Express Entry high-wage occupations list: search by NOC code
As of October 27, 2026, IRCC's Express Entry high-wage occupations list contains 186 NOC codes: 31 at twice the average median wage or more, 89 at 1.5 to under 2 times and 66 at 1.3 to under 1.5 times. The list is used for CRS points from November 3, 2026 and is based on wage data from 2023 to 2025.
- NOC codes on the list
- 186
- 2x level
- 31 +70 for experience, 100 for a job offer
- 1.5x level
- 89 +40 for experience, 70 for a job offer
- 1.3x level
- 66 +20 for experience, 50 for a job offer
- Comes into effect
- Nov 3, 2026
- Wage data
- 2023–2025
Source: IRCC, “High-wage occupations and how we assess them”, page dated . List retrieved . DrawRelay copies the codes and titles as published and adds the search, TEER and points; IRCC’s page is the official version.
How the points work: Express Entry changes on November 3, 2026. Both scores for a profile: CRS calculator.
Search the list
The list has three levels, one table each: 2x, 1.5x and 1.3x. Search by NOC code or occupation title, or filter by level or occupational category. An occupation that is not in any table is not on IRCC’s list. Qualifying Canadian work experience in an occupation that is not on the list still earns work-length points, but no high-wage points, and a job offer in it earns no CRS job offer points.
2x level, 31 occupations
+70 points for 12 months of Canadian work in these occupations, or 100 points for a qualifying job offer in one of them.
| NOC | Occupation | TEER |
|---|---|---|
| 00011 | Senior government managers and officials | 0 |
| 00012 | Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services | 0 |
| 00013 | Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations | 0 |
| 10010 | Financial managers | 0 |
| 10011 | Human resources managers | 0 |
| 10012 | Purchasing managers | 0 |
| 10020 | Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers | 0 |
| 10021 | Banking, credit and other investment managers | 0 |
| 20010 | Engineering managers | 0 |
| 20011 | Architecture and science managers | 0 |
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers | 0 |
| 21330 | Mining engineers | 1 |
| 21332 | Petroleum engineers | 1 |
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 1 |
| 31101 | Specialists in surgery | 1 |
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians | 1 |
| 31103 | Veterinarians | 1 |
| 31302 | Nurse practitioners | 1 |
| 31303 | Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 1 |
| 40010 | Government managers - health and social policy development and program administration | 0 |
| 40011 | Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration | 0 |
| 40012 | Government managers - education policy development and program administration | 0 |
| 40019 | Other managers in public administration | 0 |
| 40040 | Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services | 0 |
| 40041 | Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers | 0 |
| 41100 | Judges | 1 |
| 41101 | Lawyers and Quebec notaries | 1 |
| 41200 | University professors and lecturers | 1 |
| 60010 | Corporate sales managers | 0 |
| 80010 | Managers in natural resources production and fishing | 0 |
| 90011 | Utilities managers | 0 |
1.5x level, 89 occupations
+40 points for 12 months of Canadian work in these occupations, or 70 points for a qualifying job offer in one of them.
| NOC | Occupation | TEER |
|---|---|---|
| 00014 | Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services | 0 |
| 00015 | Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities | 0 |
| 10019 | Other administrative services managers | 0 |
| 10022 | Advertising, marketing and public relations managers | 0 |
| 10029 | Other business services managers | 0 |
| 10030 | Telecommunication carriers managers | 0 |
| 11103 | Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers | 1 |
| 11201 | Professional occupations in business management consulting | 1 |
| 21100 | Physicists and astronomers | 1 |
| 21102 | Geoscientists and oceanographers | 1 |
| 21103 | Meteorologists and climatologists | 1 |
| 21109 | Other professional occupations in physical sciences | 1 |
| 21111 | Forestry professionals | 1 |
| 21120 | Public and environmental health and safety professionals | 1 |
| 21202 | Urban and land use planners | 1 |
| 21210 | Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries | 1 |
| 21211 | Data scientists | 1 |
| 21220 | Cybersecurity specialists | 1 |
| 21221 | Business systems specialists | 1 |
| 21222 | Information systems specialists | 1 |
| 21223 | Database analysts and data administrators | 1 |
| 21230 | Computer systems developers and programmers | 1 |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers | 1 |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers | 1 |
| 21300 | Civil engineers | 1 |
| 21301 | Mechanical engineers | 1 |
| 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers | 1 |
| 21311 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | 1 |
| 21320 | Chemical engineers | 1 |
| 21321 | Industrial and manufacturing engineers | 1 |
| 21322 | Metallurgical and materials engineers | 1 |
| 21331 | Geological engineers | 1 |
| 21390 | Aerospace engineers | 1 |
| 21399 | Other professional engineers | 1 |
| 22231 | Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers | 2 |
| 22312 | Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics | 2 |
| 30010 | Managers in health care | 0 |
| 31110 | Dentists | 1 |
| 31112 | Audiologists and speech-language pathologists | 1 |
| 31120 | Pharmacists | 1 |
| 31200 | Psychologists | 1 |
| 31202 | Physiotherapists | 1 |
| 31203 | Occupational therapists | 1 |
| 31300 | Nursing coordinators and supervisors | 1 |
| 31301 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 1 |
| 32111 | Dental hygienists and dental therapists | 2 |
| 40020 | Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training | 0 |
| 40021 | School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education | 0 |
| 40030 | Managers in social, community and correctional services | 0 |
| 40042 | Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces | 0 |
| 41210 | College and other vocational instructors | 1 |
| 41220 | Secondary school teachers | 1 |
