Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held Express Entry Draw 402 on March 5, 2026 – the first-ever invitation round for the Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience category. IRCC issued 250 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates under this new category, with a minimum CRS cut-off of 429 and a tie-breaking date of August 19, 2025.
Draw 402 is a landmark in the evolution of Canada’s Express Entry system. For the first time, senior executives, vice presidents, and C-suite professionals in NOC codes 00012 through 00015 who have Canadian work experience have their own dedicated immigration pathway – one that clears at a CRS of 429, well below the 508 threshold needed for CEC draws and even below the 467 required for recent healthcare draws. It is a draw that would have seemed implausible in 2023, when senior managers with strong profiles but no provincial nomination routinely sat in the pool at 460 – 490 waiting for draws that never reached them.
Draw 402 rounds off what has been the most active week in 2026 Express Entry activity to date: a PNP draw on March 2, a CEC draw on March 3, a French-language draw on March 4, and now this Senior Managers draw on March 5 – four consecutive daily draws across four completely separate candidate populations. Together, Draws 399 through 402 issued 10,014 ITAs in four days.
Key Details of Express Entry Draw 402
| Draw Number | 402 |
| Date | March 5, 2026 |
| Category | Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience (2026 – Version 1) |
| Invitations Issued | 250 |
| CRS Cut-off Score | 429 |
| Tie-breaking Rule | August 19, 2025, at 15:10:18 UTC |
Four Draws in Four Days: March 2–5, 2026
The week of March 2–5, 2026 produced four consecutive Express Entry draws across four distinct categories:
• March 2 – Draw 399 (PNP): 264 ITAs at CRS 710
• March 3 – Draw 400 (CEC): 4,000 ITAs at CRS 508
• March 4 – Draw 401 (French-Language Proficiency): 5,500 ITAs at CRS 397
• March 5 – Draw 402 (Senior Managers): 250 ITAs at CRS 429
This sequence perfectly illustrates the architecture of category-based selection: each draw operates on a completely separate sub-pool of eligible candidates, so issuing four draws in four days does not create competition between categories. A senior manager who received an ITA in Draw 402 at CRS 429 did not compete against the French-language candidates who received ITAs the day before at CRS 397, nor against the CEC candidates at 508 the day before that. Every candidate in every draw was assessed only against others eligible for the same category.
The combined total of 10,014 ITAs across the four draws demonstrates that IRCC is running category-based selection as a parallel, high-throughput system – not a replacement for high-volume draws but an addition to them.
Complete Summary of Express Entry Draws in 2026
| Draw # | Date | Category | CRS | ITAs |
| 402 | Mar 5 | Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 429 | 250 |
| 401 | Mar 4 | French-Language Proficiency (Version 2) | 397 | 5,500 |
| 400 | Mar 3 | Canadian Experience Class | 508 | 4,000 |
| 399 | Mar 2 | Provincial Nominee Program | 710 | 264 |
| 398 | Feb 20 | Healthcare & Social Services (Version 3) | 467 | 4,000 |
| 397 | Feb 19 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 169 | 391 |
| 396 | Feb 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 508 | 6,000 |
| 395 | Feb 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 789 | 279 |
| 394 | Feb 6 | French-Language Proficiency (Version 2) | 400 | 8,500 |
| 393 | Feb 3 | Provincial Nominee Program | 749 | 423 |
| 392 | Jan 21 | Canadian Experience Class | 509 | 6,000 |
| 391 | Jan 20 | Provincial Nominee Program | 746 | 681 |
| 390 | Jan 7 | Canadian Experience Class | 511 | 8,000 |
| 389 | Jan 5 | Provincial Nominee Program | 711 | 574 |
2026 Express Entry ITAs by Category (as of March 5, 2026)
| Category | Draws | ITAs Issued | % of Total |
| Canadian Experience Class | 4 | 24,000 | 49.3% |
| French-Language Proficiency | 2 | 14,000 | 28.8% |
| Healthcare and Social Services | 1 | 4,000 | 8.2% |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 5 | 2,241 | 4.6% |
| Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 391 | 0.8% |
| Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 250 | 0.5% |
| Total | 14 | 44,882 | 100% |
The Senior Managers category accounts for just 250 of the 44,882 ITAs issued in 2026 – a small share by volume, but one that carries outsized significance for the narrow pool of candidates it serves. For senior executives who have spent years in Canada’s Express Entry pool unable to receive an ITA, 250 invitations in the very first draw of this category is a meaningful start. Future draws will determine whether IRCC scales up invitation volumes or maintains targeted, low-volume rounds.
