Canada on Wednesday revised immigration priority categories to bring in skilled workers in a variety of fields, including some military recruiting. The new categories reflect Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goal of broadly reducing the number of permanent residents in Canada.
A press release cited the return of immigration “to sustainable levels” as the reason for the change in immigration categories.
New categories under quick entry
The new categories announced within the Express Entry system include the following:
- Foreign doctors with Canadian work experience
- Researchers and senior managers with Canadian business experience
- Candidate has work experience in transportation professions, 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
The government said these categories will allow Canada to invite candidates with the skills and experience needed to fill critical employment gaps in key sectors and occupations.
Canada will continue to hold calling rounds to select candidates with strong French and work experience in key sectors identified in 2025. These sectors include health care, social services and skilled trades.
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What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is Canada’s leading 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, candidates can create a profile and get into the pool. The Comprehensive Rating System (CRS) is then used to score and classify the profile.
Prime Minister Mark Carney aims to reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States and also announced a new defense strategy on Tuesday, focused on increasing defense-related investments.
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Speaking about the changes, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lina Metlig Diab, said in the statement that Canada’s future depends “on a workforce that is ready to meet the challenges of a changing economy.”
It also said the categories have been improved to focus on skilled workers and ensure “new entrants can contribute from day one.”
Canada’s Express Entry system primarily benefits skilled workers from countries with high representation in technology, healthcare and trade, particularly India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, USA and others.
