Express Entry Changes to Category-Based Selection

Posted on 04/03/2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has been shifting towards a category-based selection process in Express Entry, Canada’s economic immigration management system. Express Entry was established in 2015 and its online portal is where you apply for permanent residence in Canada under the following programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program: (FSW) for professional occupations generally requiring postsecondary education and work experience
Federal Skilled Trades Program: (FST) for skilled trades like electricians or plumbers requiring some post-secondary education and/or training and experience
Canadian Experience Class: (CEC) for skilled workers who have experience working in Canada and want to apply for permanent residence
Some Provincial Nominee Programs: (PNP) used by provinces to fill specific labour needs

Many will be familiar with Express Entry’s scoring system (CRS) and candidate pools and rounds of invitations. This basic structure remains in place but what will now change is what type of candidates are prioritized.

Changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) in June 2022 allowed the Canadian government to target Express Entry candidates that meet specific criteria and fill in-demand job vacancies.

In May 2023, IRCC announced category-based selection would be a priority for the government for candidates in the following areas:

Strong skills in French to fill gaps in francophone workers in areas of Canada outside of Quebec
Skilled workers in:
- Healthcare
- STEM professions (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Skilled trades such as: Carpenters, plumbers, contractors
Transportation workers
Agricultural workers or agri-food workers

At the end of February 2025 this list was modified as follows:

Candidates who already have Canadian work experience will be prioritized and invited to apply through CEC.
The specific occupational areas were also modified with transport and agricultural workers dropped from the list while educational workers were added.

As a result the in-demands jobs IRCC are now targeting are:

Workers with strong French language skills to work in francophone communities outside of Quebec (UNCHANGED)
Skilled workers in:
- Healthcare and Social Services: (UNCHANGED) For example:
  - Family physicians
  - Nurse practitioners
  - Dentists
  - Pharmacists
  - Psychologists
  - Chiropractors
- Skilled trades such as carpenters, plumbers, and electricians (UNCHANGED)
- Educational workers: (ADDED) For example:
  - Teachers
  - Childcare educators
  - Instructors of persons with disabilities
- Transport and Agricultural workers are NO LONGER on the list (REMOVED)
- STEM professionals have also been modified. (PARTIALLY REMOVED)

As of February 27, 2025, the following STEM professions are no longer a priority, while Insurance Brokers and Argents have been added in the list.

Architects
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Software Engineers and Developers
Data Scientists

Here’s a Table to summarize the changes to Express Entry’s occupational priorities:

Specific Occupations or categories	May 2023 priorities for Express Entry	February 2025 priorities for Express Entry
Francophone workers for communities outside Quebec	Included	Included
Skilled workers in Healthcare	Included	Included
STEM skilled workers	Included	*Excluded (partially)*
Skilled Trades like carpenters, plumbers, & contractors	Included	Included
Transport Workers	Included	*Excluded*
Agricultural & Agri-food workers	Included	*Only Butchers are included*
Education Skilled Workers	*Excluded*	Included
Insurance Agents & Brokers	*Excluded*	Included

Please remember that these changes are not necessarily permanent. As you can see, IRCC is continually adjusting priorities to reflect Canadian occupational needs. And these in-demand jobs are themselves continually changing. While there has clearly been a tightening of permanent residence requirements through Express Entry, the latest announcement does not mean that, for example, an experienced data scientist will no longer be able to find work in Canada. It does mean that it will be harder, for now, to be successfully selected from your Express Entry pool of candidates.

Keep in mind that over the past years immigration has accounted for close to 100% of Canada’s job growth. And that’s the government telling us this. As a skilled professional or trade, you may very well still be needed. You will just have to be a little more patient over the next few years.

Posted in News Tips and tagged Category-based selection, Express Entry