technicians, cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, dental hygienists and dental therapists, other medical technologists and technicians, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and social and community service workers.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code |
|---|---|
| Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians | 32104 |
| Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists | 32123 |
| Dental hygienists and dental therapists | 32111 |
| Other medical technologists and technicians | 32129 |
| Pharmacists | 31120 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 32124 |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 |
| Social workers | 41300 |
| Audiologists and speech language pathologists | 31112 |
| Chiropractors | 31201 |
| Dentists | 31110 |
| Dieticians and nutritionists | 31121 |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 |
| Massage therapists | 32201 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 |
| Medical sonographers | 32122 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 |
| Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors | 31300 |
| Occupational therapists | 31203 |
| Optometrists | 31111 |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 |
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment | 32109 |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | 33103 |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 |
| Physiotherapists | 31202 |
| Psychologists | 31200 |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 |
| Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies | 41301 |
| Veterinarians | 31103 |
2. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
The biggest heartbreak in the STEM category is the removal of major computer engineering occupations. On the bright side, new occupations such as civil engineering technologists and technicians, electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians, geological engineers, mechanical engineering technologists and technicians, mechanical engineers, and insurance agents and brokers have been added.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC Code |
|---|---|
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | 22300 |
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 22310 |
| Geological Engineers | 21331 |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 22301 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 21301 |
| Insurance agents and brokers | 63100 |
| Architecture and science managers | 20011 |
| Civil Engineers | 21300 |
| Computer systems developers and programmers | 21230 |
| Cybersecurity specialists | 21220 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 21310 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineers | 21321 |
3. Trades Occupations
Good news for trades occupation candidates! 19 new occupations have been added, while only 4 have been removed from the Express Entry 2025 category-specific draws. New additions include contractors and supervisors for oil and gas drilling, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, industrial electricians, construction managers, cooks, and roofers.
| Job Title | NOC TEER Code |
|---|---|
| Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services | 82021 |
| Floor covering installers | 73113 |
| Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) | 73112 |
| Roofers and shinglers | 73110 |
| Concrete finishers | 73100 |
| Other technical trades and related occupations | 72999 |
| Water well drillers | 72501 |
| Electrical mechanics | 72422 |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 |
| Bricklayers | 72320 |
| Cabinetmakers | 72311 |
| Gas fitters | 72302 |
| Industrial electricians | 72201 |
| Sheet metal workers | 72102 |
| Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors | 72100 |
| Home building and renovation managers | 70011 |
| Construction managers | 70010 |
| Cooks | 63200 |
| Construction estimators | 22303 |
| Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 72010 |
| Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 72011 |
| Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades | 72012 |
| Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades | 72013 |
| Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades | 72020 |
| Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews | 72021 |
| Supervisors, printing and related occupations | 72022 |
| Supervisors, railway transport operations | 72023 |
| Supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit operators | 72024 |
| Supervisors, mail and message distribution occupations | 72025 |
| Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors | 72100 |
| Tool and die makers | 72101 |
| Sheet metal workers | 72102 |
| Boilermakers | 72103 |
| Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters | 72104 |
| Ironworkers | 72105 |
| Welders and related machine operators | 72106 |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | 72200 |
| Industrial electricians | 72201 |
| Power system electricians | 72202 |
| Electrical power line and cable workers | 72203 |
| Telecommunications line and cable installers and repairers | 72204 |
| Telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians | 72205 |
| Plumbers | 72300 |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers | 72301 |
| Gas fitters | 72302 |
| Carpenters | 72310 |
| Cabinetmakers | 72311 |
| Bricklayers | 72320 |
| Insulators | 72321 |
| Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics | 72400 |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | 72402 |
| Railway carmen/women | 72403 |
| Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors | 72404 |
| Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers | 72410 |
| Auto body collision, refinishing and glass technicians and damage repair estimators | 72411 |
| Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics | 72420 |
| Appliance servicers and repairers | 72421 |
| Electrical mechanics | 72422 |
| Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics | 72423 |
| Other small engine and small equipment repairers | 72429 |
| Crane operators | 72500 |
| Water well drillers | 72501 |
