Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced the changes in a speech at the Canadian Club Toronto on Feb. 18, calling it part of a broader push to match immigration with the country’s most urgent labor gaps. The announcement signals a shift toward what officials describe as “precision talent targeting,” selecting immigrants based on specific skills Canada needs rather than general ranking scores alone, according to the official government announcement.
“Canada’s future depends on a workforce capable of weathering economic disruptions,” Diab said in her speech.
The first new category targets foreign medical doctors with Canadian work experience, a group first singled out in December 2025, with the inaugural draw taking place in February 2026. The second and third categories cover researchers, including university professors and post-secondary research assistants, and senior managers in sectors like finance, healthcare, education, construction and transportation, both of which also require Canadian work experience. The fourth focuses on transport occupations such as pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors. The fifth targets highly skilled foreign military recruits with a job offer from the Canadian Armed Forces, according to IRCC.
Military applicants face the steepest requirements: at least 10 years of continuous service in a recognized foreign military, a job offer of at least three years from the Canadian Armed Forces, and a post-secondary credential of at least two years, according to CIC News.
All five categories require at least 12 months of full-time work experience within the past three years. The experience does not need to be continuous, according to CIC News.
Canada is also keeping five categories from previous years: French-language proficiency roles, healthcare and social services, education, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and skilled trades.
But there’s a catch. The minimum work experience for these continuing categories has doubled from six months to one year, gained in Canada or abroad within the past three years, according to Fragomen. Immigration analysts say this change alone could knock thousands of candidates out of eligibility, particularly international students who recently entered the workforce, according to immigration consultants SAAB Immigration.
The agriculture and agri-food category has been retired for 2026, according to CIC News. Cooks and chefs have also been removed from the skilled trades list.
How express entry works
Launched in January 2015, Express Entry is Canada’s main system for processing permanent residence applications for skilled workers. It manages three federal programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) for candidates already working in Canada, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) for those with skilled work experience gained abroad or in Canada, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) for tradespeople.
Candidates are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which scores applicants on factors like education, language ability, work experience and age, up to a maximum of 1,200 points. Those who score above the cutoff in a given draw receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Since 2023, Canada has also conducted category-based draws that target candidates with specific skills regardless of whether they have the highest CRS scores. These targeted draws now account for over half of all invitations issued.
Candidates nominated by a province through Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) receive 600 bonus CRS points, which virtually guarantees an invitation.
In 2025, Canada issued 113,998 invitations to apply across 58 Express Entry draws, 15,195 more than the previous year, as reported by CIC News. More than half of those invitations came through category-based selection. The first draw of 2026 took place on Jan. 5, with 574 candidates invited under the Provincial Nominee Program.
As of mid-February, IRCC had already issued over 26,000 invitations across 10 draws, according to Moving2Canada.
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