Canada on Wednesday revised immigration priority categories to bring skilled workers in a variety of fields, including certain military recruitments. The new categories mirror Prime Minister Mark Carney's aim of broadly reducing the number of permanent residents in Canada.
A press release cited returning immigration "to sustainable levels" as the reason for the change in immigration categories.
New categories under express entry
The new categories announced under the Express Entry system include:
- Foreign medical doctors with Canadian work experience
- Researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience
- Candidate with work experience in transport occupations, including pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors
- Highly skilled foreign military applicants recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces in key roles such as military doctors, nurses and pilots
These categories will allow Canada to invite candidates with the skills and experience needed to fill critical labour gaps in key sectors and occupations, the government said.
Canada will continue holding invitation rounds to select candidates with strong French and work experience in key sectors that were identified in 2025. These sectors include health care, social services, and skilled trades.
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What is Express Entry?
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What is Express Entry?
{{/usCountry}}Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those looking to immigrate permanently. It has three programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class.
In this, the candidates can create a profile and enter the pool. A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is then used to score the profile and rank it.
PM Mark Carney has been aiming to reduce Canada's reliance on the US and also announced a new defence strategy on Tuesday, focusing on increasing defence-related investments.
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Talking about the changes, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lena Metlege Diab, said in the release that Canada's future depends “on a workforce ready to meet the challenges of a changing economy.”
She also said that the refining of categories has been done to focus on skilled labour and ensuring "newcomers can contribute from day one.”
Canada's Express Entry system primarily benefits skilled workers from countries with high representation in tech, healthcare, and trade, notably India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, the USA and others.