By admin
Canada Announces Major Updates to Express Entry Categories
On February 27, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced updates to the Express Entry system, bringing changes to category-based draws and occupation lists.
New and Retired Categories
A new Education category has been introduced with five occupations, while the Transport category has been phased out. The Healthcare category now includes more social service roles to address evolving workforce needs.
The current Express Entry categories are:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare and Social Service occupations
- Agriculture and Agri-food occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trades occupations
- Education occupations
Key Priority Categories for 2025
IRCC will prioritize Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for candidates in these four categories:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare and Social Service occupations
- Trades occupations
- Education occupations
This strategy helps address labor shortages and aligns with Canada’s long-term growth goals.
Occupation List Updates
IRCC refined the occupation lists, adding and removing roles based on labor market demand. Here’s a breakdown:
| Category | New Occupations | Removed Occupations |
| Healthcare and Social Services | 8 | 6 |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) | 6 | 19 |
| Trades | 19 | 4 |
| Agriculture and Agri-food | 0 | 2 |
Healthcare and Social Services
New roles:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Veterinary technicians and technologists | 32104 | 2 |
| Cardiology and electrophysiological technologists | 32123 | 2 |
| Dental hygienists and therapists | 32111 | 2 |
| Other medical technologists | 32129 | 2 |
| Pharmacists | 31120 | 1 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 32124 | 2 |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 | 2 |
| Social workers | 41300 | 1 |
Roles no longer included:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Educational counsellors | 41320 | 1 |
| Instructors for persons with disabilities | 42203 | 2 |
| Kinesiologists and related therapy professionals | 31204 | 1 |
| Health service support workers | 33109 | 3 |
| Natural healing practitioners | 32209 | 2 |
| Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists | 32200 | 2 |
STEM Occupations
New roles:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | 22300 | 2 |
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists | 22310 | 2 |
| Geological engineers | 21331 | 1 |
| Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians | 22301 | 2 |
| Mechanical engineers | 21301 | 1 |
| Insurance agents and brokers | 63100 | 3 |
Roles no longer included:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Architects | 21200 | 1 |
| Business systems specialists | 21221 | 1 |
| Computer and information systems managers | 20012 | 0 |
| Computer engineers (excluding software engineers) | 21311 | 1 |
| Software developers and programmers | 21232 | 1 |
| Data scientists | 21211 | 1 |
Trade Occupations
New roles:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 | 2 |
| Industrial electricians | 72201 | 2 |
| Construction managers | 70010 | 0 |
| Cooks | 63200 | 3 |
| Sheet metal workers | 72102 | 2 |
Roles no longer included:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Residential and commercial installers | 73200 | 3 |
| Elevator constructors and mechanics | 72406 | 2 |
Education Occupations
New roles in the Education category:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER Level |
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants | 43100 | 3 |
| Early childhood educators and assistants | 42202 | 2 |
| Elementary school and kindergarten teachers | 41221 | 1 |
| Secondary school teachers | 41220 | 1 |
Why These Updates Matter
These adjustments to Express Entry help Canada fill critical labor gaps, attract global talent, and promote bilingualism. By fine-tuning occupation lists, IRCC ensures that immigration aligns with national economic needs.