Express Entry is prioritizing new trades: Do you qualify?
If you qualify for Express Entry’s new Trade category, you’re more likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.
On February 27, 2025, Canada made major changes to its Express Entry categories.
See your eligibility for all category based draws
The Trade occupations category was overhauled with a total of 19 occupations added, and four removed.
Eligible occupations under the new Trade category
In 2025, the Trade category expanded more than any other, with the highest number of new occupations added. It now includes a total of 25 occupations.
You can find the full list of occupations along with their corresponding National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes below, with the newly added occupations bolded.
| 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 |
Apprentices in these trades frequently perform the majority of the duties for the occupation, so apprentice jobs and work experience will generally count as the same occupation.
How do I know my occupation is eligible?
Provided that you meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, you can qualify for Trade category draw by having at least six months of full-time continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) within the past three years in a category-eligible occupation.
To see whether any of your jobs are eligible for the Trade category, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Visit the Government of Canada’s NOC site and use the “Filter items” search bar to find the NOC code(s) that best match(es) your work experience. Try keyword searching different title variations if needed.
Step 2: Verify each NOC code on the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) site under the “Search by NOC Code” tab. Review the example lead statements and main duties. Your role must closely align with the lead statement and include a substantial number of listed duties to qualify.
Step 3: Check if your NOC code appears in the table above. If it does, your occupation is eligible under the Trade category.
The six months work experience must be within a single occupation; you cannot mix and match occupations (for example, by summing 2 months work experience in one eligible occupation, and 4 months’ work experience in another eligible occupation).
Alternate job titles for the newly-added Trade occupations
Here’s a look at the occupations that were added to the Trade category in February 2025. It also lists some alternate or example job titles of the eligible occupations.
| 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 |
How do Express Entry categories increase one’s chances of gaining Canadian permanent residence?
If you qualify for a category-based draw, you’re more likely to receive an invitation to apply for PR through Express Entry.
That's because you can be invited in a category-based draw with a significantly lower CRS score than for a general or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw.
For example, in 2024, the CRS cut-off for general draws ranged between 524 and 549.
However, in the same year, the CRS cut-off for Trade occupations ranged between 433 and 436.
This means that if you fall under an eligible category, such as the Trade occupations, your chances of receiving an invitation greatly improve, even with a lower CRS score.
See your eligibility for all category based draws
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