Will High-Wage Occupation Points Impact Category-Based Express Entry Draws?

Canada’s new Express Entry points update could change the competition in category-based draws, giving some candidates an advantage over others who qualify for the same category.

While the changes apply across Express Entry, they could impact candidates targeting category-based draws, including those for health care workers, skilled tradespeople, and even French speakers.

Key Takeaways

• New high-wage occupation points could change candidate rankings and CRS cut-offs in category-based Express Entry draws.
• Every occupation-based Express Entry category includes at least one occupation eligible for the new high-wage points.
• Candidates with qualifying Canadian work experience or job offers could gain an advantage over others within the same category.
• The impact on CRS cut-offs remains uncertain and will depend on how many candidates qualify for additional points.

How Will High-Wage Occupation Points Affect Category-Based Express Entry Draws?

Category-based Express Entry draws allow IRCC to invite candidates who have work experience in an eligible occupation or demonstrate French-language proficiency.

These draws often have lower CRS cut-offs than Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws because only candidates who qualify for the selected category are considered.

However, candidates are still ranked according to their CRS scores.

The introduction of high-wage occupation points could significantly impact the CRS scores of some candidates in the pool. Candidates with qualifying Canadian work experience in high-wage occupations can receive between 20 and 70 additional CRS points. Those with qualifying high-wage job offers can receive 50 to 100 points. Candidates eligible under both options will be eligible for whichever option provides more points (but not both).

This could give some candidates an advantage over others within the same category.

To clarify, the new points will not change who qualifies for category-based selection. The chosen categories for 2026 remain the same and the minimum eligibility requirements have not changed. However, the points readjustment will likely lead to changes in candidate ranking and make some profiles in the pool more competitive.

For example, two health care category candidates might each have a CRS score of 450. A registered nurse with a qualifying job offer from Canadian employer would now gain 70 extra points, bringing their score to 520, while another health care worker who does not qualify for high-wage points would remain at 450.

Does that mean CRS cut-offs for category-based draws will change? Probably, particularly in categories where a significant proportion of eligible candidates qualify for high-wage points.

Every occupation-based Express Entry category has at least one occupation that also appears on IRCC’s high-wage list. This means the new points could affect candidate rankings across all occupation-based categories.

French-language proficiency is the only category not tied to a specific list of occupations. As a result, it is harder to predict whether French-language draw cut-offs will change significantly, as this will depend on how many French-speaking candidates qualify for the new points.

Which Category-Based Express Entry Occupations Qualify for High-Wage Points?

IRCC has published a list of 186 occupations eligible for the new high-wage points.

Occupations are classified according to their median wage relative to the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.

There are three thresholds:

• 2x median wage: The occupation’s median wage is at least twice the national average median wage.
• 1.5x median wage: The occupation’s median wage is at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the national median wage.
• 1.3x median wage: The occupation’s median wage is at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the national median wage.

Importantly, these classifications are based on the median wage for an occupation, not the salary an individual candidate earns.

The tables below identify occupations that appear on both IRCC’s category-based selection lists and its new high-wage occupation list.

Health Care and Social Services Category

The health care and social services category includes several occupations that qualify for high-wage points, although the wage thresholds vary considerably.

In fact, of the 37 occupations eligible for health care and social services category-based draws, 22 (approximately 59%) also qualify for high-wage occupation points.

Six occupations qualify for the highest wage threshold of 2 times the national median wage, including physicians, veterinarians, and nurse practitioners. Candidates in these occupations could receive up to 70 additional points for 12-months of high-wage Canadian work experience (plus regular points for Canadian work experience) or 100 points for a qualifying job offer.

Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category

All three occupations under the Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category — specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine, specialists in surgery, and general practitioners and family physicians —qualify as high-wage occupations. The median wage for all three is 2x the national average.

Since the category specifically requires at least 12 months of Canadian experience, all eligible candidates will qualify for 70 additional CRS points under the new high-wage occupation rules. These points are awarded on top of their regular Canadian work experience points, bringing the total to 110 points for candidates with one year of eligible experience.

Does this mean cut-offs for Physician draws will increase? Possibly. It’s hard to predict whether there will even be any more physician draws this year, but since all eligible candidates will see an increase in their CRS score, the CRS cut-off might increase if a draw happens.

However, since all eligible candidates will get a CRS advantage due to their high-wage occupation experience, the cut-off changes may not have any real impact.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Category

Of the 11 occupations eligible for STEM category-based draws, eight also qualify for high-wage occupation points.

While some candidates could see their CRS scores increase, others may see no change. The impact on CRS cut-offs will also depend on how many invitations IRCC issues in future French-language draws.

Ultimately, we will have to wait until draws resume under the new system to see how category-based CRS cut-offs are affected.