Express Entry Category-Based Selection (2025)

Express Entry category-based selection 2025 is a type of Express Entry draw where IRCC invites top-ranking candidates who also meet a specific category (French proficiency or listed occupations like healthcare, trades, STEM, agriculture/agri-food, and education). It supplements general and program-specific rounds. A full list of eligible occupations under the new categories is available here.

The Express Entry Evolution: Express Entry category-based selection 2025

• Education is now a category. Transport has been replaced by Education (teachers, early childhood educators, etc.).

• More in-Canada focus. IRCC signalled a higher share of CEC draws to transition workers already in Canada.

• Healthcare list expanded and labelled Healthcare and social services (includes social workers and related roles).

Why this matters: If your experience or French meets a category, you can receive an ITA at CRS scores that differ from general draws—sometimes lower—because you’re ranked within that category.

The 6 categories for 2025

• French-language proficiency: Minimum NCLC 7 in all abilities using an accepted French test.

• Healthcare & social services: From physicians and nurses to social workers and patient service associates (specific 2021 NOC list applies).

• STEM: Engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and related technologists/technicians (per NOC list).

• Trades: Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC, and more (per NOC list).

• Agriculture & agri-food: Targeted roles like butchers (per NOC list).

• Education: Teachers, early childhood educators/assistants, and related staff (per NOC list).

Pro tip: IRCC requires ≥ 6 months of continuous, full-time (or equivalent) work experience in the last 3 years in one listed occupation for the occupation-based categories—Canadian or foreign experience both count.

How category-based rounds work

1. Create an Express Entry profile and enter the pool (you must still qualify under FSW, FST, or CEC).

2. If IRCC runs a category-based round, they filter the pool to those who meet the category.

3. Within that filtered group, IRCC invites the highest CRS first.

4. Tie-breaks use the profile submission timestamp.

   
   

2025 draw snapshot

Date	Round type	ITAs	CRS cut-off
Aug 19, 2025	Healthcare & social services	2,500	470
Aug 8, 2025	French-language proficiency	2,500	481
Jul 22, 2025	Healthcare & social services	4,000	475
Jun 12–26, 2025	Multiple CEC rounds	3,000–3,000	529 → 518
(plus other PNP rounds and one Education round on May 1: 1,000 ITAs, CRS 479) CIC News

Who benefits—and how to position yourself

• French speakers (NCLC 7+): You’re competitive across programs and provinces—consider TEF/TCF timing strategically to align with upcoming French draws.

• Healthcare/social services & Education: Provinces and IRCC are clearly signalling demand; make sure your NOC matches your job duties and your reference letters reflect the listed tasks.

• Trades & STEM: If you’re close to 6 months continuous experience, time your profile update once you cross the threshold to become category-eligible.

How to check if you qualify

1. Confirm your NOC 2021 code aligns with the IRCC list for your category. (Use IRCC’s category pages.)

2. Count your experience: ≥ 6 months continuous within the last 3 years (occupation-based categories).

3. Language: If targeting French, ensure NCLC 7+ in all four abilities.

4. Eligibility first: You must still meet FSW/FST/CEC rules before category filters even apply.

5. Keep proof ready: Letters of employment mirroring actual duties, pay stubs, and tax slips where available.

Common pitfalls

• Mismatched job duties vs. NOC: Officers look at duties, not titles. Align your letters to the chosen NOC.

• Assuming category = guaranteed ITA: You’re still ranked by CRS within the category. Improve language, education ECA, partner points, or get a PNP nomination.

• Letting language tests expire: Re-test proactively (especially French).

• Waiting to create a profile: Tie-break rules favour earlier timestamps at the same CRS.

If you’re not in a category

You can still receive invitations via general or program-specific (PNP, CEC) rounds. Meanwhile, look for skills alignment: upskill/reskill into a listed NOC, add French, or target a PNP that prioritizes your occupation.

Planning to study in Canada in 2025? Don’t stress about today’s high CRS scores

If you’re seeing headline CRS cut-offs and thinking, “I’ll never make it,” take a breath. CRS scores rise and fall in cycles, and the Express Entry system isn’t one single lane anymore. By the time you graduate (typically 1–3 years out), you’ll likely be competing in a different landscape—with more tools to boost your chances.

Why you shouldn’t be discouraged:

• CEC focus in 2025 → better odds for future grads. IRCC has explicitly said this year’s priority is inviting candidates with Canadian work experience (Canadian Experience Class). As an international student, your study path + PGWP = a pipeline to exactly that experience.

• Category-based draws give you extra doors. Beyond general draws, Canada runs category-based selection for French proficiency and in-demand occupations (healthcare & social services, STEM, trades, agriculture & agri-food, and education—new in 2025). If your field matches one of these or you add French at NCLC 7+, you’re no longer fighting only in the general pool.

• Policy keeps aligning study → work → PR. IRCC updated PGWP-eligible fields of study in 2025 to line up with labour needs (more programs in health, education, and trades now qualify). Choosing a program that leads to relevant Canadian experience can materially improve your path to an ITA later.

• The system is still inviting tens of thousands. Mid-year, IRCC had already issued tens of thousands of ITAs across general, CEC, PNP, and category-based rounds. Volume matters—it means more chances spread across more draw types while you’re edging up your CRS.

• CRS cut-offs aren’t fixed. They change round by round based on the number of invitations, the draw type, and who’s in the pool that week. Today’s score isn’t tomorrow’s score.

How to set yourself up while you study:

1. Pick a program that maps to 2025 priorities (healthcare/social services, education, trades, STEM, agri-food) so your PGWP job can line up with a category-based draw later.

2. Plan for Canadian experience early. Target co-ops, internships, or part-time roles that lead to full-time, skilled work under the right NOC—this is gold for CEC eligibility.

3. Add French if you can. Hitting NCLC 7 unlocks the French-language category, which has its own invitation volumes and CRS dynamics.

4. Keep documents “PR-ready.” Save job letters with duties that match your NOC, pay records, and transcripts so you can move fast when cut-offs dip.

   
   

Bottom line: As a 2025 student, your timeline works in your favour. You’ll graduate into a market where CEC experience, category-based draws, and better program–occupation alignment can all lift your profile—often at CRS cut-offs that differ from the general pool. Don’t chase today’s number; build the right profile for tomorrow’s draws.

Want help choosing programs/NOCs and a study-to-PR roadmap? Book a quick strategy call and we’ll map it out for you.

Why this matters

Category-based draws let IRCC solve real labour gaps while helping qualified candidates move faster—particularly French speakers, teachers, healthcare workers, tradespeople, and STEM talent. For many, it’s the most direct PR path in 2025.

FAQs

What French score do I need for the French category?

Minimum NCLC 7 in all abilities on an approved French test.

Does foreign work count for occupation-based categories?

Yes—Canadian or foreign experience is fine, as long as it’s continuous full-time (or equivalent) ≥ 6 months within the last 3 years in a single listed NOC.

Can I get invited through CEC if I don’t fit a category?

Yes. IRCC runs general, program-specific, and category-based rounds. CEC and PNP-only rounds continue in parallel.