Canada Reveals Schedule for Category-Based Express Entry Draws in 2025
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IRCC Canada is set to continue issuing Invitations to Apply (ITAs) throughout the remaining months of 2025, with a particular focus on draws that target candidates in categories like education, healthcare, social services, and trades.
IRCC Canada is set to continue issuing Invitations to Apply (ITAs) throughout the remaining months of 2025, with a particular focus on draws that target candidates in categories like education, healthcare, social services, and trades.
These planned draws are designed to align with Canada鈥檚 Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027, which specifies the intention to issue more ITAs in the second half of 2025, further supporting the 2026 admission targets.
Further details of what the Access to Information Request (ATIP) reveals have been briefed in the article below.
Allocations for Category-Based Draws
IRCC had introduced the category-based draws in 2023 in efforts to prioritise candidates with experience in sectors that are facing labour shortages. The ATIP outlines that allocations of ITA across key categories for 2025 below:
| Category | ITAs Planned for 2025 | ITAs Issued (so far) | ITAs Remaining (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 3,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Healthcare | 8,000 | 7,500 | 500 |
| Trades | 3,300 | 0 | 3,300 |
The table above highlights that several more category-based draws could be further expected in the second half of the year 2025. This year, in 2025, IRCC has considered a total of 6 categories for draws, including:
- Healthcare and social services occupations
- STEM occupations
- Trade occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
- Education occupations
- French-language proficiency
Also Read: New Medical Exam Requirement Now in Effect for Express Entry PR Applicants
Focus on Francophone Immigration
The ATIP also highlighted Canada鈥檚 ongoing effort to boost Francophone immigration outside Quebec. Between February to March 2025, IRCC held French proficiency draws that invited 18,500 invitations to candidates, contributing to the federal government鈥檚 target of 8.5% French admission for 2025.
Not just that, an additional draw was held on August 8, 2025, which issued 2,500 ITAs in the French proficiency Express Entry draw, which is further expected to add to the count towards the 2026 targets.
Read Next: Canada to Boost Francophone Admissions Outside Quebec for PR and Jobs
ITA Calendar for Provinces and Territories
The ATIP report further revealed that IRCC will provide provinces and territories with access to an ITA calendar, which would offer an outlook for the three months to come. This calendar would also include the expected weeks of draws, the type of rounds, and the projected minimum CRS scores for the next two months.
The goal is simple: to ensure provinces and territories can better align their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) strategies with federal Express Entry rounds.
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Also Read: Canada Introduces Express Entry Draw Category Changes for 2026
