Express Entry Trade Occupations Category – How to apply and Latest Draws

This guide is for Express Entry applicants looking for information about category-based draws for trades workers.

What Is the Express Entry Trade Occupations Category?

Canada’s category-based Express Entry draws allow the government to invite candidates based on specific attributes, with an emphasis on work experience. For trades workers, this means eligibility often depends on experience in certain high-demand trades roles like electricians, Painters, mechanics and drillers, among others

What Is a Trade Occupations Draw?

A Trade Occupations Draw is a type of category-based selection under Canada’s Express Entry system. It targets candidates with recent work experience in specific skilled trade occupations to help meet Canada’s economic and labour market needs.

Express Entry Categories for 2026

These are the selected categories for this year. Click on each category to get more information:

• French-language proficiency: For applicants with a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
• Healthcare and social services occupations: For physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists and other practitioners, as well as veterinarians and social workers.
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
• Trade occupations: For carpenters, plumbers, contractors, and others
• Education occupations: For teachers, early childhood educators, special needs instructors, and others
• Transport occupations: For truck mechanics, aircraft mechanics, railway traffic controllers, and others
• Physicians with Canadian work experience: General practitioners, family physicians and some specialists who are already working in Canada.
• Senior managers with Canadian work experience: For senior executives working in key leadership roles in Canada who have gained at least one year of Canadian work experience within the last three years.
• Researchers with Canadian work experience: Academic professionals already working in Canada, including post-secondary teaching and research assistants, university professors, and lecturers.
• Skilled military recruits: For individuals with military training and experience who can contribute to Canada’s defence sector.

Recent Trades Express Entry Draws

Keep reading for insights into the latest draws and how they impact trades professionals looking to immigrate to Canada.

Eligibility For the Express Entry Trade Occupations Category

To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must:

• Qualify for one of the three main immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), or Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
• Meet the minimum requirements for the round, including the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off and tiebreaker rules.

Additionally, you must have at least one year of cumulative full-time, continuous work experience (or an equivalent in part-time work experience) in one single eligible occupation listed below. If your work experience spans multiple occupations, you will need to accumulate six months in a single occupation to qualify.

Occupations Eligible For Express Entry Trades Category Draws

To be invited to a Trades Category draw, you need to have at least one year of eligible work experience within the past three years.

Here is the list of current occupations and their specific NOC codes that are eligible for Trades category-based draws under the Canadian Express Entry system:

How To Apply For the Trades Occupation Category 

Step 1: You must be eligible for Express Entry

The first step to getting invited to apply in a trades-specific draw is to get into the Express Entry pool.

There are three possible programs you can be eligible for to join the Express Entry pool of candidates:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST)

Generally, trades workers are most often eligible under the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), although they may also qualify through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) if they have Canadian work experience. Each program has its own set of eligibility requirements, including work experience, education, and language ability.

Important Note on Work Experience

For trades workers, the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) has specific work experience requirements that exceed what’s required for the trades category-based draws:

• At least two years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past five years.
• Work experience must fall under eligible skilled trade occupations (classified under TEER 2 or TEER 3 in Canada’s Training Education Experience Responsibilities [TEER] categories).

The CEC and FSW programs also require at least one year of eligible work experience at TEER levels 0, 1, 2, or 3. As you can see from the table above, the eligible occupations all fall under TEER levels 2 and 3, so your work experience is likely to count towards your eligibility for FSW and CEC.

As a reminder: For the CEC, you need at least one year of eligible skilled work experience in Canada, whereas the FSW allows skilled work experience gained abroad to count.

It’s crucial to confirm that your work experience aligns with one of these programs before entering the pool. Simply having skilled trades experience isn’t enough to qualify for Express Entry unless you meet the criteria of at least one of the programs.

Step 2: Enter Your Profile Into the Express Entry Pool

If you’re eligible, you can submit your candidate profile to the Express Entry pool.

To improve your chances, stay updated on Express Entry Candidate Pool trends to assess your competitiveness. You can find our analysis of the Express Entry pool here.

Step 3: Check Your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score

After submitting your profile, you will receive a CRS score. This score determines your ranking in the Express Entry pool and is based on factors like age, education, work experience, and language ability.

You can also check your CRS points using our comprehensive online CRS points calculator. The benefit of using our tool is that you get a detailed overview of where you get your points, and how your score compares to others in the pool.

Step 4: You will be identified as eligible for a category.

If you meet the qualifying criteria for a trades-focused draw, your profile will be flagged as eligible for a trades-specific category-based Express Entry draw.

Step 5: Your profile will be ranked.

Your CRS will be ranked alongside other candidates in the pool, both generally and within the trades category.

Step 6: IRCC Completes an Express Entry Draw and Sends Invitations to Apply

Your eligibility for an invitation depends on your CRS score and the cut-off for the draw. If your CRS score meets or exceeds the cut-off, you will receive an invitation to apply.

