Get Ahead in 2025! Canada’s New Immigration Plan and Express Entry Insights
Explore Canada’s 2025 Immigration Plan updates: increased Express Entry spots, priority for in-Canada applicants, and focus on healthcare, trades, and French skills.
Gurmeet Sharma
Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan introduces significant updates impacting the Express Entry pathway to permanent residence. This guide breaks down these changes, highlighting how different groups of candidates can expect to benefit or face challenges.
1. Increased Allocation for Express Entry
Canada’s target for Express Entry invitations has risen for 2025, despite an overall reduction in immigration admissions. The new plan allocates a record 124,680 spots specifically for Express Entry under the “In-Canada Focus” and “Economic Priorities” categories. This is an increase from the prior target of 117,500 set last year and the 2024 target of 110,770.
| Year | Target (Current Plan) | Target (Previous Plan) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 124,680 | 117,500 |
| 2024 | 110,770 | — |
This higher allocation suggests that more candidates in 2025 may receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through Express Entry than in previous years.
2. Prioritizing Candidates Residing in Canada
For 2025, a new “In-Canada Focus” category has been introduced within the Express Entry economic immigration targets. With a set target of 82,980 admissions, this category prioritizes candidates already residing in Canada, aiming to facilitate their transition from temporary to permanent residency. This represents about 42% of the total federal economic immigration target of 197,650, thus favoring domestic candidates over international applicants.
Impact on Overseas Applicants
Due to the focus on domestic applicants, overseas candidates, especially those applying through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), may face reduced opportunities for ITAs in 2025.
3. Expansion of Category-Based Draws
The 2025 plan includes a focus on category-based draws, aiming to address specific economic needs within Canada. The “Federal Economic Priorities” category has a target of 41,700 admissions, and IRCC is expected to use category-based draws to allocate these spots to candidates whose skills match in-demand sectors.
In-Demand Categories for 2025
For 2025, priority categories include:
- Healthcare occupations
- Trade occupations
- French-language proficiency
Candidates eligible under these categories, especially those with six months or more of recent experience, have a higher chance of receiving ITAs.
4. Trends in 2024: Setting the Stage for 2025
In-Canada Focus Draws: Beginning in March 2024, IRCC emphasized “domestic draws” to support temporary residents’ transition to permanent status, issuing 25,700 ITAs over eight Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws. This trend is likely to continue into 2025, reinforcing IRCC’s strategy to address local demand while managing population balance.
Category-Based Draws in 2024: Over the past year, Canada held numerous category-based draws, a trend that will likely continue with increased emphasis on specific fields. Notable 2024 category results included:
| Category | Number of Draws | ITAs Issued |
|---|---|---|
| French language | 9 | 21,400 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 7,250 |
| STEM | 1 | 4,500 |
| Trade | 2 | 3,600 |
| Transport | 1 | 975 |
This year’s Plan reaffirms IRCC’s commitment to category-based draws, with particular attention to healthcare, trades, and French proficiency, aiming to better align immigration with Canada’s economic needs.
In Summary
Canada’s 2025 Immigration Levels Plan brings expanded opportunities for Express Entry candidates residing in Canada and for those in priority occupation categories. By increasing the allocation for Express Entry and emphasizing category-based draws, the Plan seeks to support Canada’s evolving labor market needs while balancing domestic and international applicant priorities.