| 41221 | Elementary school and kindergarten teachers | 1 |
| 41310 | Police investigators and other investigative occupations | 1 |
| 41311 | Probation and parole officers | 1 |
| 41320 | Educational counsellors | 1 |
| 41401 | Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts | 1 |
| 41402 | Business development officers and market researchers and analysts | 1 |
| 41404 | Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 1 |
| 41407 | Program officers unique to government | 1 |
| 42100 | Police officers (except commissioned) | 2 |
| 42101 | Firefighters | 2 |
| 50010 | Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers | 0 |
| 50011 | Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts | 0 |
| 51100 | Librarians | 1 |
| 70010 | Construction managers | 0 |
| 70012 | Facility operation and maintenance managers | 0 |
| 70020 | Managers in transportation | 0 |
| 70021 | Postal and courier services managers | 0 |
| 72011 | Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 2 |
| 72012 | Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades | 2 |
| 72023 | Supervisors, railway transport operations | 2 |
| 72103 | Boilermakers | 2 |
| 72202 | Power system electricians | 2 |
| 72203 | Electrical power line and cable workers | 2 |
| 72301 | Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers | 2 |
| 72406 | Elevator constructors and mechanics | 2 |
| 72600 | Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors | 2 |
| 72601 | Air traffic controllers and related occupations | 2 |
| 72604 | Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators | 2 |
| 73310 | Railway and yard locomotive engineers | 3 |
| 82020 | Supervisors, mining and quarrying | 2 |
| 82021 | Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services | 2 |
| 83101 | Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers | 3 |
| 90010 | Manufacturing managers | 0 |
| 92011 | Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities | 2 |
| 92100 | Power engineers and power systems operators | 2 |
| 93100 | Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing | 3 |
| 93101 | Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing | 3 |
1.3x level, 66 occupations
+20 points for 12 months of Canadian work in these occupations, or 50 points for a qualifying job offer in one of them.
| NOC | Occupation | TEER |
|---|---|---|
| 00010 | Legislators | 0 |
| 11100 | Financial auditors and accountants | 1 |
| 11101 | Financial and investment analysts | 1 |
| 11102 | Financial advisors | 1 |
| 11109 | Other financial officers | 1 |
| 11200 | Human resources professionals | 1 |
| 12201 | Insurance adjusters and claims examiners | 2 |
| 12203 | Assessors, business valuators and appraisers | 2 |
| 21101 | Chemists | 1 |
| 21110 | Biologists and related scientists | 1 |
| 21112 | Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists | 1 |
| 21200 | Architects | 1 |
| 21201 | Landscape architects | 1 |
| 21203 | Land surveyors | 1 |
| 21234 | Web developers and programmers | 1 |
| 22214 | Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology | 2 |
| 22232 | Occupational health and safety specialists | 2 |
| 22233 | Construction inspectors | 2 |
| 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 2 |
| 22313 | Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors | 2 |
| 31121 | Dietitians and nutritionists | 1 |
| 32102 | Paramedical occupations | 2 |
| 32103 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 2 |
| 32120 | Medical laboratory technologists | 2 |
| 32121 | Medical radiation technologists | 2 |
| 32122 | Medical sonographers | 2 |
| 41300 | Social workers | 1 |
| 41400 | Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 1 |
| 41403 | Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 1 |
| 41405 | Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers | 1 |
| 41409 | Other professional occupations in social science | 1 |
| 43201 | Correctional service officers | 3 |
| 43203 | Border services, customs, and immigration officers | 3 |
| 50012 | Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors | 0 |
| 51101 | Conservators and curators | 1 |
| 51102 | Archivists | 1 |
| 51111 | Authors and writers (except technical) | 1 |
| 51112 | Technical writers | 1 |
| 51120 | Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations | 1 |
| 52112 | Broadcast technicians | 2 |
| 60020 | Retail and wholesale trade managers | 0 |
| 60031 | Accommodation service managers | 0 |
| 60040 | Managers in customer and personal services | 0 |
| 72010 | Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations | 2 |
| 72013 | Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades | 2 |
| 72014 | Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers | 2 |
| 72020 | Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades | 2 |
| 72021 | Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews | 2 |
| 72102 | Sheet metal workers | 2 |
| 72105 | Ironworkers | 2 |
| 72201 | Industrial electricians | 2 |
| 72302 | Gas fitters | 2 |
| 72320 | Bricklayers | 2 |
| 72321 | Insulators | 2 |
| 72401 | Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 2 |
| 72403 | Railway carmen/women | 2 |
| 72404 | Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors | 2 |
| 72500 | Crane operators | 2 |
| 72602 | Deck officers, water transport | 2 |
| 72603 | Engineer officers, water transport | 2 |
| 73311 | Railway conductors and brakemen/women | 3 |
| 82010 | Supervisors, logging and forestry | 2 |
| 83100 | Underground production and development miners | 3 |
| 83120 | Fishing masters and officers | 3 |
| 92010 | Supervisors, mineral and metal processing | 2 |
| 93102 | Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators | 3 |
TEER is the second digit of a NOC code: TEER 0, management occupations; TEER 1, usually a university degree; TEER 2, usually a college diploma or apprenticeship of two years or more, or supervisory duties; TEER 3, usually a college diploma or apprenticeship of less than two years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. All 186 occupations on the list are in TEER 0 to 3 (43 in TEER 0, 81 in TEER 1, 52 in TEER 2 and 10 in TEER 3). Each row can be linked to directly, for example #noc-21231.
