Insights Gleaned from 2025's Express Entry Drafts to Date
Canada's Express Entry System: A Look at the First Half of 2025
In the first six months of 2025, Canada's Express Entry system has seen a significant shift in its invitation to apply (ITA) distribution, with a focus on certain priority categories and an increase in the number of draws compared to previous years.
Draw Frequency From January to July 24, 2025, a total of 50,628 ITAs have been issued across all draw types. Notably, Canada held 27 Express Entry draws, a number similar to the ones in 2023 and 2024.
Priority Categories The focus of Express Entry will likely continue to be on inviting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates for permanent residence and priority categories such as healthcare and social services, education, trades, and French-language proficiency.
CEC Draws CEC draws issued the next largest number of ITAs of any kind this year (amounting to 38.1% of all ITAs issued) and were the second most frequent. The lowest CRS cut-off for CEC draws was 518, while the highest was 547.
French-Language Proficiency and Draws French draws have featured the lowest CRS scores of any draw this year and have trended downwards sharply. French-language draws accounted for 37.4% of all ITAs issued this year, despite only making up three draws so far in 2025. The next cut-off score for French proficiency candidates may be higher than the most recent 379 due to the long pause in these draws.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Draws PNP rounds issued 12.2% of all ITAs this year, despite being the most frequent kind of draw. However, the specific ITAs and selection rounds issued by PNP draws in the first half of 2025 are not explicitly detailed in the available information.
New Categories In February 2025, IRCC introduced major updates to Express Entry's occupational categories, including the addition of a new Education category, the removal of the Transport category, and significant adjustments to eligible occupations across most categories. The new Education category includes five occupations such as early childhood educators, elementary and secondary school teachers, and teacher assistants.
Other Categories The STEM and Agriculture categories remain active but are not prioritized in 2025 draws. More information on these changes can be found in a dedicated article covering the announcement.
CRS Score Cut-offs The following table sets out the lowest and highest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-offs seen for each draw type, except PNP draws:
| Draw Type | Lowest CRS Cut-off | Highest CRS Cut-off | |-----------|-------------------|---------------------| | CEC | 518 | 547 | | French | 379 | 428 | | Healthcare | 475 | 510 | | Education | 479 | N/A |
Future Outlook The ITA schedule for the rest of 2025 may follow similar lines to July 2024, with an increase in the size and/or frequency of draws to meet next year's admissions target of 123,320 through the Express Entry system. It is important to note that this is an estimate and the actual schedule may vary.
In summary, the first half of 2025 has seen a shift in Canada's Express Entry system, with a focus on certain priority categories and an increase in the number of draws compared to previous years. The second half of 2025 is expected to continue this trend, aiming to meet the admissions target for the year.
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