Today, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Canada is introducing category-based rounds of invitations for Express Entry. The Government will invite candidates who are eligible for a specific category established by the Minister to meet an identified economic goal. Candidates will be invited to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as
- ability to communicate in a specific official language
- work experience in a specific Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- education
Category-based selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training or language ability and will add to general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help Canada meet specific economic goals. Further details on the timing of invitations for individual categories and how to apply will be announced in the coming weeks and the chosen categories will be announced in advance.
Categories chosen for 2023
For 2023, the Government of Canada chose these categories:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
Who is eligible
To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, the applicant must meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round.
When the Government holds a category-based round of invitations, they will
- rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements and
- invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence
A. Eligibility for the French-language proficiency category
To be eligible, you must
- have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
B. Eligibility for the healthcare occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Audiologists and speech language pathologists | ||
| Chiropractors | ||
| Dentists | ||
| Dieticians and nutritionists | ||
| Education counsellors | ||
| General practitioners and family physicians | ||
| Instructors of persons with disabilities | ||
| Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment | ||
| Licensed practical nurses | ||
| Massage therapists | ||
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | ||
| Medical laboratory technologists | ||
| Medical radiation technologists | ||
| Medical sonographers | ||
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | ||
| Nurse practitioners | ||
| Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors | ||
| Occupational therapists | ||
| Optometrists | ||
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services | ||
| Other practitioners of natural healing | ||
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | ||
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment | ||
| Paramedical occupations | ||
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | ||
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | ||
| Physiotherapists | ||
| Psychologists | ||
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | ||
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | ||
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | ||
| Specialists in surgery | ||
| Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies | ||
| Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists | ||
| Veterinarians |
C. Eligibility for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Architects | ||
| Architecture and science managers | ||
| Business systems specialists | ||
| Civil Engineers | ||
| Computer and information systems managers | ||
| Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | ||
| Computer systems developers and programmers | ||
| Cybersecurity specialists | ||
| Data scientists | ||
| Database analysts and data administrators | ||
| Electrical and electronics engineers | ||
| Engineering managers | ||
| Industrial and manufacturing engineers | ||
| Information systems specialists | ||
| Land surveyors | ||
| Landscape Architects | ||
| Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries | ||
| Metallurgical and materials engineers | ||
| Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers | ||
| Software developers and programmers | ||
| Software engineers and designers | ||
| Urban and land use planners | ||
| Web designers | ||
| Web developers and programmers |
D. Eligibility for the trade occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Residential and commercial installers and servicers | ||
| Elevator constructors and mechanics | ||
| Machine fitters | ||
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | ||
| Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics | ||
| Carpenters | ||
| Plumbers | ||
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | ||
| Welders and related machine operators | ||
| Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers |
E. Eligibility for the transport occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors | ||
| Transport truck drivers | ||
| Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators | ||
| Engineer officers, water transport | ||
| Deck officers, water transport | ||
| Air traffic controllers and related occupations | ||
| Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors | ||
| Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors | ||
| Railway carmen/women | ||
| Managers in transportation |
F. Eligibility for the agriculture and agri-food occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services | ||
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | ||
| Butchers- retail and wholesale |