The most recent Immigration Levels Plan in Canada has important ramifications for foreigners using the Express Entry system to apply for permanent residence.
The Plan states that additional seats for permanent residency have been set aside for Express Entry applicants in 2025.
These modifications should be advantageous to two categories of candidates:
- Canadian candidates; and
- applicants who are eligible for drawings based on categories.
In 2025, it will likely be more difficult for candidates who do not fit into the aforementioned emphasis categories to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) through Express Entry.
Increase in the allotment for Express Entry
The federal government actually boosted the funding for Express Entry even though it reduced the goals for admissions of permanent residents by around 20% for 2025:
| 2025 target – current Plan | 2025 target – last year’s Plan | 2024 target – last year’s Plan |
| 124,680 | 117,500 | 110,770 |
The combined 2025 objective of 124,680 for the “In-Canada Focus” and “Economic Priorities” categories is higher than the 2024 target as well as the 2025 target from the Immigration Levels Plan from the previous year.
In 2024, the IRCC set a target of 110,770 for the “federal high skilled” (FHS) category, which includes the three federal immigration programs controlled by Express Entry: the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The IRCC set a goal of 117,500 for FHS in 2025 in the Immigration Levels Plan from the previous year.
Applicants hoping to enter through programs run by Express Entry should anticipate receiving more invites in 2025 than in 2024.
Canadian candidate prioritization
The IRCC added a new category called “In-Canada Focus” to the budget for economic immigration for programs run by Express Entry in this year’s Plan.
With the creation of this category, candidates who are already residing in Canada might anticipate that their chances of being invited to apply (ITA) would rise in 2025.
For 2025, IRCC set a target of 82,980 for this category—about 42% of the federal economic immigration target of 197,650.*
Overseas candidates for the FSWP or FSTP can expect reduced chances of receiving ITAs.
*We’ve taken the total economic immigration target of 232,150 and subtracted the 34,500 for Quebec Skilled Workers and Business. Quebec controls its own immigration targets and admissions.