Canada has issued 3,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence to skilled tradespeople in the latest Express Entry category-based draw.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the draw on October 1, 2026, targeting candidates eligible under the Trade occupations category.
Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 476 to receive an invitation. For candidates at the CRS cut-off, the tie-breaking rule was May 28, 2026 at 16:55:23 UTC.
October 1 Express Entry Trades Draw
| Detail | Result |
| Date | October 1, 2026 |
| Draw type | Trade occupations |
| Invitations issued | 3,500 |
| CRS cut-off | 476 |
| Tie-breaking rule | May 28, 2026 at 16:55:23 UTC |
This was Canada’s second trades-focused Express Entry draw of 2026.
The first was held on April 2, 2026, when IRCC invited 3,000 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 477. This means IRCC has now issued 6,500 invitations to trades candidates in 2026.
| Date | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
| April 2, 2026 | 3,000 | 477 |
| October 1, 2026 | 3,500 | 476 |
The latest draw therefore issued 500 more invitations than the April round, while the CRS cut-off decreased by one point.
Who Can Qualify for the Trades Category?
Being a tradesperson does not automatically make someone eligible for this draw.
Candidates must first qualify for Express Entry through at least one of the three programs managed by the system:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP); or
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
They must then meet the requirements of the Trade occupations category.
Under the current IRCC requirements, a candidate must have accumulated at least 12 months of full-time work experience, or an equivalent amount of part-time experience, within the previous three years in a single occupation included in the eligible trades list.
The work experience does not have to be continuous and can have been obtained in Canada or abroad.
Which Trade Occupations Are Eligible?
IRCC’s current Trade occupations category includes a range of construction, industrial and technical occupations.
Examples include:
- Construction estimators — NOC 22303
- Construction managers — NOC 70010
- Home building and renovation managers — NOC 70011
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors — NOC 72100
- Sheet metal workers — NOC 72102
- Welders and related machine operators — NOC 72106
- Electricians — NOC 72200
- Industrial electricians — NOC 72201
- Plumbers — NOC 72300
- Gas fitters — NOC 72302
- Carpenters — NOC 72310
- Cabinetmakers — NOC 72311
- Bricklayers — NOC 72320
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics — NOC 72400
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics — NOC 72401
- Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics — NOC 72402
- Electrical mechanics — NOC 72422
- Water well drillers — NOC 72501
- Other technical trades and related occupations — NOC 72999
- Concrete finishers — NOC 73100
- Roofers and shinglers — NOC 73110
- Painters and decorators, except interior decorators — NOC 73112
- Floor covering installers — NOC 73113
- Contractors and supervisors in oil and gas drilling and services — NOC 82021
- Butchers, retail and wholesale — NOC 63201
The complete current category contains 25 occupations.
Does the Work Experience Have to Be in Canada?
No.
This is an important distinction between the trades category and some of Canada’s newer Express Entry categories.
For the Trade occupations category, qualifying work experience can have been obtained either in Canada or abroad, provided the candidate meets the current category requirements and is otherwise eligible for Express Entry.
For example, an electrician with qualifying work experience outside Canada could potentially qualify for a trades-category draw if the person also qualifies for one of the Express Entry programs and meets all other requirements.
However, having an eligible occupation by itself is not enough.
Trades Category Is Not the Same as the Federal Skilled Trades Program
Applicants should also understand the difference between the Trade occupations category and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
They are not the same thing.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is one of the three immigration programs managed through Express Entry.
The Trade occupations category, on the other hand, is a category-based selection mechanism that allows IRCC to target Express Entry candidates with qualifying work experience in specified occupations.
A candidate invited through a trades-category draw may therefore qualify for Express Entry through the CEC, FSWP or FSTP, provided the candidate also meets the requirements of the trades category.
Why Does the CRS Score Still Matter?
Meeting the occupational requirements does not guarantee an invitation.
IRCC first identifies candidates in the Express Entry pool who satisfy the requirements of the category. Those candidates are then ranked according to their CRS scores.
IRCC invites the highest-ranking eligible candidates until the number of invitations established for the round is reached.
In the October 1 draw, the cut-off was 476.
Therefore, an eligible tradesperson with a CRS score below 476 would not have received an invitation in this particular round.
What Does a CRS of 476 Mean for Tradespeople?
The October draw demonstrates why category-based selection can be particularly important for candidates in targeted occupations.
The most recent Canadian Experience Class draw, held on September 29, required a CRS score of 518 and issued 2,000 invitations.
Two days later, the trades-category draw invited 3,500 candidates at 476 — 42 points below the CEC cut-off.
This does not mean future trades draws will have a similar score. CRS cut-offs depend on factors including the number of invitations issued and the scores of eligible candidates in the pool.
A CRS score of 476 should therefore not be treated as a guaranteed threshold for future rounds.
What Should Tradespeople Do Now?
Candidates working in an eligible trade should first confirm their correct NOC code based on their actual job duties rather than relying only on their job title.
They should then determine:
- whether their occupation is currently included in the Trade occupations category;
- whether they have at least 12 months of qualifying experience within the previous three years;
- whether they qualify for the CEC, FSWP or FSTP;
- whether their language test results and other Express Entry documents are valid;
- what their current CRS score is; and
- whether there are realistic ways to improve that score.
Candidates should also keep their Express Entry profiles accurate and up to date. IRCC uses the information contained in the profile to determine whether a candidate qualifies for a category-based round.
What Happens After Receiving an ITA?
Receiving an Invitation to Apply is an important step, but it does not mean permanent residence has already been approved.
After receiving an ITA, candidates generally have 60 days to submit their complete permanent residence application through Express Entry.
IRCC will then assess the applicant’s program eligibility, category eligibility, the accuracy of the information provided in the Express Entry profile, supporting documents and admissibility to Canada.
Candidates should therefore make sure that their claimed work experience can be properly documented.
What Does the Draw Tell Us About Canada’s 2026 Immigration Priorities?
The October 1 draw confirms that skilled trades remain an active Express Entry category in 2026.
Canada has now invited 6,500 trades candidates through two dedicated trades rounds this year, compared with 3,000 invitations in the first round in April.
IRCC states that category-based selection is designed to help address identified economic priorities, with categories selected using labour-market information as well as input from provinces, territories and stakeholders.
For tradespeople, the key point is that Express Entry is no longer only about competing against every candidate in the pool.
Candidates with qualifying experience in an eligible trade can also be considered in dedicated category-based rounds.
However, they must still qualify for Express Entry, meet the specific trades-category requirements and have a CRS score high enough for the particular invitation round.
Bottom Line
Canada’s October 1 Express Entry draw issued 3,500 invitations to tradespeople with CRS scores of 476 or higher, making it the largest dedicated trades draw of 2026 so far.
For skilled workers such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, construction managers, heavy-duty equipment mechanics and other eligible tradespeople, category-based Express Entry can provide an important route toward Canadian permanent residence.
But having an eligible occupation alone is not enough.
Candidates must also qualify for an Express Entry program, satisfy the trades-category work experience requirements and rank high enough in the CRS to receive an invitation.
