Are You Eligible for Express Entry’s New Education Category?

By Vikrant Singh, April 03, 2024

Foreign-trained schoolteachers, early childhood educators, and other professionals in education are now eligible for category-based draws under Express Entry, offering these foreign nationals a new pathway to Canadian permanent residence (PR).

On 27 February, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a new category under the Express Entry system for education occupations, identified as a priority category for invitations to apply (ITA) for PR in 2025.

Category-based draws have featured the lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-offs of any draw types in the Express Entry system since their introduction in 2023.

Which Occupations Are Part of the Education Category?

Occupations in Canada are categorized using the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system, which groups jobs by industry and sector. The Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) ranking further classifies occupations based on required qualifications.

Below is a table outlining the occupations included in the new education category:

Job Title	NOC Code	TEER Level
Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants	43100	3
Instructors of persons with disabilities	42203	2
Early childhood educators and assistants	42202	2
Elementary school and kindergarten teachers	41221	1
Secondary school teachers	41220	1

How to Determine If Your Work Experience Qualifies

To be considered for the education category, foreign nationals must have accumulated six months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) work experience within the last three years in a category-eligible occupation.

To find the correct NOC code for your work experience, IRCC recommends the following steps:

1. Use the Government of Canada’s NOC page and search for your job title.

2. If the exact title is unavailable, try a close match.

3. Copy the TEER number and NOC code from the result.

4. Confirm the code on the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) webpage.

5. Review the “Main Duties” section to ensure alignment with your responsibilities.
   

Alternate Job Titles Under the Education Category

The following table provides example job titles corresponding to eligible occupations:

NOC Occupation Title	Example Job Titles
Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants	Educational assistant, Special education assistant
Instructors of persons with disabilities	Braille instructor, Sign language instructor
Early childhood educators and assistants	Child care worker, Preschool supervisor
Elementary school and kindergarten teachers	Kindergarten teacher, Special education teacher
Secondary school teachers	High school teacher, Vocational teacher

How Education Category-Based Draws Work

Canada’s Express Entry system manages three immigration programs:

1. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

2. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

3. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
   

Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria of at least one of these programs and submit an Express Entry profile, where they receive a CRS score.

Express Entry draws occur bi-weekly and can be:

• Program-specific

• General (all programs)

• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)-based

• Category-based
  

Category-based draws consider candidates meeting job experience requirements in an eligible occupation. These draws often feature lower CRS cut-off scores due to a smaller candidate pool.

Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

Candidates wishing to be considered for category-based draws must:

• Enter an eligible Express Entry profile.

• Include relevant work experience in their profile.

• Meet CRS score cut-off requirements for the draw.

• Submit their profile before the tie-breaking rule cut-off time.

• Satisfy all draw conditions.
  

If an ITA is received, candidates have 60 days to submit a complete PR application to IRCC.

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