CRS points by level
From November 3, 2026, an occupation’s level sets the points for both options of the new Labour Market Integration factor of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): Canadian work experience, or a qualifying job offer. IRCC counts only the option that gives more points; the two are never added together.
| Level of the occupation | 12+ months of Canadian work | Job offer |
|---|---|---|
| 2x level Median wage at least twice the average median wage; 31 NOC codes | +70 | 100 |
| 1.5x level Median wage at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage; 89 NOC codes | +40 | 70 |
| 1.3x level Median wage at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage; 66 NOC codes | +20 | 50 |
| Not on the list Any occupation that is not on IRCC’s list | +0 | 0 |
- The experience points are added to work-length points for Canadian work experience (40 to 80 for 1 to 5 or more years, or 35 to 70 with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner). The Canadian work experience option is capped at 150 points, or 140 with an accompanying spouse or partner.
- 12 months means at least 1,560 hours, continuous or not, full-time or an equal amount of part-time. Months can be combined across listed occupations: for the 40 points, months in 2x and 1.5x occupations count together. When jobs overlap, hours count up to 30 a week.
- A job offer must be valid under Express Entry and in a listed occupation. From November 3, 2026, a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not needed for the offer to count, and having one adds no points.
Worked examples and the work-length table: Express Entry changes on November 3, 2026.
What counts as a high-wage occupation
Under Express Entry, IRCC considers an occupation high-wage when the median wage of everyone in Canada working under the same National Occupational Classification (NOC) code is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. IRCC states that this is not determined by a person’s specific job position or salary: the level belongs to the NOC code, and every job coded under it has the same level.
IRCC groups the occupations into three levels by median wage: at least twice the average median wage; at least 1.5 times, but less than twice, the average median wage; and at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the average median wage.
The list is separate from the “high-wage” stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, where the Labour Market Impact Assessment stream an employer uses depends on the wage offered for a specific position, compared with a wage threshold for the province or territory.
Frequently checked occupations
Similar jobs can have different NOC codes and different levels, so the code matters more than the job title. The levels below come from the list on this page.
| NOC | Occupation | Level and points |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | ||
| 72200 | Electricians (except industrial and power system) | Not on the list |
| 72201 | Industrial electricians | 1.3x +20 experience, 50 job offer |
| 72202 | Power system electricians | 1.5x +40 experience, 70 job offer |
| Plumbing and pipe trades | ||
| 72300 | Plumbers | Not on the list |
| 72301 | Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers | 1.5x +40 experience, 70 job offer |
| 72302 | Gas fitters | 1.3x +20 experience, 50 job offer |
| Other trades and transport | ||
| 72310 | Carpenters | Not on the list |
| 72106 | Welders and related machine operators | Not on the list |
| 73300 | Transport truck drivers | Not on the list |
| Nursing | ||
| 31302 | Nurse practitioners | 2x +70 experience, 100 job offer |
| 31301 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 1.5x +40 experience, 70 job offer |
| 32101 | Licensed practical nurses | Not on the list |
| Technology | ||
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers | 2x +70 experience, 100 job offer |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers | 1.5x +40 experience, 70 job offer |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers | 1.5x +40 experience, 70 job offer |
| 21234 | Web developers and programmers | 1.3x +20 experience, 50 job offer |
| 21233 | Web designers | Not on the list |
| Finance | ||
| 11100 | Financial auditors and accountants | 1.3x +20 experience, 50 job offer |
| Food services | ||
| 62200 | Chefs | Not on the list |
| 63200 | Cooks | Not on the list |
Titles of occupations that are not on the list are NOC 2021 titles from Employment and Social Development Canada. Canadian work experience in them can still earn work-length points.
