On February 27, 2025, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced significant changes to the Express Entry system categories to better align with Canada’s labor market needs and economic priorities. The key updates include:

New Occupational Categories:

Education sector is added as a priority category, including roles such as teachers’ assistants, early childhood educators, and instructors for persons with disabilities.

Expanded Health Care Category: The health care category has been broadened to include additional health care and social services roles, as well as various technologist and technician positions.

Focus on Canadian Work Experience: Starting in 2025, the federal economic immigration program will prioritize candidates with experience working in Canada, emphasizing the transition of temporary residents to permanent residence.

Francophone Immigration Targets: The system continues to prioritize candidates with strong French-language proficiency to support Francophone immigration goals.

Cooks were added under the trades category.

Removed Categories:

The transport sector was entirely removed from the list of priority categories.

Certain STEM occupations, such as architects, computer and information systems managers, software engineers, developers, and data scientists, were no longer prioritized.

These changes aim to create a more dynamic and responsive immigration system that addresses Canada’s evolving labor market demands while supporting economic growth and community development.