High-wage points are coming: ten years of immigration and draw trends, and what they mean for study, work and learning French

We applied the high-wage occupation list that takes effect on November 3 to ten years of new immigrants, and looked at where three years of draws have been heading: what it means for people already in the process and those still planning.

Published October 28, 2026

In one sentence

Express Entry has changed direction over the past three years: measured against today’s high-wage list, the share of new immigrants in listed occupations fell from about 54% to about 40%, while French-language draws went from nothing to four in ten invitations this year. Once high-wage points take effect on November 3, selection will lean further toward two groups: people with Canadian experience in high-wage occupations, and French speakers. CEC candidates without the new points face a higher bar in the short term: there are fewer candidates above 500 than a year ago, but new ones keep arriving at the same pace.

1. Today’s high-wage list, applied to the past ten years

IRCC’s high-wage list has 186 occupations in three tiers and takes effect on November 3.[1] We applied it to the “intended occupation” that new permanent residents (PRs) declare when they land. IRCC publishes occupations only for new PRs aged 15+, and only 26%–45% of them state a specific occupation, mostly economic-class principal applicants by our comparison, so the shares below are “of those who stated an occupation, how many were on the list”.[2]

Of new PRs who stated an occupation, how many were in an occupation on today’s high-wage list

New permanent residents aged 15+, all immigration categories. Bars are the central estimate; whiskers show the lower–upper range. * 2026 is January–August only.

  • High-wage list occupations (central)
  • Range
  • 2015–19 average 53.6%
  • 2022–25 average 40.1%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026*

Data: IRCC open data (to 2026-08-31), ESDC NOC concordance, IRCC high-wage list; iRadar calculations.

  • 2015–2020: 50.6%–54.7%, averaging 53.6% in 2015–2019.
  • 2021 fell to 30.2%: during the pandemic, new PRs were drawn heavily from temporary foreign workers already in Canada (62%, per Statistics Canada),[3] and most of the increase was in occupations not on the list.
  • 2022–2025: 38.7%–43.0%, averaging 40.1%; January–August 2026 is 36.7%.
  • The number in listed jobs did not fall: about 46,000 to 54,500 a year in 2018–2024 (2020 aside). The share fell because occupations not on the list grew, such as food service supervisors, cooks, administrative assistants and truck drivers: 28,408 people in 2015, 72,233 in 2024.[2]

The decline holds up: it shows under both the lower and upper bounds of the code conversion; a yardstick that ignores wages (the share in management and professional occupations) also fell, from 55.7% to 42.1%; and among Express Entry candidates who were invited and applied, the listed share fell from 62%–64% in 2017–2019 to 50.8% in 2025.[2][4] In other words: in recent years many people outside high-wage occupations still became PRs; after November 3 they will be at a clear disadvantage in CEC draws.

Year-by-year data
Year New PRs who stated an occupation Of whom on the list Share (central) Range
2015 62,290 33,883 54.4% 48.9–57.0%
2016 60,490 32,905 54.4% 48.3–57.6%
2017 68,245 35,783 52.4% 45.9–55.8%
2018 84,250 46,060 54.7% 47.7–58.4%
2019 95,700 49,683 51.9% 45.6–55.7%
2020 54,670 27,678 50.6% 44.6–54.9%
2021 158,800 47,965 30.2% 26.3–33.5%
2022 122,800 48,898 39.8% 35.5–43.3%
2023 135,240 52,548 38.9% 34.6–42.4%
2024 126,695 54,463 43.0% 37.9–46.5%
2025 101,610 39,285 38.7% 34.1–42.4%
2026 (Jan–Aug) 68,410 25,138 36.7% 32.8–40.7%

2. Where the draws are heading

Express Entry invitations by draw type, each year

Each bar is all invitations that year (100%). * 2026 is counted to October 28.

  • French-language draws
  • CEC draws
  • PNP draws
  • Occupation categories (health, trades, STEM, education, etc.)
  • All-program and other program draws
0%25%50%75%100%20192020202120222023202420252026*

Data: IRCC draw data; iRadar calculations.

