Canada charts an Express Entry reset for 2026: A ‘leadership and innovation' category to be introduced

Time of India

a day ago

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the immigration agency of the Canadian government, has issued a draft for public consultation focused on the future of the Express Entry system, which is a popular pathway to permanent residency, especially for Indians.
As per the discussion draft, the Express Entry system would continue to focus on addressing long-term labour market shortages and bolstering
Francophone immigration
outside Quebec.
The most significant proposal is the introduction of an entirely new stream – the 'Leadership and Innovation' category, which would give preference to senior managers, researchers, and scientists with the potential to drive Canada's competitiveness.
Through the Express Entry system, Canada is also eyeing potential talent for its armed forces by facilitating the recruitment of highly skilled military personnel from allied countries. Such a move, IRCC's discussion paper states, would help maintain a 'robust, world-class' defence force.
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Express Entry is Canada's point-based mechanism used to manage immigration applications for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents. Based on various parameters such as age, education, French language proficiency etc, candidates are given a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS). Post this, they are placed in the Express Entry pool and ranked relative to each other. Periodical draws (the emphasis is now on category-based draws) are held and those attaining the cut-off CRS score get an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
According to Talha Mohani, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant and managing partner at Migration Bureau Canada, the policies should also focus on job creation. 'The 'Leadership and Innovation' category must explicitly include proven entrepreneurs and investor founders. The Express Entry's category mechanism should ideally invite higher-impact business immigrants (senior managers, founders with traction, investor families) into dedicated draws. In parallel, there is a need to introduce a 'temporary business resident pathway' granting temporary status with healthcare and education access to dependents while the entrepreneur meets measurable milestones (based on job creation and/or investments) to achieve permanent residence,' he told TOI.
Labour shortages remain a priority:
The discussion draft acknowledges Canada's ongoing struggle to fill skilled positions in healthcare, the skilled trades (particularly construction roles critical to boosting housing supply), education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and agriculture. It adds that tackling these shortages is vital.
Through the consultation process, IRCC is seeking input on whether Express Entry should focus more on transitioning skilled temporary residents already in Canada to permanent status, or on recruiting from overseas, especially in sectors such as healthcare and skilled trades.
According to Ken Nickel-Lane, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant and founder of an immigration services firm, 'The focus on those already in Canada already continues to make good sense, given issues around housing and healthcare. Category-based selection draws are still fundamentally a good approach to addressing near-term needs for specific skills shortages across the country, but the categories should be reviewed more frequently.'
In March 2025, Canada removed the additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points awarded for job offers under the Express Entry system. Prior to this change, job offers could grant candidates either 50 or 200 extra points
Nickel-Lane states that'Prioritising the selection of senior managers should not merely translate to creating another category for Express Entry draws for those outside Canada. Rather, points for job offers should be resumed for those already in the country on work permits under the International Mobility Program - these are the people companies need here long term to build on their growth plans.'
Francophone immigration targets:
The discussion draft reaffirms Canada's commitment to boosting Francophone immigration outside Quebec, which the government sees as a driver of both cultural diversity and economic strength.
Manish Kapoor, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant, points out that since the introduction of category-based draws in 2023, the Francophone stream has grown at the fastest pace, recording the highest numbers within category-based selection and accounting for a substantial portion of immigration targets. 'While I do not oppose this focus, I suggest reinstating transport occupations in the category-based draws, as its contributions to the national economy are significant. I believe IRCC should consider adjusting next year's targets to conduct STEM, transport, and trades draws,' he told TOI.
The road ahead:
IRCC is calling for public feedback on these proposals through September, with final decisions expected in late fall 2025, parallel to the unveiling of the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
The immigration levels plan at present has set the targets at 3.95 lakh permanent residents in 2025; 3.80 lakh for 2026; and aims to have a further reduced target of 3.65 lakh in 2027. It also supports efforts to reduce temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2026. The number of temporary residents in Canada has grown exponentially over the last few years, from about 437,000 individuals in 2019 alone to about 1.2 million (12 lakhs) in 2023.