Trades Category-Based Express Entry Draws

This guide highlights what you need to know about Express Entry category-based draws for trades workers.

As a refresher: Canada’s category-based Express Entry draws allow the government to invite candidates based on specific attributes, with an emphasis on work experience. For trades workers, this means eligibility often depends on experience in certain high-demand trades roles.

Recent Trades Express Entry Draws

Keep reading for insights into the latest draws and how they impact trades professionals looking to immigrate to Canada.

What Is A Category-Based Trades Express Entry Draw?

IRCC conducts three different types of Express Entry draws:

1. General rounds: These invite top-ranked candidates who are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Express Entry programs.
2. Program-specific rounds: These focus on candidates based on the specific program they are eligible for, such as FSW, CEC, FST, or a provincial nominee program. Notably, this is how IRCC often targets candidates who are already in Canada.
3. Category-based rounds: These target candidates in the pool with work experience in specific occupations. The current categories include roles such as trades and other high-demand professions.

Category-based draws provide an opportunity for trades workers to receive invitations based on their specific skills and experience, helping address labor market needs in Canada.

Eligibility For Trades Category Draws

To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must:

• Qualify for one of the three main immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), or Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
• Meet the minimum requirements for the round, including the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off and tiebreaker rules.

Additionally, you must have at least six months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equivalent in part-time work experience) in one eligible occupation listed below. If your work experience spans multiple occupations, you will need to accumulate six months in a single occupation to qualify.

Occupations Eligible For Express Entry Trades Category Draws

Below is the list of occupations eligible for trades category-based draws under the Canadian Express Entry system:

How To Apply For Trades Express Entry Draws

Step 1: You must be eligible for Express Entry

The first step to getting invited to apply in a trades-specific draw is to get into the Express Entry pool.

There are three possible programs you can be eligible for in order to join the Express Entry pool of candidates:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST)

Generally, trades workers are most often eligible under the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), although they may also qualify through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) if they have Canadian work experience. Each program has its own set of eligibility requirements, including work experience, education, and language ability.

Important Note on Work Experience

For trades workers, the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) has specific work experience requirements that exceed what’s required for the trades category-based draws:

• At least two years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past five years.
• Work experience must fall under eligible skilled trade occupations (classified under TEER 2 or TEER 3 in Canada’s Training Education Experience Responsibilities [TEER] categories).

The CEC and FSW programs also require at least one year of eligible work experience at TEER levels 0, 1, 2, or 3. As you can see from the table above, the eligible occupations all fall under TEER levels 2 and 3, so your work experience is likely to count towards your eligibility for FSW and CEC.

As a reminder: For the CEC, you need at least one year of eligible skilled work experience in Canada, whereas the FSW allows skilled work experience gained abroad to count.

It’s crucial to confirm that your work experience aligns with one of these programs before entering the pool. Simply having skilled trades experience isn’t enough to qualify for Express Entry unless you meet the criteria of at least one of the programs.

Step 2: Enter Your Profile Into the Express Entry Pool

If you’re eligible, you can submit your candidate profile to the Express Entry pool.

To improve your chances, stay updated on Express Entry Candidate Pool trends to assess your competitiveness. You can find our analysis of the Express Entry pool here.

Step 3: Check Your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score

After submitting your profile, you will receive a CRS score. This score determines your ranking in the Express Entry pool and is based on factors like age, education, work experience, and language ability.

You can also check your CRS points using our comprehensive online CRS points calculator. The benefit of using our tool is that you get a detailed overview of where you get your points, and how your score compares to others in the pool.

Step 4: You will be identified as eligible for a category.

If you meet the qualifying criteria for a trades-focused draw, your profile will be flagged as eligible for a trades-specific category-based Express Entry draw.

Step 5: Your profile will be ranked.

Your CRS will be ranked alongside other candidates in the pool, both generally and within the trades category.

Step 6: IRCC Completes an Express Entry Draw and Sends Invitations to Apply

Your eligibility for an invitation depends on your CRS score and the cut-off for the draw. If your CRS score meets or exceeds the cut-off, you will receive an invitation to apply.

Trades-specific draws, like general draws, have a CRS cut-off. If your score is below the cut-off, you will need to work on improving your CRS for future draws.

Final Steps: Apply for Permanent Residence

Once invited, you can submit your permanent residence application. If successful, you’ll be on your way to starting a new chapter in Canada. If not, use the time to enhance your profile and increase your CRS score for the next opportunity.

This process ensures that eligible trades workers have a pathway to permanent residence in Canada through Express Entry.

