BREAKING: Canada will prioritize three new occupational categories for permanent residence through Express Entry
The Canadian federal government will be prioritizing three new occupational categories for permanent residence through the Express Entry System: researchers and senior managers, tranpsort occupations, and foreign military personnel.
Immigration minister Lena Metlege Diab announced the changes in a speech at the Canadian Club in Toronto on 18 February, 2026.
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Diab also announced that the first draw for the physicians with Canadian work experience will take place this week.
Under the Express Entry system, foreign nationals with work experience in category-eligible occupations have a higher chance of being selected for permanent residence.
Since 2023, category-based selection has also been one of the few ways for foreign nationals without Canadian work experience Canada to be invited as permanetn residents to be invited through the Federal Skilled Worker program, since nearly all non-CBS draws have been conducted under the Canadian Experience Class, which requires at least a year of skilled Canadian work experience.
This is a breaking news story. CIC News will update this article as details emerge.
History of category-based selection
IRCC first instituted Express Entry categories in May of 2023, under former Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. At the time, category-based selection launched with six categories:
French-language proficiency;
Healthcare occupations;
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations;
Trades occupations;
Transport occupations; and
Agriculture and agri-food occupations.
The above categories were maintained until February 27, 2025, when IRCC instituted a major overhaul of both current Express Entry categories and the occupations eligible to be selected under them. As part of this change, the immigration department instituted a new category for education occupations, while simultaneously removing the category for transport occupations.
The addition of new eligible occupations also triggered updated iterations of certain categories, which are reflected in Express Entry rounds as “Version 2” of a given category.
This overhaul was followed by the further addition of a new category on December 8, 2025—the “Physicians with Canadian work experience” category, which was introduced as part of a suite of immigration measures to help boost Canada’s supply of doctors.
A summary of Express Entry category-based selections, since its inception, can be found below:
Round type# of draws heldTotal ITAs issued
Agriculture and agri-food occupations (Version 1)31,150
Education occupations (Version 1)23,500
French language proficiency (Version 1)2679,700
French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 218,500
Healthcare and social services occupations (Version 2)714,500
Healthcare occupations (Version 1)615,850
STEM occupations (Version 1)310,900
Trade occupations (Version 1)46,100
Trade occupations (Version 2)11,250
Transport occupations (Version 1)32,645
Total 56144,095
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