Canada has introduced a new list of high-wage occupations that can earn candidates additional points through Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
The Express Entry high-wage occupations list is in effect as of November 3, 2026. It includes occupations across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, technology, engineering, trades, and more.
Candidates who have Canadian work experience in one of these occupations, or who have a qualifying Canadian job offer, may be eligible for additional CRS points through the new Labour Market Integration Factors (LMIF).
There are three levels of high-wage occupations, with different points available for each.
Below, we’ll break down the eligibility requirements and provide the full list of Express Entry high-wage occupations for 2026.
What Are High-Wage Occupations for Express Entry?
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) defines a high-wage occupation as a job where the median wage is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.
High-wage occupations are identified using Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This means that eligibility is determined by the NOC code of your occupation, not your individual job title or salary.
Again, your salary does not determine your eligibility for these points. Your eligibility for points is determined entirely based on the NOC code of your occupation. If your NOC code is on the list of high-wage occupations: you’re eligible. If not: you’re not eligible.
For each occupation, IRCC looks at wage data from the previous three years and assigns the occupation to the highest wage category it qualified for during that period.
The initial high-wage occupations list is based on data from 2023 to 2025.
Express Entry High-Wage Occupations List for 2026
The high-wage occupations list is divided into three categories based on how much the median wage of an occupation exceeds the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.
Each category offers different CRS points depending on whether a candidate has qualifying Canadian work experience or a qualifying Canadian job offer.
| High-wage occupation category | Canadian work experience points | Job offer points |
|---|---|---|
| At least twice the average median wage | 70 | 100 |
| At least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage | 40 | 70 |
| At least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage | 20 | 50 |
The points available for Canadian work experience are awarded in addition to the existing CRS points for the length of a candidate’s Canadian work experience.
However, candidates cannot receive both Canadian work experience points and job offer points under the Labour Market Integration Factors. The CRS system will automatically award whichever option gives the candidate more points.
So, the total points available for Labour Market Integration Factors look like this:
| Labour Market Integration Factors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Score options | Points with a spouse or common-law partner | Points without a spouse or common-law partner |
| Canadian work experience | 140 points: - 70 for work length - 70 for high-wage experience | 150 points: - 80 for work length - 70 for high-wage experience |
| Qualifying job offer | 100 points | 100 points |
| *Can only claim points for work experience OR job offer; NOT both | ||
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High-Wage Occupations: 70 Work Experience Points or 100 Job Offer Points
The following occupations have median wages of at least twice the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.
Candidates with at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in occupations from this category can receive 70 additional CRS points.
Candidates with a qualifying Canadian job offer in one of these occupations can receive 100 CRS points.
NOCs WITH MEDIAN WAGES AT LEAST TWICE THE AVERAGE MEDIAN WAGE
| NOC code | NOC description |
|---|---|
| 00011 | Senior government managers and officials |
| 00012 | Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services |
| 00013 | Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations |
| 10010 | Financial managers |
| 10011 | Human resources managers |
| 10012 | Purchasing managers |
| 10020 | Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers |
| 10021 | Banking, credit and other investment managers |
| 20010 | Engineering managers |
| 20011 | Architecture and science managers |
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers |
| 21330 | Mining engineers |
| 21332 | Petroleum engineers |
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
| 31101 | Specialists in surgery |
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians |
| 31103 | Veterinarians |
| 31302 | Nurse practitioners |
| 31303 | Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals |
| 40010 | Government managers - health and social policy development and program administration |
| 40011 | Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration |
| 40012 | Government managers - education policy development and program administration |
| 40019 | Other managers in public administration |
| 40040 | Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services |
| 40041 | Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers |
| 41100 | Judges |
| 41101 | Lawyers and Quebec notaries |
| 41200 | University professors and lecturers |
| 60010 | Corporate sales managers |
| 80010 | Managers in natural resources production and fishing |
| 90011 | Utilities managers |
High-Wage Occupations: 40 Work Experience Points or 70 Job Offer Points
The following occupations have median wages of at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.
Candidates with at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in eligible high-wage occupations may receive 40 additional CRS points under this category if they do not qualify for the higher 70-point category.
Candidates with a qualifying job offer in one of these occupations can receive 70 CRS points.