Why Draw 402 Is Historic: Senior Managers Enter Express Entry
The Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience category was introduced as part of IRCC’s February 18, 2026 overhaul of the category-based selection framework – the same announcement that introduced the Researchers, Transport, and Skilled Military Recruits categories. The introduction of a Senior Managers category addresses a structural problem that had existed in Express Entry since its launch in 2015.
The core problem was this: senior executives often have excellent human capital factors – graduate education, strong language scores, and many years of skilled work experience – but their CRS scores frequently plateau in the 450–490 range due to age penalties. Most C-suite and VP-level professionals are in their late 30s to 50s, which means they receive significantly reduced age points compared to candidates in their 20s. Without a provincial nomination or arranged employment points (which were removed from the CRS in 2025), these candidates had no mechanism to push their scores above the CEC threshold. They were stuck – highly qualified, clearly economic assets to Canada, but unreachable by the draw system.
The Senior Managers category solves this by pulling NOC 00 candidates out of the general pool and evaluating them against a much smaller, more homogeneous group. At 429, Draw 402’s CRS is 79 points below the CEC threshold and 33 points below the healthcare draw threshold. For senior executives with profiles in the 420–450 range, this draw represents the clearest pathway to permanent residence that has ever been available to them through Express Entry.
Who Qualifies: Eligible NOC Codes and Occupations
The Four Eligible Senior Manager NOC Codes
Draw 402 is limited to candidates with at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in one of the following four NOC codes within the last three years:
| NOC Code | Occupation Title |
| 00012 | Senior managers – trade, broadcasting, and other services, n.e.c. |
| 00013 | Senior managers – financial, communications, and other business services |
| 00014 | Senior managers – health, education, social and community services, and membership organizations |
| 00015 | Senior managers – construction, transportation, production, and utilities |
These are all NOC TEER 0 codes at the very top of Canada’s occupational classification hierarchy – the 00 series, which represents the most senior level of management across all sectors of the economy. Together, these four NOC codes cover senior executives in virtually every industry in Canada: construction, transportation, manufacturing, utilities, retail, media, financial services, healthcare systems, educational institutions, not-for-profit organisations, and the military.
The Critical Distinction: NOC 00 vs. NOC 10
The most important eligibility issue for this category is correctly distinguishing NOC 00 senior managers from NOC 10 managers – a distinction IRCC officers scrutinise closely, and one that applicants frequently misunderstand. Draw 402 is restricted to NOC 00 codes. NOC 10 codes (general managers and managers) are not eligible:
| NOC Level | TEER 0 – NOC 00 (Senior Managers) | TEER 0 – NOC 10 (Managers) |
| Scope of authority | Establishes organization-wide or division-wide policies | Manages a specific department or function |
| Reporting structure | Reports to Board of Directors or CEO/owner | Reports to senior management or executives |
| Decision-making | Final authority on major strategic and financial decisions | Implements decisions made above them |
| Typical titles | CEO, COO, CFO, President, VP (large org) | Director, Manager, Department Head |
| Examples | VP of Finance at a national corporation | Finance Manager at a regional office |
| Eligible for Draw 402? | YES – if in NOC 00012–00015 | NO – NOC 10 codes are not included |
The defining characteristic of a NOC 00 role is establishment of organisation-wide or division-wide policy at the highest level. A VP of Operations at a national company who sets corporate strategy and reports directly to the CEO or Board likely qualifies for NOC 00015. A Regional Operations Manager at the same company who implements strategy decided above them almost certainly qualifies for NOC 10010 or 10019, not NOC 00015. The title alone does not determine the NOC code – the scope of authority, decision-making power, and reporting structure are the determining factors. Misclassifying a NOC 10 role as NOC 00 is one of the most common errors in senior manager applications and is a ground for refusal.
