Express Entry getting an overhaul

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the 2026 Express Entry category list on February 18, 2026, via a statement from Minister Lena Metlege Diab under the government’s International Talent Attraction Strategy. The 2026 priority categories explicitly name medical doctors, researchers, senior managers, transport occupations and select military recruits, while retaining draws for French‑language candidates, health care, STEM, trades and education. IRCC removed the bonus Comprehensive Ranking System points previously awarded for arranged employment effective March 25, 2025 — points that had been worth 50 or 200 CRS for qualifying job offers. IRCC’s 2026–27 Departmental Plan, published March 13, 2026, states the department is “developing a broader suite of reforms to Express Entry,” including adding points for job offers and Canadian work experience in high‑wage occupations and considering rewards for certification in regulated occupations. The Departmental Plan sets the 2026 permanent resident target at 380,000 and projects increasing the share of economic migrants from 59% to 64% by 2027, signaling resource and priority shifts toward economic selection. IRCC and sector analysts flagged that reintroducing job‑offer points targeted at high‑wage or regulated roles would restore significant employer leverage in corporate talent‑acquisition and could alter how employers prioritize LMIA‑backed hiring or in‑house certification support. When IRCC removed arranged‑employment points in March 2025 it told candidates their revised CRS scores might take “a few days” to update and asked applicants not to contact the department unless scores remained incorrect after one week.