NOCs WITH MEDIAN WAGES AT LEAST 1.5 TIMES, BUT LESS THAN TWICE, THE AVERAGE MEDIAN WAGE
| NOC code | NOC description |
|---|---|
| 00014 | Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services |
| 00015 | Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities |
| 10019 | Other administrative services managers |
| 10022 | Advertising, marketing and public relations managers |
| 10029 | Other business services managers |
| 10030 | Telecommunication carriers managers |
| 11103 | Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers |
| 11201 | Professional occupations in business management consulting |
| 21100 | Physicists and astronomers |
| 21102 | Geoscientists and oceanographers |
| 21103 | Meteorologists and climatologists |
| 21109 | Other professional occupations in physical sciences |
| 21111 | Forestry professionals |
| 21120 | Public and environmental health and safety professionals |
| 21202 | Urban and land use planners |
| 21210 | Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
| 21211 | Data scientists |
| 21220 | Cybersecurity specialists |
| 21221 | Business systems specialists |
| 21222 | Information systems specialists |
| 21223 | Database analysts and data administrators |
| 21230 | Computer systems developers and programmers |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers |
| 21300 | Civil engineers |
| 21301 | Mechanical engineers |
| 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers |
| 21311 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
| 21320 | Chemical engineers |
| 21321 | Industrial and manufacturing engineers |
| 21322 | Metallurgical and materials engineers |
| 21331 | Geological engineers |
| 21390 | Aerospace engineers |
| 21399 | Other professional engineers |
| 22231 | Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers |
| 22312 | Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics |
| 30010 | Managers in health care |
| 31110 | Dentists |
| 31112 | Audiologists and speech-language pathologists |
| 31120 | Pharmacists |
| 31200 | Psychologists |
| 31202 | Physiotherapists |
| 31203 | Occupational therapists |
| 31300 | Nursing coordinators and supervisors |
| 31301 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
| 32111 | Dental hygienists and dental therapists |
| 40020 | Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training |
| 40021 | School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education |
| 40030 | Managers in social, community and correctional services |
| 40042 | Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces |
| 41210 | College and other vocational instructors |
| 41220 | Secondary school teachers |
| 41221 | Elementary school and kindergarten teachers |
| 41310 | Police investigators and other investigative occupations |
| 41311 | Probation and parole officers |
| 41320 | Educational counsellors |
| 41401 | Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts |
| 41402 | Business development officers and market researchers and analysts |
| 41404 | Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
| 41407 | Program officers unique to government |
| 42100 | Police officers (except commissioned) |
| 42101 | Firefighters |
| 50010 | Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers |
| 50011 | Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts |
| 51100 | Librarians |
| 70010 | Construction managers |
| 70012 | Facility operation and maintenance managers |
| 70020 | Managers in transportation |
| 70021 | Postal and courier services managers |
| 72011 | Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations |
| 72012 | Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades |
| 72023 | Supervisors, railway transport operations |
| 72103 | Boilermakers |
| 72202 | Power system electricians |
| 72203 | Electrical power line and cable workers |
| 72301 | Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers |
| 72406 | Elevator constructors and mechanics |
| 72600 | Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors |
| 72601 | Air traffic controllers and related occupations |
| 72604 | Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators |
| 73310 | Railway and yard locomotive engineers |
| 82020 | Supervisors, mining and quarrying |
| 82021 | Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services |
| 83101 | Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers |
| 90010 | Manufacturing managers |
| 92011 | Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities |
| 92100 | Power engineers and power systems operators |
| 93100 | Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing |
| 93101 | Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing |
High-Wage Occupations: 20 Work Experience Points or 50 Job Offer Points
The following occupations have median wages of at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage of the Canadian workforce.
Candidates with at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in eligible high-wage occupations may receive 20 additional CRS points under this category if they do not qualify for either of the higher categories.
Candidates with a qualifying job offer in one of these occupations can receive 50 CRS points.
