What the New Work Experience Requirements Mean for Category-Based Express Entry Candidates

Changing the work experience requirement is the first update we’ve seen to Express Entry this year, and there could be more. When announcing the updated Express Entry categories, Minister Diab said, “We’re refining how we select and score candidates in the Express Entry system. Open dialogue is central to our decision making.” 

IRCC says the change in work experience requirement will “help select candidates who are more likely to succeed in their field in Canada.”  

The work experience can be gained in Canada or abroad over a period of three years. Unless, of course, the category is explicitly for those with Canadian work experience such as physicians, senior managers, or researchers.  

Key Takeaways:  

• The work experience requirement for occupations in category-based selection has changed from six months to one year (except skilled military applicants, who need 10 years of experience). 

• If you were previously eligible for category-based selection, make sure you remain eligible now. 

What does it mean for candidates? 

The important thing to remember is that category-based selection draws pick from all Express Entry programs. In other words, you must be an Express Entry candidate to begin with to be considered for a category-based selection draw. This work experience requirement change does not impact someone’s eligibility to enter the pool, but it could impact their ability to be selected in a category-based draw.  

Before, most category-based draws required candidates to show at least six months of work experience in a targeted occupation within the past three years. In December 2025, the Physicians category became the first to raise this requirement to 12 months. 

Now, the other categories have followed. Going forward, candidates must have at least 12 months of eligible work experience in a targeted occupation to qualify for a category-based draw. 

What Should Applicants Do Now? 

If you were eligible for category-based selection based on only 6 months of work experience in the targeted occupation, then you will no longer be eligible now.  

In this case, you will want to explore other ways to become eligible once again. This could include gaining an additional 6 months of work experience. Since the qualifying experience for category-based draws must be in a single occupation, any additional experience you gain should be in the same occupation as your initial 6 months. 

The timing of your work experience is important. The entire 12 months of experience must have occurred in the last 3 years. And that three-year window is a moving target. It’s not tied to the calendar year. Instead, it’s a rolling three-year window that shifts forward one day at a time. 

For example, if today is February 24, 2026, the qualifying period would be February 25, 2023 to February 24, 2026. 

Any eligible work experience within that period can count toward category-based eligibility. However, as time passes, older work experience falls outside the three-year window. This means your qualifying experience is always shifting. 

Before working toward the additional six months, make sure your original six months will still fall within the three-year window by the time you complete the new experience. You should also consider whether in 6 months’ time, you could lose CRS points/ eligibility elsewhere (mainly from age or language results expiring). 

Thinking through how your eligibility may shift over time, and how different factors contribute, is what I call time-lapse scenario planning. It helps you avoid losing eligibility/ ranking when you think you are working towards it.  

If you can’t get one full year of work experience within the same NOC code 

If you discover that the change in work experience requirement has made you ineligible for a category-based selection draw, and you cannot gain that extra six months of experience, there are a couple things you can try.  

First, as ever, you should do everything possible to increase your overall CRS score. You will still remain in the Express Entry pool, and maximizing your CRS score is essential.  

Learn French 

Canada has an ongoing commitment to attracting francophone newcomers to settle outside of Quebec. In fact, IRCC says it has a target of 9% for all newcomers’ admissions in 2026 to be French speaking. 

French proficiency rounds of invitations typically issue higher numbers of ITAs than others. For example, the most recent French draw invited 8,500 candidates while the first-ever draw for physicians with Canadian work experience invited just 391. 

So, learning French and getting a score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) will likely make you eligible for this type of draw.  

Apply for the PNP 

Canada reliably holds PNP draws on a biweekly basis. The draws lately have been smaller, but they are consistent. They target Express Entry participants who have been nominated by a province as a solid candidate for permanent residence. 

A nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score and almost guarantees you’ll get an ITA in an upcoming non-category draw. 

Consider a different pathway 

Express Entry isn’t the only option for becoming a permanent resident. You can try one of several other options. For example, not all PNP streams are aligned with Express Entry, so check your eligibility for a non-Express Entry PNP program. 

Depending on where you live or plan to live, you could be eligible for a regional economic immigration pathway such as the Atlantic Immigration Program or the Rural Community Immigration Pilot. 

Keep checking back for updates on Express Entry and all of Canada’s permanent resident pathways by joining the Moving2Canada community.