By occupational category
The first digit of a NOC code is its broad occupational category. Counts of listed occupations in each category:
| Category | Listed | 2x | 1.5x | 1.3x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative and senior management occupations Codes starting with 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Business, finance and administration occupations Codes starting with 1 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Natural and applied sciences and related occupations Codes starting with 2 | 45 | 5 | 28 | 12 |
| Health occupations Codes starting with 3 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services Codes starting with 4 | 32 | 9 | 16 | 7 |
| Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport Codes starting with 5 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Sales and service occupations Codes starting with 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations Codes starting with 7 | 34 | 0 | 16 | 18 |
| Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations Codes starting with 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Occupations in manufacturing and utilities Codes starting with 9 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| All categories | 186 | 31 | 89 | 66 |
IRCC’s category-based rounds use their own lists of eligible occupations, separate from the high-wage list. Past rounds by category: healthcare, STEM, trades and education.
How IRCC builds and updates the list
- IRCC uses data from the last 3 years from Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and the Census of Population to set each occupation’s level.
- Each NOC gets the highest level its median wage met in those 3 years.
- The current list is based on data from 2023 to 2025.
- IRCC’s pages do not state how often the list will be updated.
If the list changes after an invitation
IRCC states that if the list changes after it issues an invitation to apply (ITA), it keeps using the level that applied on the date of the invitation. This applies whether an occupation moves to another level, is removed from the list or is added to it.
Versions of the list
- IRCC published the list: 186 NOC codes (31 at 2x, 89 at 1.5x and 66 at 1.3x), based on wage data from 2023 to 2025, coming into effect on November 3, 2026.
- Latest check by DrawRelay: the codes and levels on IRCC’s page match the version of October 16, 2026.
When IRCC changes the list, this page is rebuilt from the new version.
Frequently asked questions
What is a high-wage occupation in Express Entry?
IRCC defines a high-wage occupation as one whose median wage, across everyone in Canada working under that NOC code, is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. IRCC groups these occupations into three levels: at least 2 times, 1.5 to under 2 times, and 1.3 to under 1.5 times the average median wage.
How many occupations are on the high-wage list?
IRCC's list, on a page dated October 16, 2026, contains 186 NOC codes: 31 at the 2x level, 89 at the 1.5x level and 66 at the 1.3x level. All 186 are in TEER categories 0 to 3. The list takes effect on November 3, 2026.
How many CRS points does each level give?
From November 3, 2026, at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian work experience in listed occupations adds 70 points at the 2x level, 40 points at the 1.5x level or above, or 20 points at the 1.3x level or above, on top of work-length points. A qualifying job offer in a listed occupation gives 100, 70 or 50 points instead. Only the higher of the two options counts, up to 150 points, or 140 with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
Does my own salary decide whether my job counts as high-wage?
No. IRCC assesses the occupation, not the person: the level depends on the median wage of everyone in Canada working under the same NOC code, not on a candidate’s job position or salary.
What if my occupation is not on the list?
Qualifying Canadian work experience in a TEER 0 to 3 occupation still earns work-length points: 40 to 80 for 1 to 5 or more years, or 35 to 70 with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner. It earns no high-wage points, and a job offer in that occupation earns no CRS job offer points. For Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades eligibility, a valid job offer can still be in any eligible TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation that meets the program's requirements.
Can experience in different high-wage occupations be combined?
Yes. IRCC counts experience that is continuous or not, full-time or an equal amount of part-time, and combined across more than one listed occupation. The 70 points need 12 months in 2x occupations; otherwise, 40 points need 12 months combined in occupations at 1.5x or above, and 20 points need 12 months combined at 1.3x or above. When jobs overlap, hours count only up to 30 a week.
What happens if IRCC updates the list?
IRCC builds the list from Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census of Population data for the last 3 years, and each NOC gets the highest level its median wage met in that period; the current list uses 2023 to 2025 data. If the list changes after an invitation to apply, IRCC keeps using the level that applied on the invitation date, whether the occupation moved levels, was removed or was added. IRCC's pages do not state how often the list will be updated.
Sources
- High-wage occupations and how we assess them
- 2026 changes to points for Canadian work experience and job offers
- Backgrounder: Changes to Express Entry for high-wage occupations
- News release: Canada refocusing Express Entry on top talent that drives economic growth
- National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 search
Compare both rule sets for a profile
The CRS calculator estimates a Comprehensive Ranking System score under the grid in force before November 3, 2026 and under the rules from that date, side by side, including high-wage work experience and job offers.
Open the CRS calculator