Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has unveiled its Express Entry invitation plan for the remainder of 2025. This roadmap provides insight into how Invitations to Apply (ITAs) will be distributed in the coming months—and most of the second-half ITAs are expected to count toward 2026 admissions targets. This information comes from an Access to Information request obtained by Calgary-based RCIC Mandeep Lidher.
Planned ITA Allocation: Category-Based Draws
Introduced in 2023, IRCC’s category-based draws target applicants with in-demand skills and experience across select sectors. The newly released data details targeted allocations for 2025:
| Category | Total ITAs Planned | ITAs Issued So Far | Remaining ITAs |
| Education | 3,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Healthcare | 8,000 | 7,500 | 500 |
| Trades | 3,300 | 0 | 3,300 |
This breakdown highlights that multiple additional rounds are planned, particularly for Education and Trades as the year unfolds.
The Six Target Categories
IRCC’s category selection for 2025 includes six areas:
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French-language proficiency
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Healthcare and social services occupations
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STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
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Trade occupations
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Agriculture and agri-food occupations
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Education occupations
These categories are designed to align with Canada’s broader economic priorities.
Spotlight on Francophone Admission
A strategic goal this year is strengthening French-language immigration outside of Quebec. From February to March 2025, IRCC conducted French-proficiency draws over an eight-week span, issuing a total of 18,500 ITAs. An additional draw on August 8 contributed another 2,500 ITAs, which are likely being counted toward 2026 targets. This supports the federal objective of achieving an 8.5% share of Francophone admissions in 2025.
ITA Calendar for Provincial Coordination
IRCC plans to provide provinces and territories with a three-month ITA calendar. This calendar will outline:
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Scheduled weeks for draws
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Types of rounds expected
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Projected minimum CRS scores for the upcoming two months
The purpose is to help provinces align their nomination strategies with upcoming federal draws.
