What I Tell Clients Who Are Relying on a Category-Based Express Entry Draw

Given the lack of all program or general draws, qualifying for a category-based draw is particularly important if you do not qualify for the Canadian Experience Class. Category-based draws can invite candidates through the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program, as well as the Canadian Experience Class. So, for candidates outside Canada or those without enough Canadian work experience for CEC, being eligible for a category can provide another potential route to an ITA. 

But one thing I regularly have to explain in consultations is this: Being eligible for a category does not mean IRCC will necessarily select that category, and it does not mean you will receive an invitation. 

If your Express Entry strategy depends heavily on a category-based draw, these are the things I think you need to understand. 

1. Being Eligible for a Category Does Not Mean IRCC Will Draw That Category

The first distinction is between a category existing and IRCC actually conducting a draw for it. 

IRCC currently has categories for French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, physicians with Canadian work experience, senior managers with Canadian work experience, researchers with Canadian work experience and skilled military recruits. 

But IRCC does not have to conduct the same number of draws for every category. 

STEM is a good example. STEM remains an Express Entry category in 2026. That sounds promising if you work in one of the eligible occupations. But the existence of the category itself should not be interpreted as confirmation that a STEM draw is coming soon. After all, it has been a category since 2023, but we have not seen a STEM draw since 2024. 

IRCC specifically says that category-based rounds supplement other types of Express Entry draws and that it may not need to conduct a category-based round if enough candidates from that category are already being invited through other rounds. 

So when I am assessing someone’s chances, I would never base the entire strategy on: 

“My occupation is on the list, therefore there should eventually be a draw for me.” 

There might be. But some category-based draws have been very infrequent, while others have not happened at all for long periods. 

If your category has seen few or no draws, I would not recommend simply holding out and hoping one eventually happens. Instead, I would look at what else you can do to improve your chances, whether that means increasing your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, becoming eligible for CEC, exploring a PNP, or looking at another immigration pathway. 

2. Do Not Assume a Category Draw Will Select Low CRS Scores

The second assumption I sometimes see is that qualifying for a category means your CRS score becomes almost irrelevant. It doesn’t. 

IRCC first identifies candidates who meet the category requirements and then ranks those candidates using their CRS scores. The highest-ranking eligible candidates receive invitations. 

Category-based draws can certainly have lower CRS cut-offs than CEC draws. 

For example, on September 4, 2026, a healthcare and social services draw invited 3,500 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 475. By comparison, recent CEC draws have had CRS cut-offs above 515. 

French-language draws are an even more dramatic example – an August 19, 2026 French-language draw had a CRS cut-off of 382. 

There have even been instances where a category-based draw had a cut-off low enough to empty the pool of eligible candidates. For instance, the first draw for Physicians with Canadian experience in 2026 had a cut-off score of 169. 

But you should be careful about assuming that the next draw in your particular category will suddenly fall significantly below previous results. 

The CRS cut-off depends on factors including: 

• how many candidates are eligible for that category 

• their CRS scores 

• how many invitations IRCC decides to issue 

• how often IRCC conducts draws in that category 

I would therefore look at the historic range for your category to anticipate a competitive CRS score, rather than simply assuming that being category-eligible will eventually compensate for a lower CRS score. 

3. Category-Based Draws May Be Much Less Frequent Than CEC Draws

Frequency of category-based draws also needs to be considered. Someone waiting for a CEC or PNP draw may see several opportunities over a relatively short period. 

Someone waiting for one particular occupational category may have far fewer. 

Healthcare is a useful example. We have only seen 3 draws this year targeting Healthcare workers. With the last one being held on September 4, it could be months before we see another. 

This matters particularly if your work permit is expiring or your circumstances are going to change. 

If your strategy is: 

“I’ll wait for the next education/STEM/trades/transport draw” 

I would immediately ask: What happens if that draw doesn’t in the time frame you need it?  

That does not mean you should disregard category-based selection. It means your immigration plan should ideally have another option alongside it, if there is any doubt about draw timing. 

That might be improving your CRS score, becoming eligible for CEC, exploring a Provincial Nominee Program, improving your French, or exploring temporary ways you can extend your stay if you are already in Canada.  

4. Categories Can Change

Category-based selection was designed to allow IRCC to respond to particular economic and labour market priorities. That also means the categories are not set in stone indefinitely.  

Some categories have been around since category-based selection began. Others have been added, removed, or significantly changed. 

STEM is a good example. We have also seen significant changes to STEM. The category has remained, but many of the IT occupations that were originally associated with STEM were removed when IRCC revised the eligible occupation list. The 2025 STEM list, for example, was much narrower and focused primarily on engineering occupations, engineering technologists and technicians, architecture and science managers, and cybersecurity specialists. 

So simply saying, “STEM is still an Express Entry category”, does not tell you whether your STEM occupation is still eligible. 

This is why I would be cautious about building a long-term immigration strategy around your occupation being included in a category. 

You need to keep checking two things: 

• whether the category itself still exists 

• whether your specific NOC code is still included  

Your occupation being eligible today does not guarantee that it will still be eligible when the next draw happens. 

5. Make Sure You Actually Understand the Eligibility Window

This one became particularly important in 2026. 

For all occupational categories, IRCC increased the work experience requirement from six months to 12 months of full-time work experience, or an equivalent amount of part-time experience, within the previous three years. 

For example, to qualify for the STEM category, you currently need at least 12 months of eligible experience within the last three years in a single occupation included in the STEM list. The experience can be in Canada or abroad and does not need to be continuous. 

In addition to the increase in work needed, the three-year window matters. It means someone who was eligible for a category when they first created their Express Entry profile may not necessarily remain eligible indefinitely. 

Your qualifying experience can effectively begin to “age out”. 

If you are relying on category-based selection, I would therefore want you to know: 

• exactly which NOC makes you eligible 

• the dates you worked in that occupation 

• when you reached the required 12 months 

• when any of that experience will fall outside the three-year window  

Do not simply look at the category list once and assume you remain eligible.  

I am a big fan of category-based selection, if used by both IRCC and the applicant correctly. 

With the lack of general or all program draws, for some Express Entry candidates, it can be the difference between having very little prospect of an invitation and suddenly becoming competitive.   

But there is an important distinction between saying: “I am eligible for a category and that improves my chances, but I am still going to make sure I max out my CRS score” and “My  plan is to wait until IRCC conducts a draw for my category.” This gives you very little control or agency in your application.   

If I were reviewing your Express Entry options in a consultation, I would want to look at the bigger picture, your current CRS score, which Express Entry program you qualify under, your category eligibility, how long that eligibility will last and what you can realistically do to improve your position while you wait. 

Category-based selection can be an excellent opportunity when utilized correctly. But I would be cautious about making it your only plan, based purely on the fact that you are eligible for a category.  

Express Entry categories, eligible occupations and selection criteria can change. Always check the latest IRCC requirements before relying on a category as part of your immigration strategy. This article provides general information only and should not be treated as a complete assessment of your eligibility or immigration options. For an assessment based on your individual circumstances, you may wish to book an immigration consultation.