Express Entry High-Wage Jobs: Is Yours on the List?

Express Entry High-Wage Jobs: Is Yours on the List?

Published Date: October 18, 2026

Author: Tiffany Chia, RCIC #R512971

Key Summary

• IRCC has published the official Express Entry high-wage occupations list, effective November 3, 2026, with 186 occupations in three levels.

• An occupation is high-wage when the median wage of everyone in Canada working in that occupation is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. The three levels are 1.3 times, 1.5 times, and twice or more.

• It is the occupation that counts, not your personal salary. A high personal wage does not put an occupation on the list, and a modest personal wage does not take it off.

• The list is built from Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data from 2023 to 2025. Each occupation sits at the highest level its median wage reached in the last three years.

• If the list changes after you receive an Invitation to Apply, IRCC will use the level that applied on the date you were invited.

• IRCC has published the points in its October 16, 2026 backgrounder. For a qualifying job offer, each level is worth: 50 points at 1.3 times, 70 points at 1.5 times, and 100 points at 2 times.

• Action deadline: update your Express Entry profile before November 3, 2026 if you are claiming job offer points

If you have a job offer in Canada, or you are working towards one, this list decides whether that offer can earn you the new Express Entry points from November 3.

If you are still overseas planning your move, this list tells you which occupations Canada is about to reward. Read it before you choose your path, not after.

IRCC published the high-wage occupations list behind the changes I explained in Major Express Entry Changes Explained. The one-sentence version: from November 3, 2026, a job offer earns the new points when the occupation itself is high-wage, measured by what everyone in Canada in that occupation typically earns, and 186 occupations made the list.

I know the first question on your mind, because it is the first question my clients ask: is my job on it?

Let me walk you through what counts, how IRCC built the list, and how to check your own occupation properly. Because there is one misunderstanding everywhere right now, and it can cost you points.

🔔 Do not be the last to know. The list is out. What nobody knows yet is what this does to cut-off scores when draws resume. I will break that down in my Sunday email first. Subscribe to the weekly updates so it reaches you the weekend it lands.

1. What "High-Wage Occupation" Actually Means

Here is the definition, in plain language.

Under Express Entry, an occupation is high-wage if the median wage of all people in Canada performing that job is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce.

Read that again. Slowly.

It is based on the National Occupational Classification, the NOC, for the job. It is not based on your specific position, and it is not based on your salary.

This means:

• You can earn a very high salary in an occupation that is not on the list. Your job offer still will not earn the new points.

• You can earn a modest salary in an occupation that is on the list. Your occupation still counts, at its listed level.

• Arguing "but I am well paid" will not change your occupation's level. The level was set by national wage data, not by your paycheque.

The occupations are grouped into three levels:

• Level 1: median wage at least twice the average median wage (31 occupations)

• Level 2: median wage at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage (89 occupations)

• Level 3: median wage at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage (66 occupations)

Your occupation's level is the single most important fact about your job offer under the new system. Your salary is not.

2. How IRCC Built This List

IRCC used three data sources: the Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey, and the Census of Population.

For each occupation, IRCC looked at the last three years of data. The current list is based on data from 2023 to 2025.

And here is a detail that works in your favour: each occupation's level is set at the highest level its median wage reached in those three years. If your occupation touched the 1.5 times level in any of the last three years, it sits at that level on this list, even if its most recent year was lower.

The list takes effect on November 3, 2026, the same day the new points begin.

3. Who Made It, and Who Did Not

Some patterns you should see clearly.

The top level, twice the average median wage, is led by senior managers, physicians and specialists, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, veterinarians, judges, lawyers, university professors, and engineering and computer systems managers.

The 1.5 times level is where most engineers sit: civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, software and more. It also holds data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, software developers, registered nurses, pharmacists, dentists, teachers, police officers and firefighters, pilots, and many managers and supervisors in the trades and transportation.

The 1.3 times level holds financial auditors and accountants, financial analysts and advisors, human resources professionals, architects, web developers, social workers, medical laboratory technologists, and supervisors across construction, mechanics and other trades.

Now the part nobody enjoys, but you need to hear it from me before you hear it anywhere else.

