What are the 10 Express Entry category-based selection streams now?

As of February 18, 2026, the categories are: French-language proficiency, Healthcare, Trades, STEM, Education, Senior Managers, Researchers, Transport, Skilled Military, and Physicians. The five newest categories (Senior Managers, Researchers, Transport, Skilled Military, and Physicians) were added on that date, joining the five that existed before.

When were LMIA job-offer CRS points removed?

LMIA-backed job offer points were removed from CRS scoring in early 2026. Check the latest IRCC guidance for the exact effective date and any transition rules that may apply to applications already in progress.

Does the French-language category still give a CRS bonus on top of category selection?

Yes — the French-language category draw and the general French-proficiency CRS bonus (up to 50 points for NCLC 7+ in French with sufficient English) are separate mechanisms that can both apply to the same candidate, which is part of why French ability has become relatively more valuable since the LMIA points were removed.

Do I need an invitation to a specific category to benefit from these changes?

No. Category-based draws only affect candidates who meet that category's specific criteria (e.g., NCLC 7+ French, or a healthcare NOC). If you don't qualify for any category, you remain in the general pool, where the removal of LMIA points still affects your relative ranking either way.

Express Entry 2026: The New Categories and What Losing LMIA Points Means for You

Two Big Changes Landed in Express Entry This Year

If you've been tracking Express Entry for a while, 2026 has brought two changes worth understanding properly: IRCC expanded category-based selection from 5 to 10 categories, and it removed CRS points for having an LMIA-backed job offer. Neither change is subtle, and together they shift the calculus for a lot of candidates — especially French speakers.

The Five New Categories (Added February 18, 2026)

On February 18, 2026, IRCC added five new category-based selection streams to Express Entry:

Senior Managers
Researchers
Transport
Skilled Military
Physicians

These join the five categories that were already running: French-language proficiency, Healthcare, Trades, STEM, and Education. That brings the total to 10 category-based selection streams currently active in Express Entry.

Category-based selection means IRCC can invite candidates from the general pool who meet a specific category's criteria, even if their CRS score is below what a general draw would require. This has been the mechanism behind the unusually low cutoffs seen in French-language draws over the past couple of years, and it's now available across a wider set of occupations and profiles.

What This Means Practically

If your background fits one of the newer categories — say you're a physician, a transport-sector worker, or have relevant research experience — you now have a realistic path to an invitation that doesn't depend on competing against the entire general pool on CRS score alone. It's worth checking IRCC's current category definitions closely, since eligibility criteria (occupation codes, experience thresholds, language requirements) vary by category and are refined over time.

Category draws don't replace general draws — they run alongside them. So even if you don't fit any category, you're still eligible for general draws; this expansion just adds more draw opportunities happening in parallel.

The Other Big Change: LMIA Job-Offer Points Are Gone

Separately, and just as significant: CRS points for having a valid job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) were removed from Express Entry scoring in early 2026. For years, an LMIA-backed job offer could add a meaningful CRS boost, and candidates sometimes structured their entire strategy around securing one specifically for the points.

That lever is gone. A job offer can still support your application in other ways — Canadian work experience, settlement plans, provincial nomination pathways — but it no longer adds CRS points on its own within Express Entry the way it used to.

Why This Makes the French-Language Bonus Relatively More Valuable

Here's the connection several immigration commentators have been making since the LMIA points disappeared: with one of the biggest CRS boosts off the table, candidates are looking harder at whichever levers remain. The French-language bonus — up to 50 CRS points for NCLC Level 7+ in French across all four skills, alongside sufficient English — is now one of the largest remaining CRS boosts a candidate can actively earn through their own effort, rather than depending on an employer's willingness to go through an LMIA process.

Unlike the LMIA route, which required a cooperating employer and a government labour market process outside your control, the French bonus is entirely within a candidate's control: study the language, take the TCF or TEF, submit the result. That's a meaningfully different kind of CRS strategy — one you can execute on your own timeline.

Combine that with the French-language category draw (a separate mechanism from the general CRS bonus), and French proficiency is arguably doing more work in a candidate's Express Entry strategy in 2026 than it has at any point before.

What To Do With This Information

If you were counting on an LMIA-backed job offer to boost your CRS score, it's worth reassessing your strategy now that those points are gone — recalculate your score with our free CRS calculator to see exactly where you stand under the current rules.

If French is a realistic option for you — even starting from zero — it's one of the few remaining CRS levers you can build yourself rather than wait on. Our structured learning path is designed to take learners from their current level toward TCF/TEF exam readiness, and our exam coaching program can help you target the specific NCLC level your CRS strategy needs.

As always with immigration policy, details and eligibility criteria get refined over time — check the latest IRCC guidance directly before making major decisions based on any single article, including this one.