In February 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced updated and new category-based selection streams under Express Entry for 2026.

These changes are designed to target professionals with strong Canadian ties and experience in priority sectors. The changes are also meant to reflect IRCC’s shift from volume-driven growth to targeted economic immigration aligned with labour shortages and capacity constraints.

Below is an overview of the update.

New categories for 2026

IRCC has introduced five new occupation focused categories:

  1. Medical doctors with Canadian work experience

    Physicians who have already gained professional experience in Canada will now have a dedicated pathway under category-based selection. This reflects ongoing physician shortages across provinces.

  2. Researchers with Canadian work experience

    Researchers contributing to Canadian academic, scientific, and innovation sectors will be prioritized, reinforcing Canada’s focus on knowledge economy growth.

  3. Senior managers with Canadian work experience

    Senior executives who have already worked in Canada will have an opportunity to be selected under a dedicated stream. This is particularly relevant for multinational organizations transferring high level leadership talent.

  4. Transport occupations

    Workers in key transport roles will be targeted to address supply chain and logistics pressures nationwide.

  5. Skilled military recruits with a Canadian Armed Forces job offer

    6. Candidates who have secured a job offer from the Canadian Armed Forces may now be eligible under a specific category, supporting recruitment and operational readiness.

Renewed categories for 2026

Existing priority categories will continue, with updated eligibility criteria:

  • French language proficiency
  • Healthcare and social services occupations
  • Education occupations
  • Science, technology, engineering, and math occupations
  • Trade occupations

These sectors remain central to Canada’s economic and demographic strategy.

Important change: Increased work experience requirement

For all renewed categories, the minimum work experience requirement has increased from six months to one year.

Candidates must now demonstrate at least one year of eligible work experience, gained either in Canada or abroad, within the previous three years.

This adjustment signals a shift toward selecting candidates with more substantial, recent experience, with the objective of improving long term economic integration and professional success in Canada.

What this means for employers and candidates

  • For employers:

    The changes provide a greater opportunity to support permanent residence for experienced senior managers, researchers, and physicians already working in Canada. The revised experience requirements can be used to strategically apply for permanent residence and help with workforce planning.

  • For foreign nationals:

    • Canadian work experience continues to be a key advantage in the permanent residence process. Candidates in renewed categories must carefully track eligible work periods to meet the new one-year requirement. Those in senior leadership or research roles may now have enhanced selection opportunities.

How Gowling WLG can help

These changes further emphasize Canada’s preference for candidates with demonstrated Canadian labour market integration, particularly in high impact and shortage sectors. Employers with international talent should review their workforce pipeline and consider proactive permanent residence planning.

If you would like to assess how these changes affect your organization or specific employees, our Business Immigration team would be pleased to assist.