Eligibility Requirements for the Senior Managers Category
To qualify for the Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience category, candidates must meet all of the following at the time of application:
• At least 12 months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) Canadian work experience within the last three years in a qualifying NOC 00 occupation (NOC 00012, 00013, 00014, or 00015)
• The work experience must have been gained while the candidate was authorised to work in Canada – on a valid work permit (employer-specific or open), as a permanent resident, or as a Canadian citizen
• Hold an active Express Entry profile under at least one eligible program: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• Meet all other requirements of the Express Entry program under which the profile is filed – including language minimums, education requirements (for FSWP), and any other program-specific criteria
• Intend to reside outside Quebec – candidates planning to settle in Quebec are managed under the Quebec immigration system
Note that the 12-month minimum work experience for this category reflects IRCC’s February 18, 2026 update that raised the minimum from 6 months to 12 months across all renewed categories. This change affects candidates who may have qualified under the previous 6-month threshold – profiles already in the pool at the time of the change were not automatically grandfathered, so verifying current eligibility is important.
Pool Composition and the 429 CRS in Context
| CRS Score Range | Number of Candidates |
| 601–1200 | 258 |
| 501–600 | 14,031 |
| 491–500 | 13,321 |
| 481–490 | 12,678 |
| 471–480 | 15,415 |
| 461–470 | 15,099 |
| 451–460 | 15,167 |
| 401–450 | 65,868 |
| 441–450 | 14,334 |
| 431–440 | 14,481 |
| 421–430 | 12,746 |
| 411–420 | 12,511 |
| 401–410 | 11,796 |
| 351–400 | 53,727 |
| 301–350 | 18,694 |
| 0–300 | 8,276 |
| Total | 232,534 |
Draw 402’s cut-off of 429 sits squarely in the 421–430 band, which contains 12,746 candidates. However, not all of these candidates are eligible for this category – only those with qualifying NOC 00 Canadian work experience in the last three years. The eligible Senior Managers sub-pool is almost certainly a fraction of the total 421–430 band population, which is why IRCC was able to issue ITAs to eligible candidates at 429 with just 250 invitations.
This is the essential dynamic of category-based draws: the CRS cut-off in a category draw reflects the competitive threshold within the eligible sub-pool, not the general pool. A senior manager with a CRS of 429 would not have received an ITA in a CEC draw (which requires 508) – but within a pool of perhaps a few thousand eligible NOC 00 candidates, 429 is a competitive score. As more NOC 00 candidates with Canadian experience enter the pool and are drawn, future cut-off scores will depend on both draw volume and the size of the eligible sub-pool.
What Draw 402 Means for Senior Managers in Canada
For senior executives currently in Canada on employer-specific work permits, intra-company transfer permits, or open work permits who have been building Canadian experience, Draw 402 represents a fundamental change in their permanent residence options:
• If you are in a genuine NOC 00 role and have accumulated 12 months of Canadian work experience within the last three years, you are now potentially eligible for a dedicated Express Entry category that cleared at CRS 429 – approximately 79 points below the CEC threshold
• If you have been waiting for a PNP nomination as your primary path to permanent residence, the Senior Managers category now offers a parallel federal pathway that does not require provincial involvement
• If your CRS is currently in the 420–440 range and you had previously assumed you were too far below the CEC threshold to receive an ITA in the foreseeable future, your profile should be reassessed against this category’s requirements
• If you work in healthcare, education, social services, financial services, communications, construction, transportation, utilities, broadcasting, or trade industries at the senior management level, your sector is explicitly covered by one of the four eligible NOC codes
The 250 ITAs issued in Draw 402 represent the first, exploratory round of this category. The CRS of 429 and the volume suggest a relatively small but highly qualified eligible pool. Future draws – and their CRS and volume trends – will indicate whether IRCC intends to scale this category into a higher-volume pathway or maintain it as a targeted, low-volume stream. Based on the pattern seen with the Physicians category (which began with 391 ITAs in its first draw), it is likely that Senior Manager draw sizes will grow as IRCC builds confidence in the category’s pool depth and eligible candidate quality.
Documentation: Proving NOC 00 Work Experience
The most critical and challenging aspect of a Senior Managers application is proving that the work experience genuinely qualifies under NOC 00. The documentation requirements are the same as for other Express Entry categories – employment reference letters and supporting evidence – but the bar for what those documents must demonstrate is significantly higher than for most other occupations.
