Faster Work Permits: Canada Gives Priority to These Occupations
Applicants working in certain occupations identified as providing or supporting essential services in Canada may benefit from priority processing of their work permit applications.
This faster processing applies to employer-specific work permits, including:
- Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)–based work permits
- Francophone Mobility Program work permits
- International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits
This article explains which occupations are currently eligible for priority work permit processing, how eligible workers can benefit in practice, and how these occupations align with category-based selection under Express Entry.
Occupations Eligible for Priority Work Permit Processing
The essential occupations eligible for priority processing are listed below, along with their corresponding National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes.
These roles are mainly concentrated in specific sectors and reflect ongoing labour shortages in Canada, where employers have historically faced challenges in filling positions.
Healthcare occupations
| Occupation title | NOC code |
| Nursing coordinators and supervisors | 31300 |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 |
| Police investigators and other investigative occupations | 41310 |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 |
| Pharmacists | 31120 |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 |
| Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists | 32123 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 |
Agriculture and agri-food occupations
| Occupation title | NOC code |
| Butchers – Retail and wholesale | 63201 |
| Meat cutters and fishmongers – Retail and wholesale | 65202 |
| Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors | 82030 |
| Livestock labourers | 85100 |
| Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators | 84120 |
| Harvesting labourers | 85101 |
| Nursery and greenhouse labourers | 85103 |
| Fish and seafood plant workers | 94142 |
| Labourers in food and beverage processing | 95106 |
| Labourers in fish and seafood processing | 95107 |
| Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers | 94141 |
How can applicants in these occupations receive priority processing?
Occupation-based priority processing by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is not a separate program or application stream. Instead, it is applied automatically based on the details provided in your work permit application.
To be considered, you must apply for an employer-specific work permit in an eligible occupation, as identified in IRCC’s priority National Occupational Classification (NOC) lists.
In practice, applicants should:
- Use the correct NOC code that matches the job offer—the same NOC used by the employer in the Employer Portal or on the LMIA, if applicable.
- Enter only that NOC code in the work permit application form under “Job title” in the Details of intended work in Canada section (Box 4 on the PDF form).
- Keep all documents consistent, ensuring the job offer or LMIA, job duties, and NOC code align so the application can be properly assessed and routed.
Because this process is linked to a specific employer and occupation, it generally does not apply to open work permits—such as the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) or International Experience Canada (IEC) Working Holiday permit—which are not tied to a single employer or position.
Do workers in these occupations have an easier path to Canadian permanent residence?
Workers in these priority occupations who qualify under Express Entry may have a better chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
Some occupations eligible for expedited work permit processing are also included in Express Entry’s category-based selection draws. Candidates with valid Express Entry profiles who gain at least six months of work experience in these occupations—either in Canada or abroad—may receive ITAs with lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores compared with candidates who do not qualify under a targeted category.
- Healthcare occupations: Nearly all healthcare roles eligible for priority work permit processing are also included in the healthcare category of Express Entry, except Police investigators and other investigative occupations (NOC 41310).
Agriculture and agri-food occupations: Among the roles prioritized for work permit processing, only one—Butchers, retail and wholesale (NOC 63201)—is currently included in the corresponding Express Entry category.
