Canada Express Entry Draws 2025: Complete Year-End Review

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted back-to-back Express Entry draws in 2025. The Express Entry system underwent significant changes, reshaping how candidates for permanent residence are selected.

Over 58 draws, a total of 113,998 ITAs were issued, 15,195 more than in 2024. Of these, 59% were distributed through category-based selections. While the remainder went to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.

Early-year draws focused on CEC, PNP, and French-language applicants, while later rounds targeted in-demand sectors such as healthcare and social services.

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Express Entry Draw Overview of 2025

Canada held 58 draws and invited 1,13,998 candidates through the Express Entry draw in 2025. The table below provides a category-wise overview of Express Entry draws conducted in 2025, which includes:

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How Category‑Based Selection Dominated Express Entry in 2025?

In 2025, Canada’s Express Entry draws focused heavily on category-based selection, prioritizing candidates with skills needed in the Canadian labour market.

Over the year, 59% of ITAs were issued through targeted streams, including healthcare, social services, trades, and French-language proficiency. This shift reduced reliance on CRS-only draws and allowed IRCC to respond more directly to labour shortages and provincial needs.

Category-based selection aligns with the Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2026–2028, which emphasizes economic immigration to fill high-demand occupations and stabilize permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year.

The plan also aims to transition skilled temporary residents to permanent status, supporting long-term workforce planning.

Key highlights from the levels plan:

• Economic immigration will account for the largest share of admissions, including Federal High Skilled and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.
• Francophone admissions outside Quebec PNP are projected to increase to 10.5% by 2028.
• Temporary workers and international students will continue to be a pipeline for permanent residence.
• Programs target critical sectors and regions, including rural and remote communities.

By linking category-based draws with broader immigration targets, IRCC is building a more strategic, demand-driven Express Entry Program. This approach is expected to continue into 2026 and beyond, helping Canada meet both national and regional labour market needs.

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Source: canada.ca

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