  • Big all-program draws are gone. In 2019 almost every invitation came from them; in 2023 they were still seven in ten; since 2025 there has been none.[5]
  • French-language draws went from nothing to the largest share: 7.9% of invitations in 2023, 23.3% in 2024, 42.1% in 2025 and 40.5% so far in 2026 (60,500 to October 28). Their cut-offs are far lower: 382–435 this year, against 507–523 in CEC draws.[5]
  • Occupation categories take one to two in ten invitations a year, such as health care and trades. This year’s cut-offs were 467–475 for health care and 476–477 for trades.[5]
  • STEM never became a main channel: only three STEM draws were ever held, with 10,900 invitations, none since April 2024; from 2025 the STEM list has 11 occupations, with cybersecurity the only IT job left.[5][6]
  • Francophone targets keep rising: French speakers were 8.9% of new PRs outside Quebec in 2025; the targets are 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027, 10.5% in 2028 and 12% by 2029. From 2026 Ottawa also reserves 5,000 spaces for provinces to nominate French-speaking immigrants.[7][8]

3. CEC candidates without the new points: is the pool above 500 shrinking?

Candidates scoring 501–600 in the pool

Pool score distribution published by IRCC with each draw, since October 2024.

010k20k30k2025202620,535

Data: IRCC draw data (pool score distribution published with each draw).

  • There are fewer candidates above 500 than a year ago, mainly because more were invited. Candidates scoring 501–600 fell from 25,997 at the end of October 2025 to 20,535 at the end of October 2026, about 21% fewer.[5][9] Over the same period CEC draws were much larger: 57,750 invitations to the end of October 2026, against 35,850 in all of 2025.[5]
  • The flow of new candidates reaching 500+ has not fallen. Estimated as the change in the stock plus the candidates CEC draws removed, about this many reached 501–600 each month: 4,300–4,900 in June–December 2024, 4,600–5,100 in January–March 2025, 2,500–2,900 in April–December 2025 (after job-offer points were removed in March), and 5,000–5,900 in January–October 2026.[5][9]
Temporary residents

Statistics Canada, quarterly. Work-permit-only holders are the direct source of CEC candidates.

  • Work permit only
  • Study permit only
0500k1M1.5M2M2024202520261,496,248399,133

Data: Statistics Canada table 17-10-0121 (released September 23, 2026).

  • Temporary residents are falling, but mostly students. The total fell from a peak of 2,984,285 in October 2024 to 2,779,774 in July 2026 (−6.9%); study-permit-only holders fell from 670,422 to 399,133 (−40%). Work-permit-only holders, the direct source of CEC candidates, still number 1,496,248, only 3.7% below their October 2025 peak.[10]

Subjective view (not immigration advice)

Fewer students only reach the CEC pool after they graduate, get a post-graduation work permit and build a year of experience, so the flow above 500 is unlikely to slow noticeably before 2027; there is no sign of it yet. The more immediate change comes on November 3:

  • How many gain points: about 46,000 candidates in the pool score 481–600.[5][9] IRCC does not publish how many are CEC candidates; a rough calibration on today’s typical round of about 2,250 reaching 519 gives 8,000–13,000, but CEC candidates waiting just below the cut-off are more concentrated, so the real number is probably higher. IRCC data show about 35%–46% of CEC invitees in the past two years work in listed occupations,[4] so we estimate at least about 2,800–6,000 of them gain 20–70 points (with 12 months in listed occupations).
  • Cut-offs in a typical round: with rounds of about 2,250, our model puts the cut-off at 540–549 (see our CEC cut-off outlook). The model assumes CEC candidates make up the same share of the pool just above and just below the cut-off; in fact those waiting below it are more concentrated, so more of them will jump over the line at once, and the first rounds after November 3 may land above 540–549.
  • What if there is a big wave, like last winter: from December 2025 to March 2026 IRCC ran 7 CEC rounds of 4,000–8,000, about 39,000 invitations in all, and the cut-off fell from 531 to 507 (the first 6,000-person round alone took it down 11 points); the July–September 2024 wave also stopped at 507–510.[5] After November 3, candidates with the new points will be first in line, so a wave of the same size would probably bring the cut-off from the mid-540s back to 520–535; getting close to 520 would take one as large as last winter’s, starting early. Once rounds return to 2,000–3,000, cut-offs climb again: this spring they went from 507 back to 514–518 within two months.[5]
  • For candidates without the new points scoring 500–510, both of the big waves stopped around 507, and after November 3 the point holders would be invited first, so even a big wave is unlikely to reach them; don’t count on cut-offs falling back soon.

