- IRCC closed its 2027 Express Entry consultation on September 1, 2026, and now shows current status: Closed.
- The review included an H-1B pathway proposal tied to Budget 2025, but no launch date or rules were released.
- IRCC may keep education, trades, transport, health care, and STEM categories, though the list could shrink.
IRCC closed its consultation on the 2027 Express Entry categories on September 1, 2026, and left an H-1B pathway on the table. The page now says Current status: Closed.
The department said it was gathering input on “economic priorities and categories under consideration for 2027.” The clock has stopped. Its focus included labour shortages, attracting and retaining top talent, and supporting Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
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Budget 2025 ties the review to a separate promise: launch “an accelerated pathway for H-1B visa holders” working in specialty occupations in the United States. That promise is still under review. The goal is to strengthen Canada’s innovation ecosystem, address labour shortages, and attract top talent in STEM, health care, research, advanced industries and other key sectors.
IRCC also named the categories it could carry forward from 2026. They included education occupations, trades occupations, transport occupations, health care and social services occupations, and STEM occupations. The list could shrink.
The department said it was also weighing whether to narrow the number or eligibility of categories for 2027. That leaves the selection rules open. It also means the H-1B idea remains a proposal, not a program.
IRCC put the 2027 review into a closed window
| Item | Official fact |
|---|---|
| Consultation title | “2026 consultations on economic priorities for category-based selection in Express Entry” |
| Opened | August 4, 2026 |
| Closed | September 1, 2026 |
| Status | Current status: Closed |
| Broad priorities | Addressing labour shortages; attracting and retaining top talent; supporting Francophone immigration outside Quebec |
| Talent items under review | Researchers; Global Talent Stream-linked talent; candidates aligned with the International Talent Attraction Strategy; H-1B holders |
| H-1B framing | Foreign workers based in the United States in specialty occupations |
The H-1B item sat inside a wider talent push. IRCC described the target group as foreign workers based in the United States in specialty occupations. It also placed researchers, Global Talent Stream-linked talent, and candidates aligned with the International Talent Attraction Strategy in the same review.
The official page does not give eligibility rules yet. It does not give launch timing either. It does not give final category details for any H-1B-specific route.
The department also drew a line around a different file. It said it was not currently seeking input related to potential Express Entry reforms because that separate consultation had already closed in May 2026 after more than 17,000 submissions.
That leaves the next step with IRCC. As of September 3, 2026, the consultation page is closed, and the agency is analyzing input rather than collecting more feedback. A final 2027 list has not been published.