Trades-specific draws, like general draws, have a CRS cut-off. If your score is below the cut-off, you will need to work on improving your CRS for future draws.

Final Steps: Apply for Permanent Residence

Once invited, you can submit your permanent residence application. If successful, you’ll be on your way to starting a new chapter in Canada. If not, use the time to enhance your profile and increase your CRS score for the next opportunity.

This process ensures that eligible trades workers have a pathway to permanent residence in Canada through Express Entry.

Check Your Eligibility for Express Entry

If you are considering Express Entry as your pathway to Canada, you may wish to know whether you are eligible.

We’ve created a Canadian Immigration Quiz that will help you determine your eligibility for Express Entry, as well as other economic immigration programs.

As a skilled worker with a post-graduate degree and a high English or French proficiency, you may not need to wait for a STEM-specific draw in order to be invited to apply. Your CRS score may be high enough on its own to be invited in an all-program draw. If you would like to see what your CRS score may be, check out our Express Entry CRS Calculator. It will also tell you which Express Entry-managed programs you may be eligible for.

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Express Entry Trades Category FAQs

Answers to some frequently asked questions about Trades-Specific draws. 

What are trade occupations in Canada?

Trade occupations refer to skilled jobs like carpenters, welders, and electricians that are essential to Canada’s workforce. These roles are in high demand and often prioritized in immigration programs.If you’re experienced in a trade occupation, you may qualify for special immigration draws.
Click here to check: The full list of eligible trade occupations.

What is the CRS score for trade occupations?

There is no fixed “CRS score for trade occupations” in Canada’s Express Entry system; the CRS cutoff varies each time Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs a category-based draw for trade occupations. The CRS score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) depends on the specific draw and how competitive the pool is at that time. Check here for the latest update on Express Entry Pool Distribution of candidates.

I have 6+ months of work experience in an eligible occupation. Am I eligible for the Trades category?

Not anymore. Starting February 18, 2026, the minimum work experience to qualify for the Trades Category in Express Entry Draws increased from 6 months to 1 year.

This means there are two separate work experience requirements to meet:

• You must meet the work experience criteria for one of the three Express Entry programs (FSW, CEC, or FST). Each of these programs has different work experience requirements, usually between one and two years, andthis experience does not need to be in the field of trades. You can check your eligibility using our CRS calculator.
• but you you must also have at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) experience in an eligible Trades occupation within the last three years.

Important: the work experience used to qualify for the Express Entry program does not need to be in the same job as your experience in the Trades occupation category.

Does it matter whether I completed my work experience in Canada or elsewhere?

Yes, it can matter depending on the Express Entry program to enter the pool, but not for the Trades category.

First, for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), work experience can be from Canada or abroad, as long as it meets eligibility requirements (correct NOC, paid, continuous, etc.).

For the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the work experience must be gained in Canada.

However, for category-based draws targeting trade occupations, it does not matter whether your eligible trade experience was obtained in Canada or abroad.

Does my primary occupation need to be in a trades occupation to be selected in a trades draw? 

No. You don’t need your primary occupation to be in a trades occupation to be selected. You simply need at least one year of work experience in the last three years in an eligible skilled trade.

When will I receive an ITA for a trades-specific draw?

This is up to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

Canada holds Express Entry draws regularly, which could be all-program draws, program-specific draws, or category-based draws like trades-specific draws. 

Trades workers with competitive scores are likely to be invited within 12 months of entering the pool. If your CRS score is low, you might consider a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which can add 600 points to your CRS score and virtually guarantee an ITA. 

Stay updated on the latest Express Entry and PNP draws through our Canada PNP Live Tracker or by subscribing to our newsletter. 

Will trades-specific Express Entry draws stop?

This is entirely up to IRCC. But for now, Trades occupations remain on the list of targeted categories for 2026, and there is a comprehensive list of occupations eligible to apply this year.

If I have a trades occupation, does my CRS score still matter?

Yes. Your CRS score always matters. However, trades-specific draws often have a lower CRS cut-off compared to general draws. For instance, trades draws in 2024 had a CRS cut off in the 430-440 range, while the CEC CRS cut-off was higher than 510 for most draws in 2024.  

How often will IRCC hold trades-specific draws?

There is no set schedule for trades-specific draws. IRCC may prioritize these draws based on labour market needs, which could mean they occur irregularly.  

Staying in the pool ensures you’re eligible whenever a draw occurs. You can sign up for our Express Entry newsletter via your free account to receive information about draws as they happen.  

My spouse qualifies for a trades-specific draw. Can my profile receive the ITA?

No. To receive an ITA in a trades-specific draw, the principal applicant must meet the eligibility criteria. If your spouse qualifies, they should create their own Express Entry profile and list themselves as the principal applicant.