Express Entry Categories 2026: Eligibility and Draw Results

Who can be invited in a category round

You must first be in the Express Entry pool, which means eligible for FSW, CEC or FST. Then you must meet the category's own condition:

• Occupation categories need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in the last three years in one or more of the listed occupations. The months can be in Canada or abroad, except for the three categories that require Canadian experience.
• The French category needs NCLC 7 in all four French abilities. There is no occupation list.

IRCC states that each round's details are in that round's ministerial instruction, and it may skip a category if enough top candidates were already invited through other rounds.

Reading 2026 so far

French and Canadian Experience Class rounds have issued most invitations in 2026. Healthcare, senior managers and physicians have had regular smaller rounds. STEM, education and researchers had no round through September 2026, even though they remain in effect.