A complete NOC 00 work experience package should include:
• A detailed employment reference letter on official company letterhead, signed by your direct supervisor (typically the CEO, Board Chair, or equivalent), confirming: your official job title, your NOC code, your start and end dates, your hours worked per week, your annual salary or compensation, and – critically – a detailed description of your duties and responsibilities that specifically demonstrates establishment of organisation-wide or division-wide policy
• Organisational charts showing your position relative to the Board of Directors, CEO, and the managers who reported to you – these are essential to demonstrate both your seniority and reporting structure
• Supporting corporate documentation where available: board resolutions you authored or approved, strategic plans under your authorship, annual reports listing you in the executive team, press releases announcing your appointment, or LinkedIn profiles and company websites showing your executive role
• T4 slips and notices of assessment for the relevant tax years, confirming your employment income and the employer’s identity – these corroborate the dates and compensation stated in your reference letter
• If the organisation has been restructured, acquired, or rebranded during your tenure, documentation of corporate continuity such as acquisition announcements, name change filings, or corporate registry records
IRCC officers reviewing Senior Manager applications are specifically trained to identify title inflation – cases where a candidate’s actual duties correspond to NOC 10 rather than NOC 00, even if their title contains words like ‘Vice President’, ‘Executive’, or ‘Senior’. The duties description in the reference letter is the most scrutinised element of the entire application. Vague or generic descriptions of management responsibilities are a red flag; specific descriptions of policy-setting authority, governance involvement, and strategic decision-making are what IRCC is looking for.
What to Do After Receiving a Senior Managers ITA
Candidates who received an ITA in Draw 402 have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application. In addition to the standard Express Entry application requirements, Senior Manager applicants should prioritise the following:
• Begin gathering NOC 00 documentation immediately – reference letters from current and previous executives, organisational charts, and corporate documents should be requested as soon as the ITA is received, as these take the longest to compile and may require coordination with HR, board secretaries, or legal counsel
• Arrange language test results: if applying under CEC, minimum CLB 7 (TEER 0/1 occupations); under FSWP, minimum CLB scores per the six-factor assessment – ensure tests are within their validity period
• For FSWP applicants: have your foreign educational credentials assessed by an IRCC-approved Educational Credential Assessment organisation if claiming foreign education points
• Arrange your medical examination with an IRCC-designated physician – results are valid for 12 months, so schedule promptly
• Obtain police clearance certificates from Canada and all countries where you have lived for 6 months or more since age 18
• Prepare a detailed personal history document – IRCC requires a complete account of all activities (work, study, other) for the 10 years prior to the application date, with no unexplained gaps
Given the complexity and scrutiny of NOC 00 documentation, Senior Manager applicants more than almost any other Express Entry category benefit from working with a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer to review their documentation before submission. A poorly documented reference letter – even from a genuinely qualifying executive – can result in a procedural fairness letter or refusal that derails an otherwise strong application.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am a VP at a mid-size company with about 200 employees. Does my role qualify for NOC 00?
It depends entirely on the scope of your authority, not the size of your company. Company size is not a determining factor in NOC 00 classification – what matters is whether you establish organisation-wide or major division-wide policy and report to the Board of Directors or the company’s principal owner. A VP who has genuine policy-setting authority at a 200-person company may qualify for NOC 00, while a VP at a 10,000-person corporation who manages a single function within a business unit may only qualify for NOC 10. The key questions to ask are: Do you set policies that govern the entire organisation or a major division? Do you report directly to the CEO or Board? Do you have final authority on major strategic, financial, or operational decisions without requiring approval from another manager above you? If the honest answer to these questions is yes, a detailed reference letter demonstrating this scope of authority will be the foundation of a qualifying application.
My employer is a Canadian subsidiary of a foreign parent company. Does my Canadian work experience count?
Yes, provided the work was performed in Canada while you were authorised to work here. Canadian work experience for Express Entry purposes means work performed in Canada – not work for a Canadian company from abroad. If you have been physically present in Canada working for the Canadian subsidiary on a valid work permit and your role is a genuine NOC 00 position within the subsidiary’s organisational structure, that experience counts toward the 12-month requirement. Note that your reporting structure for NOC classification purposes is your position within the Canadian entity, not the global corporate hierarchy. A country manager or national president of the Canadian subsidiary who reports to an international CEO but has full decision-making authority over Canadian operations is a strong candidate for NOC 00 classification.