Check Your Eligibility for Express Entry

If you are considering Express Entry as your pathway to Canada, you may wish to know whether you are eligible.

We’ve created a Canadian Immigration Quiz that will help you determine your eligibility for Express Entry, as well as other economic immigration programs.

As a skilled worker with a post-graduate degree and a high English or French proficiency, you may not need to wait for a STEM-specific draw in order to be invited to apply. Your CRS score may be high enough on its own to be invited in an all-program draw. If you would like to see what your CRS score may be, check out our Express Entry CRS Calculator. It will also tell you which Express Entry-managed programs you may be eligible for.

And if you really want to take advantage of all Moving2Canada has to offer, create a free account and get access to exclusive offers and content that will help you on your immigration journey. You’ll even get a checklist of action items to take so that your big move goes as smoothly as possible—as well as access to our newsletter. There’s no obligation, you can unsubscribe at any time.

When you sign up to our newsletter, we notify you whenever there’s an Express Entry draw or any new updates that might affect your immigration experience.

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Express Entry Trades-Specific Draws FAQ

Answers to some frequently asked questions about Trades-Specific draws. 

I have 6+ months of work experience in an eligible occupation. Am I eligible? 

It depends. You must first be eligible for an Express Entry-managed program: 

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) 

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC) 

• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) 

You can check your eligibility using our CRS calculator.

For any of these programs, you will need 1-2 years of eligible work experience, but not necessarily in an eligible trades program. So the work experience requirements are two different requirements:  

1. You must meet the work experience requirement for one of the three Express Entry managed-programs; AND 
2. You must have 6+ months experience in an eligible trades occupation. 

But, your work experience for the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canadian Experience Class eligibility does not need to be in the same job as your work experience to qualify for the trades category.  

Here’s what that could look like:  

1. You come to Canada to work as a manager at a restaurant at a ski hill for one year, then 
2. You work as a carpenter for 6 months in Canada.  

Or 

1. You work for 3 years as an electrician in your home country, then 
2. You work in Canada as a baker (NOC TEER 3) for more than one year while you wait to become certified in British Columbia as an electrician.  

In this case, you’re able to meet the CEC criteria with your work as a baker in Canada and the trades category-based criteria through your work experience in your home country.  

Does it matter whether I completed my work experience in Canada or elsewhere? 

Yes, it matters for some programs. 

For the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) or the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), your work experience can be from Canada or another country, as long as it meets all eligibility criteria (e.g., the correct NOC code, paid, continuous, etc.). 

For the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), your skilled work experience must have been gained in Canada. 

It does not matter if your 6 months of eligible trades experience was in Canada or abroad for the category-based draw eligibility.  

Does my primary occupation need to be in a trades occupation to be selected in a trades draw? 

No. You don’t need your primary occupation to be in a trades occupation to be selected. You simply need at least six months of work experience in the last three years in an eligible skilled trade. 

When will I receive an ITA for a trades-specific draw? 

This is up to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

Canada holds Express Entry draws regularly, which could be all-program draws, program-specific draws, or category-based draws like trades-specific draws. 

Trades workers with competitive scores are likely to be invited within 12 months of entering the pool. If your CRS score is low, you might consider a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which can add 600 points to your CRS score and virtually guarantee an ITA. 

Stay updated on the latest Express Entry and PNP draws through our Canada PNP Live Tracker or by subscribing to our newsletter. 

Will trades-specific Express Entry draws stop? 

This depends on IRCC’s policies, but the Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027 suggested that trades draws will continue through to at least November 2025. That being said, the document is a plan – not a promise – and IRCC’s processing priorities can change at any time.  

If I have a trades occupation, does my CRS score still matter? 

Yes. Your CRS score always matters. However, trades-specific draws often have a lower CRS cut-off compared to general draws. For instance, trades draws in 2024 had a CRS cut off in the 430-440 range, while the CEC CRS cut-off was higher than 510 for most draws in 2024.  

How often will IRCC hold trades-specific draws? 

There is no set schedule for trades-specific draws. IRCC may prioritize these draws based on labour market needs, which could mean they occur irregularly. In 2024, they occurred around every six months.  

Staying in the pool ensures you’re eligible whenever a draw occurs. You can sign up for our Express Entry newsletter via your free account to receive information about draws as they happen.  

My spouse qualifies for a trades-specific draw. Can my profile receive the ITA? 

No. To receive an ITA in a trades-specific draw, the principal applicant must meet the eligibility criteria. If your spouse qualifies, they should create their own Express Entry profile and list themselves as the principal applicant.