Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published the official Express Entry high-wage occupations list. Scheduled to take effect on November 3, 2026, the list contains 186 NOC codes and determines which occupations qualify for job offer points (50, 70 or 100) and additional Canadian work experience points (20, 40 or 70). The current list is based on data from 2023 to 2025.
How Are High-Wage Occupations Determined?
- The benchmark is the median wage of everyone working under the same NOC code in Canada, not your individual salary or specific position. If your occupation is not on the list, a high salary alone does not qualify you.
- An occupation is considered high-wage if its median wage is at least 1.3 times the median wage benchmark for the overall Canadian workforce.
- Data comes from the last three years of Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census information. Each NOC is assigned the highest level it reached during those three years.
- If the list changes after you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), whether an occupation moves levels, is removed or is added, the level applicable on your invitation date will continue to apply.
The Three Points Levels
| Level | Occupational Median Wage Compared With the Benchmark | Job Offer Points | Additional Canadian Work Experience Points (At Least 12 Months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | At least 2 times | 100 | 70 |
| Level 2 | At least 1.5 times, but less than 2 times | 70 | 40 |
| Level 3 | At least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times | 50 | 20 |
Only one scoring option, a qualifying job offer or eligible Canadian work experience, will be used, whichever provides the higher score. For details, see Express Entry CRS changes from November 3, 2026.
Level 1: At Least 2 Times the Benchmark (100 Job Offer Points / 70 Additional Work Experience Points)
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 40011 | Government managers – economic analysis, policy development |
| 40012 | Government managers – education policy |
| 40019 | Other managers in public administration |
| 40040 | Commissioned police officers |
| 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: At Least 1.5 but Less Than 2 Times the Benchmark (70 Job Offer Points / 40 Additional Work Experience Points)
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 40021 | School principals and administrators |
| 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 |
| 41311 | Probation and parole officers |
| 41320 | Educational counsellors |
| 41401 | Economists and economic policy researchers |
| 41402 | Business development officers and market researchers |
| 41404 | Health policy researchers, consultants |
| 41407 | Program officers unique to government |
| 42100 | Police officers |
| 42101 | Firefighters |
| 50010 | Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers |
| 50011 | Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 83101 | Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers |
| 90010 | Manufacturing managers |
| 92011 | Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing |
| 92100 | Power engineers and power systems operators |
| 93100 | Central control operators, mineral and metal processing |
| 93101 | Central control operators, petroleum, gas and chemical |
Level 3: At Least 1.3 but Less Than 1.5 Times the Benchmark (50 Job Offer Points / 20 Additional Work Experience Points)
| 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 |
| 22313 | Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics |
| 31121 | Dietitians and nutritionists |
| 32102 | Paramedical occupations |
| 32103 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists |
| 32120 | Medical laboratory technologists |
| 32121 | Medical radiation technologists |
| 32122 | Medical sonographers |
| 41300 | Social workers |
| 41400 | Natural and applied science policy researchers |
| 41403 | Social policy researchers, consultants |
| 41405 | Education policy researchers, consultants |
| 41409 | Other professional occupations in social science |
| 43201 | Correctional service officers |
| 43203 | Border services, customs, and immigration officers |
| 50012 | Recreation, sports and fitness program directors |
| 51101 | Conservators and curators |
| 51102 | Archivists |
| 51111 | Authors and writers |
| 51112 | Technical writers |
| 51120 | Producers, directors, choreographers |
| 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 |
| 72013 | Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades |
| 72014 | Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades |
| 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 |
What You Should Do
- Find the exact NOC code for your current occupation or job offer and check it against this list. A one-digit difference, such as 21231 versus 21234, can mean a 20-point difference.
- If your occupation is on the list and you have a job offer, review and enter the required job offer information in your Express Entry profile before November 3, 2026. The announced change removing the LMIA requirement for qualifying Express Entry job offers is scheduled to apply from November 3, 2026.
- If you have at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in these occupations, the additional points will be calculated automatically when the changes take effect, provided your experience is correctly recorded in your profile.
Official Source
To find out which level your occupation falls under, contact Hejazineia Immigration: +1 778 869 4566
