Federal immigration programs to Canada

Canada has several federal immigration programs. Their main advantage compared to provincial ones is that you can live and work anywhere in Canada.

The Canadian federal (main) government has developed several key immigration programs to attract professionals from other countries. If you meet the program requirements, you'll receive permanent resident status (PR) and can live in any Canadian province and city, except for the province of Quebec. Most immigrants choose to live in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, or Calgary.

The following federal immigration programs are available:

for skilled workers (Federal Skilled Worker);
for people who have already worked in Canada (Canadian Experience Class);
for skilled trades workers (Federal Skilled Trades).

Applications are submitted through the Express Entry system. Since April 2024, the federal government has stopped conducting general draws that invite candidates from the entire pool simply based on the highest CRS score — all of 2025 and the first half of 2026 passed without a single such round.

Instead, priority is given to candidates with Canadian work experience, provincial nominees, and participants in targeted category-based draws — for French language, healthcare, education, and skilled trades. In February 2026, the list of categories was updated: draws were added for doctors, senior executives, and researchers with Canadian experience, and the minimum required work experience for most categories increased from six months to one year.

In spring 2026, IRCC began consultations on merging the three federal programs — Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades — into a single program for highly skilled professionals, but no decision has been made yet: until it takes effect, all three programs continue to operate in their current form.

Taking the most popular program, for skilled workers, ideally the candidate should be young, have excellent English and/or French language skills, good education, and work experience gained in their home country. In our experience, there aren't that many such people. It's also worth noting that since March 25, 2025, having a job offer from a Canadian employer no longer gives additional CRS points — previously it added 50 to 200 points.

For candidates without Canadian work experience or a provincial nomination, it's easier to get into Canada through one of the category-based draws: for example, French language draws (NCLC level 7 and above) in 2025 had passing scores ranging from 379 to 481 — noticeably lower than in other categories.

The program for people who have already worked in Canada is only available to those who have already lived in Canada and worked there for at least 1 year. These are usually graduates of Canadian universities. This program remains one of the government's policy priorities: in 2025, 15 draws were held under it, inviting 35,850 candidates, with passing scores ranging from 515 to 547 in the CRS system. In 2026, draws continue with similar requirements — approximately 507 to 520 points. That's why immigration to Canada through education is very popular.

The program for skilled trades workers is available to people in trades occupations who have received a job offer from a Canadian employer or a certificate of qualification from one of the provinces. The list of occupations includes a wide range of specialties: electricians, cooks, butchers, construction workers, installers, welders, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, and others. Keep in mind that separate draws specifically for this category are rare — in 2025 there was only one such round (1,250 invitations with a passing score of 505), so skilled trades workers often find it more beneficial to consider provincial programs.

In 2025–2026, separate category-based draws with lower passing scores continue to be held — for French language, healthcare and social services, education, and skilled trades. Since February 2026, new categories have been added for doctors, senior executives, and researchers with Canadian experience, and the minimum required work experience for most categories has increased from six months to one year.