Ottawa, 08/04/2026 — Canada.
In the 2026-2028 Forward Regulatory Plan published on April 8, 2026, IRCC stated its intention to eliminate the three existing streams — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) — and merge them into a single unified stream called the Federal High-Skilled Class. The CRS points system will also be adjusted.
Structure of the New Federal High-Skilled Class
According to the Forward Regulatory Plan, the new stream will retain the CRS mechanism but simplify eligibility conditions. One of the qualifying factors will be at least one year of skilled Canadian work experience, or a validly verified job offer.
CRS will also be adjusted to give more weight to income, real demand across industries, and high-paying occupations. At the same time, the weight given to Canadian work experience under the current scoring method may be reduced.
Implementation Timeline
For now, the plan is only a statement of regulatory intent, not a formal regulation. The current Express Entry candidate pool is unaffected; the existing FSW, CEC and FST rules remain in effect until the new regulation is adopted.
Full implementation is expected within roughly 12-18 months from the date the intent was announced, though some CRS changes could take effect sooner. The regulatory process will go through consultation steps required under Canadian legislative procedure.
Expected Impact
For those preparing applications, IRCC recommends understanding the current FSW, CEC and FST requirements at the time of filing, while also following the department’s official updates. Changes to the stream structure and scoring method could affect application preparation strategy.
IRCC emphasized that detailed information on the eligibility requirements and rollout of the Federal High-Skilled Class will be published once the regulation is finalized. The final regulation may differ from the initial intent announced in the Forward Regulatory Plan.
References
This article is compiled from government sources. Immigration regulations and figures may change over time; you should check current information on the official website before making a decision.
