Candidates with experience in sectors such as healthcare and research may be better positioned under Canada’s immigration system in 2026.

Throughout 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced and expanded several initiatives that offer insight into the types of economic immigrants the federal government is prioritizing.

These developments point to a continued emphasis on addressing labour shortages in key public-interest and knowledge-based sectors.

While it is not possible to predict future Express Entry selections with certainty, policy signals and draw patterns throughout 2025 provide a useful indication of the candidate profiles Canada is likely to focus on heading into 2026, which we’ll highlight in this article.

In-Canada applicants

Throughout 2025, Canada has placed a strong emphasis on inviting candidates with Canadian work experience, particularly through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

CEC is one of the three immigration programs managed under Express Entry and requires candidates to have at least one year of skilled Canadian work experience within the past three years to qualify, among other criteria.

CEC was the second most frequent draw type in 2025 after Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws, seeing a total of 30,850 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence (PR) issued over the year.

This focus aligns with the federal government’s broader immigration objectives. In its latest Immigration Levels Plan, Canada announced plans to accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 temporary foreign workers to PR over 2026 and 2027.

The initiative is intended to prioritize workers who have established roots in their communities, are contributing to the labour market, and paying taxes in Canada.

These policy signals indicate that foreign nationals who are already living and working in Canada are likely to remain favoured for PR in the coming year.

Healthcare and social service workers

Healthcare and social service occupations have remained among Canada’s most in-demand labour sectors in 2025, driven by ongoing workforce shortages across the country.

In February 2025, IRCC expanded its Healthcare occupations category to include social service occupations, adding several new roles and signalling a broader focus beyond traditional healthcare professions. To date, the department has issued 14,500 invitations through healthcare draws, the highest number of issuances through category-based selection following French draws.

Earlier this year, the federal government held public consultations on 2026 economic priorities for Express Entry category-based selection and no