Immigration News

Category-Based Express Entry Draws in 2025: Skilled Trades Now a Key Focus

Rajneesh Kumar
9 May, 2025

If your work experience falls under one of Express Entry's newly expanded Trade occupations, you might be in a prime position to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. Canada made significant updates to its Express Entry categories on February 27, 2025, and the Trade occupations category saw the most substantial growth, with 19 new occupations added and only four removed.

Do you see your occupation on this list?

In 2025, the Trade category now encompasses a total of 25 occupations. Take a look at the list below, where the newly added occupations are highlighted in bold:

Occupation	2021 NOC code
Bricklayers	72320
Cabinetmakers	72311
Carpenters	72310
Concrete finishers	73100
Construction estimators	22303
Construction managers	70010
Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics	72400
Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services	82021
Cooks	63200
Electrical mechanics	72422
Electricians (except industrial and power system)	72200
Floor covering installers	73113
Gas fitters	72302
Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics	72402
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	72401
Home building and renovation managers	70011
Industrial electricians	72201
Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors	72100
Other technical trades and related occupations	72999
Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)	73112
Plumbers	72300
Roofers and shinglers	73110
Sheet metal workers	72102
Water well drillers	72501
Welders and related machine operators	72106

NOC Occupation Title	Example Job titles
Bricklayers	Apprentice bricklayer Brickmason Refractory bricklayer Stonecutter Stonemason
Cabinetmakers	Cabinetmaker apprentice Custom wood furniture maker Furniture cabinetmaker
Concrete finishers	Cement finisher apprentice Cement mason Concrete mason Precast concrete finisher
Construction estimators	Chief estimator - construction Cost estimator - construction Principal estimator - construction Professional quantity surveyor Quantity surveyor - construction
Construction managers	Commercial construction manager Construction project manager Construction superintendent General contractor Housing construction manager Industrial construction manager Pipeline construction manager Residential construction manager
Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services	Fracturing supervisor Multi-service operator - oil field services Rig manager
Cooks	Apprentice cook Dietary cook First cook Grill cook Hospital cook Institutional cook Journeyman/woman cook Licensed cook Line cook Second cook Short order cook
Electrical mechanics	Armature winder repairer Coil winder and repairer Electric motor systems technician Electrical mechanic apprentice Electrical rewind mechanic Electrical transformer repairer Industrial motor winder-repairer Power transformer repairer Transformer repairer
Floor covering installers	Carpet layer Floor covering installer apprentice Floor covering mechanic Hardwood floor layer Residential floor and wall covering installer Resilient floor installer Vinyl floor installer
Gas fitters	Gas fitter apprentice Gas servicer Gas technician Industrial gas fitter-tester
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	Agricultural equipment technician Construction equipment mechanic Diesel mechanic - heavy equipment Farm equipment mechanic Heavy equipment mechanic Heavy mobile logging equipment mechanic Heavy mobile mining equipment mechanic Heavy-duty equipment mechanic apprentice Heavy-duty equipment technician Locomotive mechanic Tractor mechanic
Home building and renovation managers	Home builder Home renovation contractor Home renovator Renovation contractor Residential homes contractor
Industrial electricians	Industrial electrician apprentice Marine electrician Mill electrician Mine electrician Plant electrician Plant maintenance electrician Shipyard electrician
Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors	Automotive machinist Aviation machinist General machinist Machine shop inspector Machined parts inspector Machining inspector Machinist Machinist apprentice Tooling inspector
Other technical trades and related occupations	Aircraft patternmaker Blacksmith Commercial diver Die setter Explosive ordnance detector Farrier Gunsmith Locksmith Reclamation diver Restoration steeplejack Safe maker Saw fitter Small arms repairer Toolsmith Underwater contractor Vault repairer
Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)	Construction painter Maintenance painter Painter and decorator apprentice Paperhanger
Roofers and shinglers	Apprentice roofer Asphalt roofer Built-up roofer Flat roofer Residential steep roofer Single-ply roofer
Sheet metal workers	Apprentice sheet metal worker Sheet metal fabricator Sheet metal mechanic Tinsmith
Water well drillers	Cable tool driller - water well drilling Churn drill operator - water well drilling Water well driller apprentice

It's also worth noting that if you're an apprentice in one of these trades and perform the majority of the job duties, your apprentice experience will generally be considered the same occupation.

How can you determine if your occupation qualifies?

Assuming you meet the basic requirements for Express Entry, you could be eligible for a Trade category draw if you have at least six months of continuous full-time work experience (or the equivalent in part-time hours) within the last three years in one of the eligible occupations listed above. Remember, this work experience must be in a single occupation.

