Express Entry 2026: A Sharper, More Targeted System

The Minister of Immigration announced that Express Entry will be “sharpened” for 2026, with category-based selection remaining central to how Canada targets skills and experience in priority areas.

This is not a minor adjustment. It is a structural change to eligibility thresholds, category design, and the types of profiles Express Entry is meant to prioritize.

Here is what changed.

Across most occupational categories, eligibility has been tightened:

• The minimum work experience requirement increases from 6 months to 12 months within the past 3 years
• Work experience no longer needs to be continuous
• Experience must still be in one eligible occupation, even if it is not the candidate’s primary occupation

This shift applies to healthcare and social services, trades, education, STEM, transport occupations, and the new categories for senior managers and researchers with Canadian work experience. The Skilled Military Recruits category operates under a separate framework.

Practically speaking, it will be harder to qualify quickly. At the same time, removing the continuity requirement provides some flexibility for candidates whose work history is not perfectly linear.

Express Entry will continue to hold category-based draws for:

• Healthcare and social services
• Trades
• Education
• STEM
• French-language proficiency

The framework remains. The threshold has changed.

The Trades category reflects deliberate tightening:

• Butchers – retail and wholesale (63201) now appear under Trades
• Cooks (63200) no longer appear under Trades

The removal of Cooks was widely expected. Pool data has consistently shown Cooks as one of the highest-volume occupations. There was also a noticeable increase in NOC switching after it was added in 2025.

The dedicated Express Entry category for foreign medical doctors with Canadian work experience remains in place.

This pathway is clearly positioned as a retention tool to keep physicians in Canada and support access to care.

Four new categories were introduced:

Including pilots and aircraft-related mechanics and inspectors, identified as critical to supply chains and economic resilience.

A retention pathway for senior leadership roles with Canadian experience.

A pathway for university professors and post-secondary teaching and research assistants, aligned with innovation priorities.

A highly specific category for skilled foreign military applicants with a job offer from the Canadian Armed Forces, tied to defence and sovereignty objectives.

The discussion after the Minister's announcement reinforced two themes:

• A clear emphasis on restoring public confidence and keeping selection focused
• A broader integrity lens across programs, including acknowledgment that some pathways will be tightened and refocused

That same logic is now visible in how Express Entry categories are structured.

This Express Entry update fits within a broader message: restore balance, reduce pressures, and rebuild trust, while still attracting the talent Canada needs.

The practical takeaway is straightforward. Express Entry is increasingly being used as a precision instrument: higher thresholds, tighter category design, and closer alignment with sectors identified as strategically important.

The real test, however, is not only who receives an invitation. It is what happens after permanent residence is granted. Do category-based invitees continue working in the occupation that justified their selection? If not, why? Are labour market conditions, credential recognition barriers, regional mobility, or employer demand shaping those outcomes?

This is a comprehensive and important question, but not one I will try to answer here.

For now, the policy direction is clear: Express Entry is being refined to prioritize fewer pathways, clearer signals, and tighter alignment with defined national priorities.