IRCC Invites Educational Professionals in Major Express Entry Shift
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited educational professionals through the Express Entry system for the first time in a draw held in May. This marks a shift in the types of candidates being targeted by IRCC. Meanwhile, April saw a slowdown in Express Entry activity, with fewer invitations issued compared to previous months.
April was a quiet month for Express Entry, with only two draws taking place. These draws were specifically targeted at Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, resulting in a total of 1,246 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued. This is a significant decrease from the previous three months, with April's ITAs being less than one-tenth of March's total.
The slowdown in Express Entry activity may be attributed to IRCC's decision to remove CRS points for arranged employment on March 25, 2025. This change could have contributed to the decrease in candidates with scores of 481 or higher. Conversely, the number of candidates in lower CRS score ranges has increased since March. Despite this, no Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws have taken place since February 5, despite IRCC's promise to prioritize CEC candidates in 2025.
Thus far in 2025, IRCC has issued 4,079 ITAs to PNP candidates through Express Entry draws. However, there are no available records or search results about the specific Express Entry draws that took place in May and June 2025.
IRCC's recent Express Entry draws have shown a shift in targeting educational professionals and a slowdown in overall activity. While PNP candidates continue to receive ITAs, the lack of CEC draws raises questions about IRCC's prioritization of this category. Candidates can use the provided table to assess their CRS score relative to others in the pool. As the year progresses, it will be interesting to see how IRCC's Express Entry strategy evolves.