4. What this means at each stage

This is our trend analysis based on published policy and the data above; it is not advice.

Already working in Canada and heading for Express Entry

  • First check whether your occupation is on the list. From November 3, at least 12 months of Canadian experience in listed occupations earns 70, 40 or 20 points by tier; job offers in listed occupations earn points again (100, 70 or 50), no longer need an LMIA, and you get the higher of the two.[11] If you are on the list, CEC draws should work in your favour.
  • If you are not on the list and your score falls short, there will be less room in CEC draws (see section 3). The realistic options are French-language draws, the category draw for your occupation (health care, trades and so on), or provincial nomination (600 points).[5][12]
  • The new 2026 categories are good news for physicians, researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience, transport occupations, and recruits with a Canadian Armed Forces job offer.[13] Their cut-offs this year were far below CEC, for example 169–223 for physicians and 389–429 for senior managers.[5]

Planning to study in Canada

  • There are fewer study permits to go around. The levels plan targets 155,000 new international students in 2026 and 150,000 a year in 2027 and 2028.[7] The study, post-graduation work permit, then PR route will be more competitive than in recent years.
  • Check the high-wage list when choosing a program. The points depend on the occupation you work in after graduating, not on the degree itself. Programs that lead into listed occupations give you an edge in Express Entry later; if your target occupation is not on the list, plan early for French or provincial nomination.
  • There is a new French-language study route, but it is narrow. Students in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot who complete a program of at least two years taught mainly in French outside Quebec can apply straight for PR, with the first able to apply as early as 2027. It mainly targets French-speaking students from selected countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.[14][15]

Thinking about learning French

  • French-language draws are now the route with the most invitations and the lowest cut-offs, and the francophone target keeps rising to 12% by 2029, so we expect them to remain a main channel for the next few years.[5][7]
  • The bar is NCLC 7 in all four French skills.[16] Reaching it also adds CRS points: 50 if your English is CLB 5 or higher in all four skills, or 25 if it is lower or you have no English test.[12]
  • Learning French is a long-term investment. If your score is far from the CEC cut-off and your occupation is not on the list, it may be more realistic than retaking English tests or waiting for CEC cut-offs to fall; if you are close to the CEC line and on the list, it may not be worth it.

You can check your own score with our CRS calculator, which already uses the November 3 rules, and see how far CEC cut-offs might rise in our CEC cut-off outlook.

Method and data

  • Data as of: IRCC permanent-resident data, August 31, 2026; draw data, October 28, 2026; pool score distribution, October 25, 2026; temporary residents, July 1, 2026.
  • Who is counted: the 4-digit occupation codes declared by new PRs aged 15+ in IRCC open data (January 2015–August 2026, all immigration categories). Placeholder codes such as “new worker” or “student”, and “not stated”, are excluded. IRCC rounds every cell to 5 and hides values of 1–5; the national figure is the sum of the provinces.
  • Code conversion: IRCC’s data use NOC 2011 codes throughout, the list uses NOC 2021. We used ESDC’s official concordance:[17] the lower bound counts an old code only if all its new codes are on the list, the upper bound if any is; the central estimate follows ESDC’s description of each split, with 7 evenly split old codes counted at half.
  • It is today’s list: IRCC set the tiers using 2023–2025 wages, and an occupation’s relative wage may have differed in 2015.
  • Management and professional occupations: NOC 2011 codes starting with 0 (management), plus skill level A codes whose second digit is 0 or 1 (including nurses and teachers).[18]
  • Draw mix: draws are assigned to calendar years by date. “All-program and other program draws” covers draws open to every program and draws limited to FSW or FST; “occupation categories” covers health care, trades, STEM, education, transport, agriculture, physicians, senior managers and military recruits.
  • New candidates above 500: between consecutive draws, the change in the number scoring 501–600 plus the invitations issued in CEC draws in that interval (all with cut-offs above 500). The low end of each range assumes 15% of invitations are declined and return to the pool; the high end does not. IRCC’s distribution covers candidates in every program, and with no all-program draws since 2024, overseas FSW candidates above 500 are not removed by CEC draws; candidates above 500 invited in French or occupation draws are not counted, which biases the estimate down.
  • Point holders and the typical-round cut-off: the model from our CEC cut-off outlook (pool distribution of October 12, 2026; the 501–600 band spread point by point in a steep and a gentle shape; 35%–46% gaining points; tier mix from our poll). How many pool candidates are CEC candidates is not published, so it is calibrated on a typical round of about 2,250 reaching 519. Job-offer points are not included, and we do not check whether the 12 months in listed occupations are complete.
  • Why the big-wave scenario does not use the model: we back-tested the model on the pool of early December 2025. It put last December’s 6,000-person round at 459–486; the actual cut-off was 520. At 39,000 cumulative invitations it reached 351; the actual was 507. The model assumes the same CEC share just above and just below the cut-off, but CEC candidates above the line are cleared every two weeks while those below it queue up, so it greatly overstates how far bigger rounds push the cut-off down. The big-wave bullet therefore uses the actual draws of summer 2024 and last winter instead.
  • Temporary residents: Statistics Canada table 17-10-0121, as revised on September 23, 2026, counts at the start of each quarter.

