Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the 2025 Express Entry categories on February 27, 2025.
The department introduced big changes to category-based draws, introducing a new category, and removing another.
See your eligibility for category-based draws
The new category announced in 2025 is Education. There are five occupations listed under this new category.
Meanwhile, Transport is no longer listed under the category-based draws.
IRCC has also added a number of social services occupations to the healthcare category.
The current Express Entry categories listed on IRCC’s website are:
While IRCC still retains all the above categories, the department announced that the 2025 Express Entry priority categories are:
These categories will be prioritized for invitations to apply (ITA) through category-based draws within the Express Entry system.
These aren’t the only changes that have been made to the category-based selection.
All previously included Express Entry categories that still remain currently have seen major changes to eligible occupations.
Existing categories have seen a number of occupations that have been added, and a number removed, as shown below:
| Category name | Number of occupations added | Number of occupations removed |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare and Social Services occupations | 8 | 6 |
| Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations | 0 | 19 |
| Trade occupations | 19 | 4 |
| Agriculture and Agri-food occupations | 2 | 0 |
This is a breaking news story; CIC News will update with further details as they emerge.
Express Entry categories are determined by IRCC, with consideration to Canada’s economic and demographic goals.
Most occupation-based categories follow labour market demand and are included in the Express Entry system due to Canada’s need to increase the numbers of workers in critical areas. These occupations are usually ones in which workers in Canada are not available, and that require immigration to fill key labour gaps.
The French-language proficiency category on the other hand follows Canada’s commitment to bilingualism and promoting the French language outside of Quebec (as outlined in Canada’s Official Languages Act). Due to the importance of immigration in this venture, IRCC is responsible with facilitating the entry and settlement of francophone newcomers to Canada.
