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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