| Other technical trades and related occupations | 72999 |
| Concrete finishers | 73100 |
| Tile setters | 73101 |
| Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers | 73102 |
| Roofers and shinglers | 73110 |
| Glaziers | 73111 |
| Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) | 73112 |
| Floor covering installers | 73113 |
| General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 73201 |
| Pest controllers and fumigators | 73202 |
| Other repairers and servicers | 73209 |
| Transport truck drivers | 73300 |
| Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators | 73301 |
| Railway and yard locomotive engineers | 73310 |
| Railway conductors and brakemen/women | 73311 |
| Heavy equipment operators | 73400 |
| Printing press operators | 73401 |
| Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction | 73402 |
| Supervisors, logging and forestry | 82010 |
| Supervisors, mining and quarrying | 82020 |
| Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services | 82021 |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | 82030 |
| Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services | 82031 |
| Underground production and development miners | 83100 |
| Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers | 83101 |
| Logging machinery operators | 83110 |
| Fishing masters and officers | 83120 |
| Fishermen/women | 83121 |
| Supervisors, mineral and metal processing | 92010 |
| Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities | 92011 |
| Supervisors, food and beverage processing | 92012 |
| Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing | 92013 |
| Supervisors, forest products processing | 92014 |
| Supervisors, textile, fabric, fur and leather products processing and manufacturing | 92015 |
| Supervisors, motor vehicle assembling | 92020 |
| Supervisors, electronics and electrical products manufacturing | 92021 |
| Supervisors, furniture and fixtures manufacturing | 92022 |
| Supervisors, other mechanical and metal products manufacturing | 92023 |
| Supervisors, other products manufacturing and assembly | 92024 |
| Power engineers and power systems operators | 92100 |
| Water and waste treatment plant operators | 92101 |
| Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing | 93100 |
| Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing | 93101 |
| Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators | 93102 |
| Cooks | 63200 |
| Butchers - retail and wholesale | 63201 |
| Bakers | 63202 |
| Chefs | - |
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4. Agriculture and Agri-Food
Even though the Agriculture and Agri-Food sector is not a priority category for 2025, there have been some positive changes. Two new occupations have been added: contractors and supervisors for landscaping and horticulture services and agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors. Notably, no occupations were removed from this category.
| Occupations | 2021 NOC Code |
|---|---|
| Contractors and supervisors, landscaping and horticulture services | 82031 |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | 82030 |
| Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services | 82031 |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | 82030 |
| Butchers- retail and wholesale | 63201 |
5. Education Occupations (New Category)
The new category includes the following occupations:
| Occupations | 2021 NOC Code |
|---|---|
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants | 43100 |
| Instructors of persons with disabilities | 42203 |
| Early childhood educators and assistants | 42202 |
| Elementary school and kindergarten teachers | 41221 |
| Secondary school teachers | 41220 |
How Categories Are Chosen and Reported
- IRCC selects categories based on Labor market information, projections, and input from provinces, territories, and stakeholders.
- Each year, IRCC reports to Parliament on the categories chosen in the previous year, the reasons and process for selecting them and the number of invitations issued for each category.
- This information is also included in the Express Entry Year-End Report, and categories are regularly monitored and assessed.
How Category-Based Selection Works in Express Entry?
Express Your Interest
Start by creating an online Express Entry profile through your IRCC secure account. This is your first step toward entering the pool of candidates.
Join the Express Entry Pool
If you meet the eligibility criteria for one of the Express Entry programs—Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, or Canadian Experience Class—you’ll be added to the Express Entry pool.
Understand Your CRS Score
Once in the pool, you’ll receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This score is calculated based on your age, education, work experience, and language proficiency. You can check your CRS score directly in your IRCC account.
Category-Based Eligibility
IRCC reviews profiles in the pool and identifies candidates who meet the criteria for specific categories. These categories are chosen based on Canada’s labour market needs and economic priorities.
Ranking and Invitations
Eligible candidates are ranked according to their CRS scores. In category-based selection rounds, candidates must also qualify for the specific category to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Submit Your Permanent Residence Application
If you receive an ITA, you’ll have 60 days to prepare and submit a complete application for permanent residence.
Application Review and Decision
IRCC will evaluate your application to ensure it meets program requirements, category eligibility, and admissibility standards. A final decision will be made based on your information’s accuracy and overall eligibility.
Take Professional Help From Licensed Consultants
Are you eligible for the 2025 Express Entry categories? Let Keshav Sharma and the expert team at Elaar Immigration guide you through the process. From assessing your eligibility to preparing a strong application, we’re here to help you achieve your Canadian immigration dreams.
Contact our experts today to ensure your immigration journey aligns with the latest regulations and maximizes your chances of success.
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