Some occupations appear in split form. Electricians are the clearest example. Power system electricians (NOC 72202) sit at the 1.5 times level, and industrial electricians (NOC 72201) at the 1.3 times level. But the general electrician occupation, NOC 72200, is not on the list at all. Same trade name. Completely different result. Your exact NOC decides everything.

And many occupations that large numbers of newcomers work in do not appear on the list in any level, including cooks, truck drivers, early childhood educators and assistants, and administrative officers. If your occupation is not on the list, a job offer in it will not earn these new points, no matter how genuine the offer is or how well it pays you personally.

That is not the end of your PR plan. It is information you need early, while you can still adjust: a different role with the same employer, a provincial pathway, or more time building Canadian experience, which earns its own new points from November 3.

4. The Full High-Wage Occupations List

Effective November 3, 2026. Find your NOC code. If you do not know your NOC, find it from your actual job duties, not your job title.

Level 1: Median wage at least twice the average median wage

(31 occupations)

NOC	Occupation
00011	Senior government managers and officials
00012	Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services
00013	Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
10010	Financial managers
10011	Human resources managers
10012	Purchasing managers
10020	Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
10021	Banking, credit and other investment managers
20010	Engineering managers
20011	Architecture and science managers
20012	Computer and information systems managers
21330	Mining engineers
21332	Petroleum engineers
31100	Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101	Specialists in surgery
31102	General practitioners and family physicians
31103	Veterinarians
31302	Nurse practitioners
31303	Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
40010	Government managers - health and social policy development and program administration
40011	Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration
40012	Government managers - education policy development and program administration
40019	Other managers in public administration
40040	Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services
40041	Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
41100	Judges
41101	Lawyers and Quebec notaries
41200	University professors and lecturers
60010	Corporate sales managers
80010	Managers in natural resources production and fishing
90011	Utilities managers

Level 2: Median wage at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage (89 occupations)

NOC	Occupation
00014	Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services
00015	Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities
10019	Other administrative services managers
10022	Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
10029	Other business services managers
10030	Telecommunication carriers managers
11103	Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers
11201	Professional occupations in business management consulting
21100	Physicists and astronomers
21102	Geoscientists and oceanographers
21103	Meteorologists and climatologists
21109	Other professional occupations in physical sciences
21111	Forestry professionals
21120	Public and environmental health and safety professionals
21202	Urban and land use planners
21210	Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211	Data scientists
21220	Cybersecurity specialists
21221	Business systems specialists
21222	Information systems specialists
21223	Database analysts and data administrators
21230	Computer systems developers and programmers
21231	Software engineers and designers
21232	Software developers and programmers
21300	Civil engineers
21301	Mechanical engineers
21310	Electrical and electronics engineers
21311	Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320	Chemical engineers
21321	Industrial and manufacturing engineers
21322	Metallurgical and materials engineers
21331	Geological engineers
21390	Aerospace engineers
21399	Other professional engineers
22231	Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers
22312	Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
30010	Managers in health care
31110	Dentists
31112	Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120	Pharmacists
31200	Psychologists
31202	Physiotherapists
31203	Occupational therapists
31300	Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301	Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
32111	Dental hygienists and dental therapists
40020	Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training
40021	School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
40030	Managers in social, community and correctional services
40042	Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces
41210	College and other vocational instructors
41220	Secondary school teachers
41221	Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
41310	Police investigators and other investigative occupations
41311	Probation and parole officers
41320	Educational counsellors
41401	Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts
41402	Business development officers and market researchers and analysts
41404	Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41407	Program officers unique to government
42100	Police officers (except commissioned)
42101	Firefighters
50010	Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers
50011	Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51100	Librarians
70010	Construction managers
70012	Facility operation and maintenance managers
70020	Managers in transportation
70021	Postal and courier services managers
72011	Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
72012	Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
72023	Supervisors, railway transport operations
72103	Boilermakers
72202	Power system electricians
72203	Electrical power line and cable workers
72301	Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
72406	Elevator constructors and mechanics
72600	Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
72601	Air traffic controllers and related occupations
72604	Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
73310	Railway and yard locomotive engineers
82020	Supervisors, mining and quarrying
82021	Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services
83101	Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
90010	Manufacturing managers
92011	Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
92100	Power engineers and power systems operators
93100	Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
93101	Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing

Level 3: Median wage at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage (66 occupations)

