What Express Entry changes to expect in 2025?

Highlights: What changes will occur in Express Entry in 2025? 

• Canada has decided to implement changes in Express Entry’s overall immigration program in 2025.
• Express Entry removed the CRS points, which will no longer be awarded to valid job offers. 
• Federal Economic Priorities and In-Canada Focus replace the Federal High skilled allocations. 
• Canada has increased the targeted number of admissions under the Federal economic programs to 124,590 in 2025.

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Changes that will occur in Express Entry in 2025 

 Increases in the Express Entry overall immigration targets 

Express Entry will notice a relative increase in its share of overall immigration targets. The Federal government increased the target number of admissions under the Federal economic programs to 124,590 landings. This increase is accompanied by a 20 percent reduction in the overall immigration level compared to the 2024 targets. This shift allows the federal government to control more than the 2024 targets. This shift allows the federal government to have more control over immigration with fewer admissions processed through Provincial and regional immigration pathways. 

Express Entry will play a more prominent role in Canada’s immigration system in 2025 as Federal High skilled (FHA) allocations that fall under Express Entry make up a significant portion of the immigration targets. 
 

“No” more CRS points for Job offer 

As announced earlier, there will be a significant change in spring 2025: Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points will no longer be awarded for valid job offers. Candidates in the Express Entry Draw can either receive 50 or 200 additional points if they have a valid job offer (based on their level of job offer). This removal is a temporary measure, but IRCC has not specified it yet. 

Candidates currently receiving valid job offer points need to boost their scores by relying on human capital factors scored by the CRS, such as language proficiency or work experience. 

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Federal Economic Priorities and In-Canada Focus will replace Federal High Skilled for allocations 

Canada’s annual allocation for immigrants admitted through Express Entry was designated under the FHS allocations. The allocation under FHS in 2025 is being replaced and divided into two new subcategories under the Immigration level plan: 

• Federal Economic Priorities 
• In-Canada Focus

These two new subcategories mark a significant shift in which the candidates will be selected for permanent residency:

Category name	Landings allocations under Express Entry	Candidates considered under this category
In-Canada Focus	82,890	Candidates already in Canada, including those in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Federal Economic Priorities	41,700	In 2024 candidates selected under category-based selections. In 2025, Priority sectors will include healthcare occupations, trade occupations, and candidates with French language proficiency.

 

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Emphasis on different category-based selections 

IRCC is expected to focus more on Express Entry Draw on category-based selections in 2025 that align with Canada’s labor market priorities (through the Federal Economic priorities) allocations at the annual Immigration level. According to the 2025-2027 Immigration level plans, IRCC has designed to prioritize designated categories in 2025, such as: 

• Healthcare occupations
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations;
• Trades occupations
• Transport occupations
• Agriculture and Agri-food occupations
• French language proficiency

IRCC plans to conduct more of these draws in 2025 due to the priority sectors designated under the Federal Priorities allocations. In 2025, the French proficiency category will continue to have a key focus, as it did in 2024. Canada is also planning to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec.

Canada has set a target of 8.5 percent of total new admissions for the French proficiency category, which will rise to 9.5 percent in 2026.

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