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A quiet change has reshaped Express Entry’s skilled trades category

Release Date
2026-03-03
Media
CIC News
Summary
Canada has significantly revised the Express Entry trade occupations category, which has been designated a priority for permanent residence selection in 2026. On February 18, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) removed Cooks from the trade category, a change expected to substantially alter both the pool of invited candidates and the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores in future trade draws.

Data previously released by IRCC showed that if 2,000 invitations had been issued in a trade draw in early 2025, more than half would have gone to cooks, while only 401 would have been distributed across 20 hands-on construction trades combined. Cooks also had a higher median CRS score (419) compared to other trade occupations (399). As a result, earlier trade draws disproportionately favored food service workers rather than construction trades, despite the government’s stated goal of addressing housing shortages.

This imbalance may explain why IRCC conducted only one small trade draw in 2025, issuing 1,250 invitations—far fewer than in 2024. Alongside the removal of cooks and chefs, butchers were added to the category. The government also identified healthcare and social services, French language proficiency, and other new categories as priorities for 2026.

Additionally, the work experience requirement for category-based draws was modified from six months of continuous experience to 12 months within the past three years, potentially benefiting construction workers whose employment is often intermittent. As of now, no trade occupation draw has been held in 2026.
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Canada

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