NOC	Occupation
00010	Legislators
11100	Financial auditors and accountants
11101	Financial and investment analysts
11102	Financial advisors
11109	Other financial officers
11200	Human resources professionals
12201	Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
12203	Assessors, business valuators and appraisers
21101	Chemists
21110	Biologists and related scientists
21112	Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
21200	Architects
21201	Landscape architects
21203	Land surveyors
21234	Web developers and programmers
22214	Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology
22232	Occupational health and safety specialists
22233	Construction inspectors
22310	Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22313	Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
31121	Dietitians and nutritionists
32102	Paramedical occupations
32103	Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32120	Medical laboratory technologists
32121	Medical radiation technologists
32122	Medical sonographers
41300	Social workers
41400	Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41403	Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41405	Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41409	Other professional occupations in social science
43201	Correctional service officers
43203	Border services, customs, and immigration officers
50012	Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
51101	Conservators and curators
51102	Archivists
51111	Authors and writers (except technical)
51112	Technical writers
51120	Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52112	Broadcast technicians
60020	Retail and wholesale trade managers
60031	Accommodation service managers
60040	Managers in customer and personal services
72010	Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
72013	Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
72014	Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
72020	Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
72021	Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
72102	Sheet metal workers
72105	Ironworkers
72201	Industrial electricians
72302	Gas fitters
72320	Bricklayers
72321	Insulators
72401	Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
72403	Railway carmen/women
72404	Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
72500	Crane operators
72602	Deck officers, water transport
72603	Engineer officers, water transport
73311	Railway conductors and brakemen/women
82010	Supervisors, logging and forestry
83100	Underground production and development miners
83120	Fishing masters and officers
92010	Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
93102	Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators

5. If the List Changes After Your Invitation, You Are Protected

Wage data moves. Occupations will rise, fall, and occasionally drop off this list in future updates.

IRCC has answered the obvious fear directly: if the high-wage list changes after you receive an Invitation to Apply, IRCC will keep using the level that applied on the date you were invited.

That protection covers all three cases: your occupation moves to a different level, it is removed from the list, or (for a job you were invited under) it is only added later. The date of your invitation locks in your level.

What it does not do is protect you before an invitation. If your occupation drops off the list while you are still sitting in the pool, the new list is the one that will apply to you. One more reason the timing of your invitation matters, and one more reason to be ready early.

6. What We Still Do Not Know

The list answers the "which occupations" question, and IRCC's backgrounder answers the "how much" question. A few things are still open.

• What the new points do to cut-off scores. The values are published (50, 70 or 100 points for a qualifying job offer, by level), but nobody knows where cut-offs will land when draws resume after the recalculation pause. That is the number that decides what these points are really worth in practice.

• The fine detail of eligible Canadian work experience for the other new points factor. IRCC's backgrounder defines it generally (gained in Canada within the previous 10 years, TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, with a bonus of 20, 40 or 70 points for at least 12 months in a high-wage occupation), but specific provisions for some occupations are still being set out.

• When the list will next be updated, and how much notice candidates will get.

The points table exists, so you can now check what a job offer in your occupation is worth. Anyone who tells you today that those points guarantee you an invitation is guessing. Cut-offs under the new system are not known yet.

I will update this article when the first cut-offs under the new system land, and my Sunday email subscribers will hear it first.

7. What Should You Do Now?

The one thing to do before anything else: find your correct NOC, check it against this list, and make sure your Express Entry profile is accurate before November 3, 2026.

Now find your situation.

If you have a job offer and your occupation is on the list

Confirm your NOC from your actual duties, not your job title. Then update your profile with the required job offer information before November 3, so the recalculation can award the points when they begin. Keep your offer letter and supporting documents ready. IRCC will still assess whether the offer is genuine.

If you have a job offer and your occupation is not on the list

Do not panic, and do not quit your job over a list. Your offer still matters for program eligibility in other ways, and your Canadian work experience earns its own new points from November 3.

This is the moment to review your whole plan, including provincial pathways, with the full picture in front of you. A personalized review of your profile, your potential pathways and your next steps is what our Canadian Immigration Roadmap is built for.

If you are working in Canada but not yet in the pool

Check your occupation's level now, while you can still plan around it. If your current role sits in a listed occupation, an eventual job offer in it becomes more valuable. If it does not, you have time to grow into a listed occupation or build the Canadian experience that earns points on its own.