I have been in a NOC 00 role for 8 months in Canada but previously held a NOC 00 role for 3 years overseas. Can I combine these for the 12-month requirement?
No. The Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience category specifically requires at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in a qualifying NOC 00 occupation within the last three years. Overseas work experience, even in an equivalent or more senior role, does not count toward this requirement. If you have 8 months of Canadian NOC 00 experience, you will need to accumulate 4 more months of Canadian qualifying work before you meet the minimum threshold. However, your overseas NOC 00 experience is not irrelevant – it contributes to your CRS score through the work experience factor and can be included in your FSWP profile, potentially qualifying you for FSWP eligibility while you complete the Canadian experience requirement for this category.
Were arranged employment points relevant for senior managers before this category existed?
Arranged employment points were removed from the CRS in 2025, so they are no longer a factor in any Express Entry draw. Before their removal, a valid LMIA-supported job offer in a NOC TEER 0 position added 200 CRS points – which would theoretically have helped senior managers push above the general pool threshold. In practice, very few senior executive roles come with LMIA support because most executives enter Canada through intra-company transfer work permits under the International Mobility Program, which are LMIA-exempt. The removal of arranged employment points therefore had a disproportionate impact on general skilled workers rather than senior managers. The introduction of the Senior Managers category is effectively a purpose-built replacement for that lost pathway – one that targets the same population more directly and with lower CRS thresholds than the old arranged employment mechanism ever provided.
How do I know if my work permit allows me to apply for permanent residence through this category?
Your work permit type does not in itself determine whether you can apply for permanent residence through Express Entry. What matters for Express Entry is whether you meet the eligibility requirements of the Senior Managers category and have a qualifying Express Entry profile. Most senior managers in Canada are on employer-specific work permits issued under the Intra-Company Transfer provision of the International Mobility Program, or on CUSMA/USMCA work permits for US and Mexican nationals. All of these permit types authorise work in Canada, meaning experience gained on these permits counts toward the Canadian work experience requirement. You can create an Express Entry profile and apply for permanent residence regardless of your specific work permit type, as long as you meet all program eligibility criteria and your permit is valid.
What is the process if I received an ITA but my current employer does not want me to disclose my permanent residence application?
Applying for permanent residence through Express Entry is a personal decision and you are not legally required to disclose your application to your employer. The permanent residence process – including the ITA, application submission, medical examination, police checks, and final approval – is conducted privately between you and IRCC. Your employer is not notified unless you choose to tell them. However, gathering the required documentation – particularly the detailed employment reference letter – requires some cooperation from your employer or HR department. Many applicants navigate this by requesting standard employment verification letters without specifying their purpose, or by working with a senior trusted contact within the company. If confidentiality is a concern, a licensed immigration consultant can advise on strategies for document collection that minimise employer disclosure while ensuring application completeness.
The Bottom Line
Express Entry Draw 402 is historic: the first-ever invitation round dedicated exclusively to Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience. With 250 ITAs at a CRS of 429, it opens a permanent residence pathway for senior executives in NOC 00 occupations who have spent years qualifying for Canada’s immigration system but could not breach the CEC threshold. Coming on the fifth day of a four-draw week that produced 10,014 ITAs in total, it also underscores IRCC’s expanding use of category-based selection as a parallel, multi-stream system that can serve radically different candidate populations simultaneously.
For senior professionals currently in Canada in genuine NOC 00012 to 00015 roles, the message is clear: a dedicated Express Entry pathway now exists for you, and its first draw cleared at 429. The critical work ahead is understanding whether your role genuinely qualifies for NOC 00 classification, ensuring your Canadian work experience is accurately documented, and building an application that can withstand close IRCC scrutiny of your seniority and policy-setting authority.
At Earnest Immigration, our licensed consultants have experience assessing complex NOC classifications and preparing senior executive Express Entry applications. We help clients determine whether their role genuinely qualifies for NOC 00 before investing in an application, review reference letters and supporting documentation against IRCC standards, and guide complete applications through the 60-day ITA window. If you received an ITA in Draw 402 or are a senior manager building toward future draws, contact Earnest Immigration today for a comprehensive assessment.
