Are you planning to immigrate? If so, here are some big changes for 2025 in the Express Entry system, ranging from new categories to removed occupations and what they mean for potential applicants.
What’s new in Express Entry for 2025?
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced significant updates on February 27, 2025. Here is a quick overview:
- A New Category—”Education”: This category includes five key occupations related to education and teaching, all listed below.
- Transport Category Removed: Transport occupations will no longer be available under the category-based draw and, those affected will have to find alternatives.
- Expanded Healthcare Category: This category now includes all community service and social workers under social services.
Updated Priority Categories: While all existing categories remain, IRCC has identified four that will be prioritized in the Express Entry draws:
1.French-language proficiency
2.Healthcare and social service occupations
3.Trade occupations
4.Education occupations
In future invitations to apply (ITA) through Express Entry, these categories will receive more attention.
What jobs have been added or removed?
Here are the changes IRCC has made to the healthcare and social services sector:
Healthcare and Social Services
Newly Added OccupationsÂ
-Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (32104)
-Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists (32123)
-Dental hygienists and dental therapists (32111)
-Other medical technologists and technicians (32129)
-Pharmacists (31120)
-Pharmacy technicians (32124)
-Social and community service workers (42201)
-Social workers (41300)
Removed Occupations
-Educational counsellors (41320)
-Instructors of persons with disabilities (42203)
-Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment (31204)
-Other assisting occupations in support of health services (33109)
-Other practitioners of natural healing (32209)
-Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (32200)
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)
Here are the newly added and removed occupations in the STEM sector:
Newly Added Occupations
-Civil engineering technologists & technicians (22300)
-Electrical & electronics engineering technologists & technicians (22310)
-Geological engineers (21331)
-Mechanical engineering technologists & technicians (22301)
-Insurance agents & brokers (63100)
Removed Occupations
-Architects (21200)
-Business systems specialists (21221)
-Computer & information systems managers (20012)
-Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) (21311)
-Software developers & programmers (21232)
-Computer system developers & programmers(21230)
-Data scientists (21211)
-Database analysts & data administrators (21223)
-Engineering managers (20010)
-Information systems specialist (21222)
-Land surveyors (21203)
-Landscape architects (21201)
-Mathematicians, statisticians & actuaries (21210)
-Metallurgical & materials engineers (21322)
-Natural and science researchers on policy, program officers &consultants (41400)
-Software engineers & designers (21231)
-Urban & land use planners (21202)
-Web designers (21233)
-Web developers & programmers (21234)