If you are planning to come to Canada

Choose your direction with this list open in front of you. Study and work pathways that lead into listed occupations now build towards permanent residence in more than one way. Keep every document from day one.

If your score appears low

The points values are out, but nobody's final position is known until CRS cut-offs land under the new system. Do not write yourself off. Compute your new score with the published table, prepare your documents, confirm your NOC, and be ready to move when draws resume.

📅 Not sure which NOC your job really is? Everything in this article turns on one five-digit code, and a wrong code can put you in the wrong level, or off the list entirely. A 30-minute consultation can include a National Occupational Classification review. Book a consultation here.

Get the First CRS Cut-Offs from the new Express Entry Draw when it starts.

The points table is published. The last missing piece of this change is what it does to CRS cut-off scores when Express Entry draws resume in November. When that happens, I will break it down in my weekly Sunday email updates, with what it means for your score and your next step. Join 900+ subscribers who already receive it. Every Sunday, you will get:

• The latest Express Entry draw results, with the cut-off score and what it means for candidates at your level

• The deadlines that affect your profile, like the November 3 update deadline in this post

• An analysis of every major IRCC announcement, within days rather than weeks

Subscribe to the weekly updates and you will not have to chase the announcements yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes an occupation "high-wage" under Express Entry?

An occupation is high-wage when the median wage of all people in Canada working in that occupation is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. It is measured at the occupation level using national wage data, not by any individual worker's salary.

Does my own salary decide whether my job offer qualifies?

No. IRCC is explicit: the level is not determined by your specific job position or salary. A highly paid worker in an unlisted occupation does not qualify for the new job offer points, and a modestly paid worker in a listed occupation is in a listed occupation.

When does the high-wage occupations list take effect?

November 3, 2026, the same day the new Express Entry points for Canadian work experience and qualifying job offers begin.

Where do electricians sit on the list?

It depends on the exact NOC. Power system electricians (72202) are at the 1.5 times level, industrial electricians (72201) are at the 1.3 times level, and the general electrician occupation (72200) is not on the list. This is why your exact NOC code matters more than your trade name.

What happens if my occupation is removed from the list later?

If the list changes after you have received an Invitation to Apply, IRCC uses the level that applied on the date you were invited, even if your occupation moved levels or was removed. If you are still in the pool without an invitation, the updated list is what applies to you.

How many CRS points is each level worth?

For a qualifying job offer: 50 points at the 1.3 times level, 70 points at the 1.5 times level, and 100 points at the 2 times level. For eligible Canadian work experience, at least 12 months in a high-wage occupation earns a bonus of 20, 40 or 70 points at the same levels, on top of the regular duration points. You receive one route only, whichever gives you more, capped at 150 points without a spouse or partner and 140 with one.

My occupation is not on the list. Is my PR plan over?

No. The new job offer points are one factor. Your Canadian work experience earns its own new points from November 3, provincial nominee programs remain open, and your job offer can still matter for program eligibility. It does mean a job offer in an unlisted occupation will not earn these particular new points.

Key Takeaway

The most important point from this list is simple: it is your occupation's median wage that counts, not your salary.

Find your real NOC, from your duties and not your title.

Check it against the list, and note your level.

Then make sure your profile is accurate and updated before November 3, 2026, so the recalculation works in your favour.

One last thing I want to say to you. Most candidates will skim a headline about this list and move on. The ones who benefit will be the ones who checked their own occupation, honestly, this week. Be one of them, and let me keep watch on IRCC for you.

📬 One email, every Sunday. Draw results, deadlines and policy changes like this one, explained in plain language. Subscribe to the weekly updates.

Official Government Sources

• High-wage occupations and how we assess them, IRCC

• Canada refocusing Express Entry on top talent that drives economic growth, IRCC News Release, October 16, 2026

• Express Entry: Rounds of Invitations

About the Author

Tiffany Chia is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, RCIC #R512971, and founder of 1to1 Immigration Inc. in Vancouver.

Originally from Singapore, Tiffany immigrated to Canada more than a decade ago. She has helped international students, foreign workers, employers and families navigate Canada's immigration system since 2015.

Disclaimer

Immigration policies can change at any time. This article reflects information available as of October 16, 2026 and is intended for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or immigration advice.