Foreign-trained school teachers, early childhood educators, and other professionals are eligible for Express Entry’s new education category. This category offers foreign nationals a new pathway to Canadian permanent residence.
On February 27, 2025, IRCC added a new category under the Express Entry system for education professions. Moreover, the department also identified as a priority category for invitations to apply for PR for 2025.
Category-based draws have featured the lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-off of any draw types in the Express Entry system, since their introduction in 2023.
Which Professions Are Part Of The Education Category?
In order to be eligible for Express Entry’s new education category, you must first know which professions are a part of it.
Professions in Canada are organized according to the nation’s National Occupation Classification (NOC), which is used to categorize and describe professions by industry and sector.
Moreover, part of the NOC system is the Training Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) ranking, which assigns professions a ranking based on the training, education, and experience required to perform that profession’s responsibilities. Within this classification, TEER 0 professions require the highest amount of training, education, and experience, while TEER 5 professions require the least.
The following table breaks down the professions included in the new education category, including job titles, TEER levels, and NOC codes.
| 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 Can I Determine If My Work Experience Is Eligible For The Education Category?
In addition to maintaining a valid Express Entry profile, to be considered as part of the education category, foreign nationals must have accumulated six months of full-time work experience within the last three years in a single category-eligible profession.
In order to know if you are eligible for Express Entry’s new education category, you will need to determine if the NOC that best describes your work experience falls under one of the eligible education professions.
How Do I Determine The NOC Code And Job Title Associated With My Work Experience?
Finding the right NOC code for your work experience can be challenging because of the vastness of the NOC system. However, the Government of Canada offers resources that can simplify the process.
In order to find the NOC code and occupation title that aligns with your work experience, IRCC recommends the following steps:
1. Scroll to the table at the bottom of the NOC page and type the job title of your work experience into the ‘Filter items’ field at the top of the table.
2. If the exact job title is not available, try entering a close match (for instance, instead of entering ‘speech coach,’ try ‘speech pathologist’).
3. Copy the TEER number and NOC code number from the result that most closely matches your profession.
4. In order to confirm this is the correct code, visit Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) webpage, click on the ‘Search by NOC code’ tab, and enter the NOC code you copied into the search bar. Moreover, review the information for the corresponding profession.
- Pay particular attention to the ‘main duties’ section. Also, ensure the duties listed match closely with the responsibilities of your work experience.
5. If these duties align, you have likely found the correct NOC that describes your work experience.
- From here, you can check to see whether this NOC code and profession title are among the listed professions eligible for Express Entry’s new education category. If the profession is listed, you are likely eligible for the education category.
6. If the duties do not align, return to step 1 and try again with a different job title.
The table below lists example (alternate) job titles of all eligible professions within the education category:
| NOC Occupation Title | Example Job Titles |
| Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Assistants |
|
| Instructors of Persons With Disabilities |
|
| Early Childhood Educators and Assistants |
|
| Elementary School and Kindergarten Teachers |
|
| Secondary School Teachers |
|
How Do Education Category-Based Draws Work?
Canada’s Express Entry system manages three immigration programs:
- The Canadian Experience Class
- The Federal Skilled Trades Program
- And lastly, the Federal Skilled Worker Program
You have to meet the eligibility criteria of at least one of these programs to submit an Express Entry applicant profile. Also, as part of your profile submission, you will be given a CRS score based on information entered in your profile.
Furthermore, Express Entry draws take place roughly bi-weekly and invite applicants who meet the CRS score cut-off and eligibility criteria for that draw to apply for PR. Draws can be:
- Program-Specific
- General
- Category-Based
- Provincial Nominee Program
In addition, category-based draws consider all applicants in the Express Entry pool who meet the job experience requirements in an eligible profession and the instructions for that specific draw. Due to the smaller pool of applicants they choose from, these draws often feature lower CRS cut-off scores than other draw types.
Regardless of the draw type, applicants with the highest CRS score stand the best chance of obtaining an ITA for PR.
Moreover, applicants who want to be considered for category-based draws must first enter an eligible Express Entry profile under one of the three Express Entry-managed programs. When submitting their profile, applicants should also include relevant work experience under a category-eligible occupation in their profile, if applicable.
If the profile is accepted, the applicant has entered the pool. Applicants in the Express Entry pool are considered for all draw types that they are eligible for, implying that should an applicant in the education category be eligible for more than one Express Entry category or program, they might obtain an ITA through other draws that they can be considered under.
Moreover, once a relevant draw is held, applicants might obtain an ITA provided they:
- Have a high enough CRS score to meet the cut-off
- Created an Express Entry profile before the tie-breaking rule cut-off time
- And lastly, meet all conditions of the draw
If an ITA is obtained, applicants have 60 days to submit a complete application for PR to IRCC.
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