NOCs WITH MEDIAN WAGES AT LEAST 1.3 TIMES, BUT LESS THAN 1.5 TIMES, THE AVERAGE MEDIAN WAGE
| NOC code | NOC description |
|---|---|
| 00010 | Legislators |
| 11100 | Financial auditors and accountants |
| 11101 | Financial and investment analysts |
| 11102 | Financial advisors |
| 11109 | Other financial officers |
| 11200 | Human resources professionals |
| 12201 | Insurance adjusters and claims examiners |
| 12203 | Assessors, business valuators and appraisers |
| 21101 | Chemists |
| 21110 | Biologists and related scientists |
| 21112 | Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists |
| 21200 | Architects |
| 21201 | Landscape architects |
| 21203 | Land surveyors |
| 21234 | Web developers and programmers |
| 22214 | Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology |
| 22232 | Occupational health and safety specialists |
| 22233 | Construction inspectors |
| 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians |
| 22313 | Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors |
| 31121 | Dietitians and nutritionists |
| 32102 | Paramedical occupations |
| 32103 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
| 32120 | Medical laboratory technologists |
| 32121 | Medical radiation technologists |
| 32122 | Medical sonographers |
| 41300 | Social workers |
| 41400 | Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
| 41403 | Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
| 41405 | Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
| 41409 | Other professional occupations in social science |
| 43201 | Correctional service officers |
| 43203 | Border services, customs, and immigration officers |
| 50012 | Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors |
| 51101 | Conservators and curators |
| 51102 | Archivists |
| 51111 | Authors and writers (except technical) |
| 51112 | Technical writers |
| 51120 | Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations |
| 52112 | Broadcast technicians |
| 60020 | Retail and wholesale trade managers |
| 60031 | Accommodation service managers |
| 60040 | Managers in customer and personal services |
| 72010 | Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations |
| 72013 | Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades |
| 72014 | Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers |
| 72020 | Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades |
| 72021 | Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews |
| 72102 | Sheet metal workers |
| 72105 | Ironworkers |
| 72201 | Industrial electricians |
| 72302 | Gas fitters |
| 72320 | Bricklayers |
| 72321 | Insulators |
| 72401 | Heavy-duty equipment mechanics |
| 72403 | Railway carmen/women |
| 72404 | Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors |
| 72500 | Crane operators |
| 72602 | Deck officers, water transport |
| 72603 | Engineer officers, water transport |
| 73311 | Railway conductors and brakemen/women |
| 82010 | Supervisors, logging and forestry |
| 83100 | Underground production and development miners |
| 83120 | Fishing masters and officers |
| 92010 | Supervisors, mineral and metal processing |
| 93102 | Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators |
How Do High-Wage Occupations Affect Your Express Entry CRS Score?
The high-wage occupations list is part of changes to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System taking effect on November 3, 2026.
Under the new Labour Market Integration Factors, candidates can receive points for either their Canadian work experience or a qualifying Canadian job offer (not both).
For Canadian work experience, candidates may receive up to 70 additional points for experience in an eligible high-wage occupation. These points are added to their existing Canadian work experience points, meaning candidates can earn a maximum of 150 points for Canadian work experience under LMIF.
To qualify for the additional high-wage work experience points, candidates must have at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian work experience in eligible occupations. This experience can be continuous or non-continuous, full-time or an equivalent amount of part-time work, and can be combined across multiple eligible occupations.
For qualifying Canadian job offers, candidates can receive between 50 and 100 points, depending on the occupation. Under new rules, a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is no longer required to receive CRS points for a qualifying job offer.
You can learn more about the requirements and how these points are calculated in our guide to Express Entry Labour Market Integration Factors.
FAQ: Express Entry High-Wage Occupations
Does my salary need to be above a certain amount to qualify?
No. Eligibility for high-wage occupation points is based on your occupation’s NOC code, not your personal salary.
IRCC considers the median wage of workers in each occupation across Canada to determine which jobs qualify. If your NOC code is on the high-wage occupations list, you may be eligible for points even if your individual salary is below the median wage for that occupation.
You will still need to meet the other eligibility requirements for Canadian work experience or a valid job offer.
Can I get high-wage occupation points if I work outside Canada?
Possibly. You cannot receive additional high-wage work experience points for work experience gained outside Canada. These points are only available to candidates with qualifying Canadian work experience.
However, you may still be eligible to receive up to 100 CRS points for a qualifying Canadian job offer in an eligible high-wage occupation, even if you are currently living outside Canada.
What happens if my occupation is removed from the high-wage list?
IRCC may update the high-wage occupations list as new wage data becomes available. If your occupation is removed from the list, or moves to a different category, after you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), IRCC will continue to use the occupation’s classification as it was on the date you received your invitation.
The same rule applies if an occupation is added to the list after your invitation.
