On May 31, 2023, The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the first-ever launch of a category-based selection to invite applicants for permanent residence through Express Entry.
Category-based selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training, or language ability. Further details on the timing of invitations for individual categories and how to apply will be announced in the coming weeks.
In June 2022, the Government of Canada made changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow for the selection of immigrants based on key attributes that support economic priorities, such as specific work experience or knowledge of French.
Every year the IRCC selects new categories based on consultations from different stakeholders such as provinces, Statistics Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, business owners, non-profit and other participating organizations, etc.,
Eligible categories for the year 2023 are as follows:
| S.No | Category | Eligibility | Total No of NOC’S | NOC List |
| 1 | French-language proficiency category | have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens | All NOC’s in Teer 0,1,2,3 | |
| 2 | Healthcare occupations category | at least 6 months of continuous work experience in the past 3 years in a listed NOC level anywhere in the world | 35 | 31100, 31101, 31102, 31103, 31110, 31111, 31112, 31121, 31200, 31201, 31202, 31203, 31204, 31209, 31300, 31301, 31302, 31302, 32101, 32102, 32103, 32109, 32120, 32121, 32122, 32200, 32201, 32209, 33101, 33102, 33103, 33109, 41301, 41320, 42203 |
| 3 | Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category | 24 | 20010, 20011, 20012, 21200, 21201, 21202, 21203, 21210, 21211, 21220, 21221, 21222, 21223, 21230, 21231, 21232, 21233, 21234, 21300, 21310, 21311, 21321, 21322, 41400 | |
| 4 | Trade occupations category | 10 | 72014, 72106, 72200, 72300, 72310, 72400, 72402, 72405, 72406, 73200 | |
| 5 | Transport occupations category | 10 | 70020, 72403, 72404, 72600, 72601, 72602, 72603, 72604, 73300, 93200 | |
| 6 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations category | 3 | 63201, 82030, 82031 | |
1. The healthcare occupations category
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 | 1 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 | 1 |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 | 1 |
| Veterinarians | 31103 | 1 |
| Dentists | 31110 | 1 |
| Optometrists | 31111 | 1 |
| Audiologists and speech language pathologists | 31112 | 1 |
| Dieticians and nutritionists | 31121 | 1 |
| Psychologists | 31200 | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 31201 | 1 |
| Physiotherapists | 31202 | 1 |
| Occupational therapists | 31203 | 1 |
| Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment | 31204 | 1 |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 | 1 |
| Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors | 31300 | 1 |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 | 1 |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 | 1 |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 | 1 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 | 2 |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 | 2 |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 | 2 |
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment | 32109 | 2 |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 | 2 |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 | 2 |
| Medical sonographers | 32122 | 2 |
| Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists | 32200 | 2 |
| Massage therapists | 32201 | 2 |
| Other practitioners of natural healing | 32209 | 2 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 | 3 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 | 3 |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | 33103 | 3 |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services | 33109 | 3 |
| Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies | 41301 | 1 |
| Education counsellors | 41320 | 1 |
| Instructors of persons with disabilities | 42203 | 2 |
2. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Engineering managers | 20010 | 0 |
| Architecture and science managers | 20011 | 0 |
| Computer and information systems managers | 20012 | 0 |
| Architects | 21200 | 1 |
| Landscape Architects | 21201 | 1 |
| Urban and land use planners | 21202 | 1 |
| Land surveyors | 21203 | 1 |
| Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries | 21210 | 1 |
| Data scientists | 21211 | 1 |
| Cybersecurity specialists | 21220 | 1 |
| Business systems specialists | 21221 | 1 |
| Information systems specialists | 21222 | 1 |
| Database analysts and data administrators | 21223 | 1 |
| Computer systems developers and programmers | 21230 | 1 |
| Software engineers and designers | 21231 | 1 |
| Software developers and programmers | 21232 | 1 |
| Web designers | 21233 | 1 |
| Web developers and programmers | 21234 | 1 |
| Civil Engineers | 21300 | 1 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 21310 | 1 |
| Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | 21311 | 1 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineers | 21321 | 1 |
| Metallurgical and materials engineers | 21322 | 1 |
| Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 41400 | 1 |
3. The trade occupations category
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers | 72014 | 2 |
| Welders and related machine operators | 72106 | 2 |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | 72200 | 2 |
| Plumbers | 72300 | 2 |
| Carpenters | 72310 | 2 |
| Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics | 72400 | 2 |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | 72402 | 2 |
| Machine fitters | 72405 | 2 |
| Elevator constructors and mechanics | 72406 | 2 |
| Residential and commercial installers and servicers | 73200 | 3 |
4. The transport occupations category
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Managers in transportation | 70020 | 0 |
| Railway carmen/women | 72403 | 2 |
| Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors | 72404 | 2 |
| Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors | 72600 | 2 |
| Air traffic controllers and related occupations | 72601 | 2 |
| Deck officers, water transport | 72602 | 2 |
| Engineer officers, water transport | 72603 | 2 |
| Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators | 72604 | 2 |
| Transport truck drivers | 73300 | 3 |
| Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors | 93200 | 3 |
5. The agriculture and agri-food occupations category
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
| Butchers- retail and wholesale | 63201 | 3 |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | 82030 | 2 |
| Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services | 82031 | 2 |