Dear future neighbour,
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially announced the schedule for Express Entry category-based draws in 2025, marking a major shift in the way candidates are selected for permanent residence. Unlike previous years, IRCC has not conducted any all-program draws in 2025, instead focusing exclusively on category-based selection to meet Canada’s evolving labour market needs.
Category Priorities for 2025
The 2025 draw schedule confirms that IRCC is prioritizing four main categories:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare and social services occupations
- Trades occupations
- Education occupation
The introduction of the education category is a notable change, highlighting Canada’s need for teachers, early childhood educators, and related professionals. At the same time, the transport category has been removed, while the healthcare and STEM categories were adjusted to better align with demand.
Highlights from 2025 Draws So Far
From January to late July 2025, IRCC conducted 27 draws, issuing a total of 50,628 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). The majority of these were category-based draws. French-language proficiency and healthcare categories led in terms of invitations, with the French draws issuing more than 18,000 ITAs and healthcare draws accounting for 5,000 ITAs.
The new education category saw its first draw on May 1, 2025, with 1,000 ITAs issued and a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score of 479. This represented a promising start for candidates in teaching and childcare roles.
Meanwhile, one of the year’s largest healthcare draws took place on July 22, 2025, when IRCC issued 4,000 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 475. Another significant healthcare and social services draw occurred on August 19, 2025, with 2,500 ITAs and a CRS score of 470.
One of the lowest CRS thresholds so far was seen in a French-language proficiency draw on March 21, 2025, which issued 7,500 ITAs at a cut-off of just 379 points. This underscored IRCC’s strong commitment to attracting French-speaking candidates outside Quebec.
According to the schedule, the planned ITA distribution is as follows:
| Category | ITAs As per IRCC Memo | ITAs Already Issued in 2025 | Expected ITAs In Next Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Approximately 3,000 ITAs (5% of all FSW and CEC ITAs) | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Healthcare | Approximately 8,000 ITAs (15% of all FSW and CEC ITAs) | 7,500 | 1,000-2,000 |
| Trades | Approximately 3,300 ITAs (8% of all FSW and CEC ITAs) | 0 | 3,300 |
| French-Proficiency | 18,500 ITAs to meet the 8.5% Francophone admissions target | 21,000 | 0 |
What This Means
The 2025 Express Entry draw schedule confirms IRCC’s strong reliance on targeted draws rather than general invitations. This approach gives a clear advantage to candidates in priority sectors, particularly French-speaking applicants and professionals in healthcare and education. The variation in CRS cut-offs from as low as 379 for French speakers to nearly 480 for education professionals shows how scores differ depending on category and occupation demand.
For prospective applicants, this means success in Express Entry this year is far less about competing in a broad pool and more about aligning with Canada’s high-demand categories. Candidates with language skills or occupations in education, healthcare, and trades stand a stronger chance of receiving an invitation in 2025.
Need help with your Canadian immigration process?
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