Express Entry in 2026: the ten categories, and why general draws stopped
Category-based selection now decides almost every Express Entry invitation. The ten 2026 categories, the twelve-month rule, and real cut-offs.
If you have been sitting in the Express Entry pool waiting for a general draw, it is worth knowing that there have not been any. Through 2026, essentially every invitation has come through a category-based round or a programme-specific one. The strategy that worked in 2022 — accumulate points, wait your turn — does not describe how the system now operates.
Here is what actually decides invitations in 2026.
What category-based selection is
Rather than inviting the highest-scoring candidates regardless of background, IRCC runs rounds restricted to people who meet a defined category — a language, or a group of occupations. Within a category, the highest scores are still invited first, but you are only competing against others in that category rather than the whole pool.
The practical effect is that a candidate with a modest score can be invited well ahead of someone scoring much higher, if the modest scorer happens to be in a small category. It also means the single most useful question is no longer "what is my score" but "which category am I in, and how many people are competing in it".
The ten categories for 2026
IRCC announced the 2026 categories on 18 February 2026. Two things changed from 2025: the minimum work experience for the occupational categories rose from six months to twelve, and the mix of categories shifted significantly.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| French-language proficiency | NCLC 7 in all four abilities. The largest by volume. |
| Healthcare and social services | The broadest occupational list — 37 occupations. |
| Trade | Construction, electrical, mechanical and related occupations. |
| Education | Teachers, early childhood educators, teaching assistants. |
| STEM | Narrowed sharply for 2026 to a short engineering, cybersecurity and technologist list. |
| Transport | Reinstated for 2026 after being dropped in 2025. |
| Physicians (Canadian experience) | New. Twelve months of the relevant work inside Canada. |
| Senior managers (Canadian experience) | New. Same twelve-month in-Canada requirement. |
| Researchers (Canadian experience) | New. Same twelve-month in-Canada requirement. |
| Skilled military recruits | Experienced foreign military personnel with a Canadian Armed Forces offer. |
Agriculture and agri-food was retired for 2026. If you were building toward it, that route through Express Entry is gone.
What the numbers actually look like
The pattern through 2026 has been clusters of draws over consecutive days rather than tidy fortnightly rounds. Broadly:
- Canadian Experience Class rounds have held around 516.
- Provincial nominee rounds land in the 700s, because the nomination itself is worth 600 points.
- French-language rounds have run in the 390s to low 420s, with roughly 5,000 invitations at a time.
- The small new categories clear at much lower scores, simply because few people qualify.
Look at the gap between the Canadian Experience Class figure and the French-language figure. That is not a marginal advantage. A candidate at 420 with NCLC 7 French is being invited while a candidate at 500 without it waits — and 500 is a strong score.
The change most people still have not absorbed
On 25 March 2025, IRCC removed arranged-employment points from the Comprehensive Ranking System. A job offer no longer adds 50 points, or 200 for senior management. The change applied to candidates already in the pool, not just new profiles.
IRCC has described the removal as temporary and is consulting on replacing it with points tied to high Canadian wages — somewhere around 1.3, 1.5 or 2 times the national median. Nothing has been enacted, and a consultation document is not a rule. Building a plan on one would be unwise.
A job offer still matters, just differently: up to 10 points on the separate Federal Skilled Worker selection grid, a requirement for Federal Skilled Trades without a certificate of qualification, an exemption from proof of funds, and — most importantly — the thing that makes you eligible for most employer-driven provincial streams, where a nomination is worth 600 points.
What this means for your strategy
Work out your category first, then your score. Moving into a category can matter more than adding thirty points. If your occupation sits near a category boundary, the NOC classification on your experience letters deserves careful attention — and it needs to be accurate, not optimistic.
Take French seriously if it is remotely realistic. NCLC 7 adds 25 or 50 CRS points on its own, opens the largest category by volume at far lower cut-offs, unlocks the LMIA-exempt Francophone Mobility work permit at NCLC 5, and opens the FCIP pilot. Canada's levels plan targets 9% Francophone admissions outside Quebec in 2026, rising to 10.5% by 2028. Every incentive in the system points the same way.
If you are not in a category, look provincially. With no general draws, a candidate in the 400s without a category is waiting for something that is not scheduled. A provincial nomination is the realistic route, and provinces increasingly favour people already living and working there.
The practical details that still catch people
- Settlement funds start at $15,263 for a single applicant. Canadian Experience Class candidates are exempt.
- A profile expires after 12 months in the pool.
- You have 60 days from an invitation to submit a complete application — not 90.
- Government fees rose on 30 April 2026: $990 processing plus a $600 right of permanent residence fee, so $1,590 per adult.
- Language results must be under two years old at profile submission and again at application.
- The maximum CRS without a provincial nomination is 695 in a best case. With one, you reach the 1,200 cap.
Where to start
The most useful half hour you can spend is not on a points calculator. It is working out which of the ten categories you can credibly enter, what it would take to get there, and whether a provincial route would be faster than either. That is what a consultation is for — and sometimes the honest answer is that the work to do first is a language test, not an application.
Book an appointment with our licensed RCIC team in Abbotsford.