Increased Targets, New Allocations, and Revised Scoring Criteria to Reshape Immigration Pathways
Canada’s Express Entry system, a key pathway for economic immigration, is set to undergo transformative changes in 2025. These updates will affect the selection process for skilled workers, altering the landscape for candidates seeking permanent residency. Here’s an overview of the key trends and policy shifts expected this year.
Express Entry Takes Center Stage in Immigration Targets
The federal government has prioritized Express Entry-managed programs, increasing the target for Federal Economic Programs to 124,590 landings in 2025, up from 110,770 in 2024. This rise comes amid an overall 20% reduction in immigration levels, allowing the federal government greater control over admissions.
Express Entry’s share of immigration targets will grow substantially, rising from 22.8% of overall admissions in 2024 to 31.5% in 2025. This shift accompanies a scaling back of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocations, which will drop from 110,000 planned admissions in 2024 to just 55,000 in 2025. As a result, Express Entry will become the dominant pathway for economic immigrants.
CRS Points for Job Offers to Be Removed in 2025
A significant policy change announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller in December 2024 will take effect in spring 2025: candidates will no longer receive Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for valid job offers.
Currently, job offers can add 50 or 200 points to a candidate’s CRS score, depending on the role. Removing these points is expected to lower CRS scores for some candidates, increasing the reliance on factors like language proficiency and work experience to remain competitive. This change is described as “temporary,” though no end date has been specified.
New Allocations: Federal Economic Priorities and In-Canada Focus
The Federal High-Skilled (FHS) allocation, previously central to Express Entry, will be replaced in 2025 by two new categories:
- In-Canada Focus (82,890 landings): Targets candidates already residing in Canada, including those in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Express Entry-aligned PNP, Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
- Federal Economic Priorities (41,700 landings): Focuses on candidates meeting Canada’s labor market and demographic goals, with priority sectors in 2025 including healthcare, trades, and French-language proficiency.
These subcategories aim to align candidate selection more closely with Canada’s economic and social priorities.
Category-Based Selections to Address Labor Market Needs
Category-based Express Entry draws, introduced in 2023, will play a more prominent role in 2025. IRCC plans to prioritize candidates in the following sectors:
- Healthcare occupations
- Trades occupations
- French-language proficiency
While healthcare and trades-focused draws were limited in 2024, they are expected to increase significantly this year. The emphasis on French-language proficiency will also continue, with a target of 8.5% of total new immigrants in 2025, rising to 9.5% in 2026.
Additional priority categories for Express Entry include:
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and Agri-food occupations
What These Changes Mean for Express Entry Candidates
The removal of CRS points for job offers and the shift toward category-based selections will make human capital factors—such as language proficiency, work experience, and education—more critical than ever for Express Entry candidates.
With an increased emphasis on federal control and strategic priorities, the system aims to attract skilled workers who meet Canada’s evolving economic and social needs. For prospective immigrants, staying informed and strategically optimizing their profiles will be key to navigating these changes successfully.