Here's how you can check if your work experience aligns with an eligible Trade occupation:

Step 1: Head over to the Government of Canada's NOC site and use the "Filter items" search bar. Try different keywords related to your job title to find the most fitting National Occupation Classification (NOC) code(s).

Step 2: Once you have potential NOC codes, visit the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) site and use the "Search by NOC Code" tab. Carefully review the lead statement and main duties for each code. Your job role needs to closely match the lead statement and include a significant number of the listed responsibilities to qualify.

Step 3: Finally, check if the NOC code you identified appears in the table above. If it does, your occupation is eligible under the Trade category.

Exploring alternate job titles for the newly added occupations:

To give you a clearer picture, here are some example job titles for the occupations that were added to the Trade category in February 2025:

NOC Occupation Title	Example Job titles
Bricklayers	Apprentice bricklayer Brickmason Refractory bricklayer Stonecutter Stonemason
Cabinetmakers	Cabinetmaker apprentice Custom wood furniture maker Furniture cabinetmaker
Concrete finishers	Cement finisher apprentice Cement mason Concrete mason Precast concrete finisher
Construction estimators	Chief estimator - construction Cost estimator - construction Principal estimator - construction Professional quantity surveyor Quantity surveyor - construction
Construction managers	Commercial construction manager Construction project manager Construction superintendent General contractor Housing construction manager Industrial construction manager Pipeline construction manager Residential construction manager
Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services	Fracturing supervisor Multi-service operator - oil field services Rig manager
Cooks	Apprentice cook Dietary cook First cook Grill cook Hospital cook Institutional cook Journeyman/woman cook Licensed cook Line cook Second cook Short order cook
Electrical mechanics	Armature winder repairer Coil winder and repairer Electric motor systems technician Electrical mechanic apprentice Electrical rewind mechanic Electrical transformer repairer Industrial motor winder-repairer Power transformer repairer Transformer repairer
Floor covering installers	Carpet layer Floor covering installer apprentice Floor covering mechanic Hardwood floor layer Residential floor and wall covering installer Resilient floor installer Vinyl floor installer
Gas fitters	Gas fitter apprentice Gas servicer Gas technician Industrial gas fitter-tester
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	Agricultural equipment technician Construction equipment mechanic Diesel mechanic - heavy equipment Farm equipment mechanic Heavy equipment mechanic Heavy mobile logging equipment mechanic Heavy mobile mining equipment mechanic Heavy-duty equipment mechanic apprentice Heavy-duty equipment technician Locomotive mechanic Tractor mechanic
Home building and renovation managers	Home builder Home renovation contractor Home renovator Renovation contractor Residential homes contractor
Industrial electricians	Industrial electrician apprentice Marine electrician Mill electrician Mine electrician Plant electrician Plant maintenance electrician Shipyard electrician
Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors	Automotive machinist Aviation machinist General machinist Machine shop inspector Machined parts inspector Machining inspector Machinist Machinist apprentice Tooling inspector
Other technical trades and related occupations	Aircraft patternmaker Blacksmith Commercial diver Die setter Explosive ordnance detector Farrier Gunsmith Locksmith Reclamation diver Restoration steeplejack Safe maker Saw fitter Small arms repairer Toolsmith Underwater contractor Vault repairer
Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)	Construction painter Maintenance painter Painter and decorator apprentice Paperhanger
Roofers and shinglers	Apprentice roofer Asphalt roofer Built-up roofer Flat roofer Residential steep roofer Single-ply roofer
Sheet metal workers	Apprentice sheet metal worker Sheet metal fabricator Sheet metal mechanic Tinsmith
Water well drillers	Cable tool driller - water well drilling Churn drill operator - water well drilling Water well driller apprentice

Unlocking Your Canadian Dream: How Express Entry Categories Boost Your PR Chances

Qualifying for a category-based draw significantly increases your likelihood of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry.

The key advantage lies in the potential for a much lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score compared to general or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws.

Consider the 2024 data: while general Express Entry draws had CRS cut-offs ranging from 524 to 549, the draws specifically for Trade occupations saw cut-offs between 433 and 436.

This stark difference illustrates that if your profile aligns with an eligible category, such as the Trade occupations, your chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence are substantially higher, even if your CRS score is lower than the typical general draw threshold.

To know more and apply for Permanent Residency (PR) visa in Canada in 2025, you may contact our seasoned Canada migration expert Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.