Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the 2025 Express Entry categories, which include a new education category, to align the selection of federal economic immigrants with Canada’s long-term labour shortages.
Since 2023, Canada has been conducting draws that are occupation specific to attract skilled workers under the Express Entry System.
The Minister added today that the focus of the federal economic class draws will be to invite candidates with experience working in Canada (Canadian Experience Class) to apply for permanent residence.
Additionally, to meet Francophone immigration targets and meet the acute needs in health, trades and education, IRCC will conduct category-based invitation rounds in the following categories:
- strong French language skills, or
- work experience in the following fields:
- health care and social services, such as family physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and chiropractors
- trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
- education, such as teachers, child care educators and instructors of persons with disabilities
In Summary, the list of categories for the Express Entry Category-based selection are:
1. French-language proficiency
To be eligible, you must:
- have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
2. Healthcare and social services occupations
To be eligible, you must:
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed below. The experience can also be from inside or outside Canada.
The healthcare and social services category has 37 occupations.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians | 32104 | 2 |
| Audiologists and speech language pathologists | 31112 | 1 |
| Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists | 32123 | 2 |
| Chiropractors | 31201 | 1 |
| Dental hygienists and dental therapists | 32111 | 2 |
| Dentists | 31110 | 1 |
| Dieticians and nutritionists | 31121 | 1 |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 | 1 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 | 2 |
| Massage therapists | 32201 | 2 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 | 3 |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 | 2 |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 | 2 |
| Medical sonographers | 32122 | 2 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 | 3 |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 | 1 |
| Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors | 31300 | 1 |
| Occupational therapists | 31203 | 1 |
| Optometrists | 31111 | 1 |
| Other medical technologists and technicians | 32129 | 2 |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 | 1 |
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment | 32109 | 2 |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 | 2 |
| Pharmacists | 31120 | 1 |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | 33103 | 3 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 32124 | 2 |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 | 1 |
| Physiotherapists | 31202 | 1 |
| Psychologists | 31200 | 1 |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 | 1 |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 | 2 |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 | 2 |
| Social workers | 41300 | 1 |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 | 1 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 | 1 |
| Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies | 41301 | 1 |
| Veterinarians | 31103 | 1 |
3. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations
To be eligible, you must:
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed below. The experience can also be from inside or outside Canada.
The Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) category has 11 occupations.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture and science managers | 20011 | 0 |
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | 22300 | 2 |
| Civil Engineers | 21300 | 1 |
| Cybersecurity specialists | 21220 | 1 |
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 22310 | 2 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 21310 | 1 |
| Geological Engineers | 21331 | 1 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineers | 21321 | 1 |
| Insurance agents and brokers | 63100 | 3 |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 22301 | 2 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 21301 | 1 |
4. Trade occupations
To be eligible, you must:
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed below. The experience can also be from inside or outside Canada.
The Trade category has 25 occupations
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services | 82021 | 2 |
| Floor covering installers | 73113 | 3 |
| Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) | 73112 | 3 |
| Roofers and shinglers | 73110 | 3 |
| Concrete finishers | 73100 | 3 |
| Other technical trades and related occupations | 72999 | 2 |
| Water well drillers | 72501 | 2 |
| Electrical mechanics | 72422 | 2 |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | 72402 | 2 |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 | 2 |
| Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics | 72400 | 2 |
| Bricklayers | 72320 | 2 |
| Cabinetmakers | 72311 | 2 |
| Carpenters | 72310 | 2 |
| Gas fitters | 72302 | 2 |
| Plumbers | 72300 | 2 |
| Industrial electricians | 72201 | 2 |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | 72200 | 2 |
| Welders and related machine operators | 72106 | 2 |
| Sheet metal workers | 72102 | 2 |
| Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors | 72100 | 2 |
| Home building and renovation managers | 70011 | 0 |
| Construction managers | 70010 | 0 |
| Cooks | 63200 | 3 |
| Construction estimators | 22303 | 2 |
5. Agriculture and agri-food occupations
To be eligible, you must:
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed below. The experience can also be from inside or outside Canada.
The Agriculture and agri-food category has 1 occupation
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| Butchers – retail and wholesale | 63201 | 3 |
6. Education occupations
To be eligible, you must:
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed below. The experience can also be from inside or outside Canada.
The Education category has 5 occupations
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants | 43100 | 3 |
| Instructors of persons with disabilities | 42203 | 2 |
| Early childhood educators and assistants | 42202 | 2 |
| Elementary school and kindergarten teachers | 41221 | 1 |
| Secondary school teachers | 41220 | 1 |
For more information on the express entry permanent residence process in Canada, check the free application guide we have here.
I wish you the best in Canada!
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DISCLAIMER: The posts and information on this website are not legal advice. We are not Canadian Immigration Consultants and do NOT provide Canadian Immigration Services. For any authorized Canadian Immigration information, services, or support, please check the Government of Canada website at www.canada.ca/immigration
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