Canada Immigration Express Entry 2026: Three New Categories Announced
By Anne Lui, founder and principal consultant of Hopeway Immigration
On February 18, 2026, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), announced major changes to the special categories under the Express Entry system.
New Immigration Express Entry Categories
To attract and retain high skilled workers in Canada, the following three new occupational categories will be introduced under the Express Entry system:
- Researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience
- Candidates with work experience in transport occupations, e.g. pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors
- Highly skilled foreign military applicants recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces in key roles e.g. military doctors, nurses and pilots
Major Changes to Qualifying Experience
Across most occupational categories, the qualifying work experience has changed from 6 months in the past 3 years to 12 months. This work experience can be gained either in Canada or abroad, but must be in the same occupation and does not need to be continuous. So, it will be more difficult for candidates to become eligible for a category in a short time.
Headsup
Also, the first round of invitations for foreign doctors with Canadian work experience will take place in the coming days. This new category, foreign medical doctors with Canadian work experience, was announced at the end of 2025 to fill the labour shortage of medical doctors with foreign doctors already working in Canada.
Last but not the least, IRCC will continue to hold draws and issue invitations to the following categories:
- French proficiency
- Health care and social services, such as nurse practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and chiropractors
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and machinists
- The Minister also put emphasis on the STEM categories mentioning engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and those working in artificial intelligence as people driving innovation and technologies.
Action Now
If you work in the professions stated above, you should get ready and submit your Express Entry profile now because the Express Entry cut-off score is on a downward trend. Based on IRCC’s data, after the large draw of 6000 ITAs on February 17, 2026, there are now only around 10,000 candidates in the pool with 501 points or above.
However, this window of opportunity when you may get an ITA with a relatively lower CRS score will not remain open forever. If you look at the past few weeks’ data, just in the 10 days between February 6 and February 15, the number of candidates between 501-600 points grew by more than 1,600. The movements in the pool show that people have noticed this. Those who were not confident previously with their low CRS score have started joining the pool.
Choosing the correct immigration stream and NOC code when submitting your Express Entry profile is essential. A mistake at this stage could jeopardize your Invitation to Apply (ITA) and delay your immigration goals. Protect your application by seeking guidance from a qualified professional.
Hopeway Immigration’s licensed Canadian immigration consultant is ready to support you every step of the way. Book a consultation at https://hopewayimmigration.com/immigration-consultation/ or call 437-430-1230 for inquiries.