Sources

  1. IRCC: Express Entry high-wage occupation list: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/check-score/high-wage.html
  2. IRCC open data: PRs by province and intended occupation (NOC 2011), January 2015–August 2026: https://www.ircc.canada.ca/opendata-donneesouvertes/data/EN_ODP-PR-ProvNOC4.xlsx
  3. Statistics Canada: fluctuations in immigrant entry earnings (April 22, 2026): https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2026004/article/00003-eng.htm
  4. IRCC open data: Express Entry candidates invited who applied, by occupation (CEC; FSW, FST and PNP use the same format): https://www.ircc.canada.ca/opendata-donneesouvertes/data/EN_ODP-EE_Candidates-OccCEC.xlsx
  5. IRCC: Express Entry draw data (including the pool score distribution published with each draw): https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/documents/json/ee_rounds_123_en.json
  6. IRCC: report to Parliament on category-based selection 2024–25 (Annexes A and B list the occupations): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/report-parliament-cbs-2024-25.html
  7. IRCC: supplementary information for the 2026–2028 immigration levels plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/corporate-initiatives/levels/supplementary-immigration-levels-2026-2028.html
  8. IRCC: Canada exceeded its francophone immigration target for 2025 (January 19, 2026): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2026/01/canada-exceeded-its-francophone-immigration-target-for-2025.html
  9. IRCC: Express Entry rounds of invitations (latest pool score distribution): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations.html
  10. Statistics Canada: table 17-10-0121, non-permanent residents by type (quarterly, released September 23, 2026): https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710012101&request_locale=en
  11. IRCC: upcoming changes to Express Entry (November 3): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/changes.html
  12. IRCC: CRS criteria: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/check-score/crs-criteria.html
  13. IRCC: 2026 Express Entry categories backgrounder (February 18, 2026): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2026/02/attracting-the-worlds-best-talent-to-fill-canadas-labour-gaps-and-build-our-economy.html
  14. IRCC: Canada and Manitoba join forces on francophone immigration (July 6, 2026): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2026/07/canada-and-manitoba-join-forces-to-give-new-momentum-to-francophone-immigration.html
  15. IRCC: public policy on PR for Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot graduates (signed June 25, 2026): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/public-policies/pr-francophone-minority-communities-student-pilot-2026.html
  16. IRCC: Express Entry category-based selection (current occupation lists and requirements): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations/category-based-selection.html
  17. ESDC: NOC concordance tables (2016 and 2021): https://noc.esdc.gc.ca/Versions/NOCConcordanceTables?GocTemplateCulture=en-CA
  18. Statistics Canada: NOC 2011 introduction (skill levels): https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects/standard/noc/2011/introduction

The shares, ranges and trend judgements are our own estimates and analysis from public data. They are not IRCC’s view and are not legal or immigration advice.

For professional immigration planning, consult a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) or an immigration lawyer, and don’t rely on information found online.

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