What Are High-Wage Occupations in Canada Express Entry? Canada’s Express Entry system uses a list of high-wage occupations to classify certain jobs based on how much people working in those occupations earn across Canada. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), an occupation is considered high-wage when its national median wage is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the Canadian workforce. The classification is based on the occupation’s NOC code and national wage data, not on how much an individual earns. This means that even if your personal salary is high, your occupation may not qualify for the high-wage list. The updated list takes effect on November 3, 2026, and is based on wage data from 2023 to 2025. It divides occupations into three levels: The list includes jobs in management, healthcare, engineering, technology, finance, education and skilled trades. Below, you’ll find the complete list of high-wage NOCs, including their codes and occupation titles, grouped by level to make it easier to find your occupation. Important: Being included on the high-wage list does not automatically make you eligible for Express Entry or guarantee an invitation to apply. Always check the official IRCC high-wage occupations list and confirm your NOC based on your actual job duties. Level 1: Occupations earning at least twice the national median wage benchmark These occupations have a median wage at least twice the average median wage of the Canadian workforce. NOC code NOC description 00011 Senior government managers and officials 00012 Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services 00013 Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations 10010 Financial managers 10011 Human resources managers 10012 Purchasing managers 10020 Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers 10021 Banking, credit and other investment managers 20010 Engineering managers 20011 Architecture and science managers 20012 Computer and information systems managers 21330 Mining engineers 21332 Petroleum engineers 31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine 31101 Specialists in surgery 31102 General practitioners and family physicians 31103 Veterinarians 31302 Nurse practitioners 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals 40010 Government managers – health and social policy development and program administration 40011 Government managers – economic analysis, policy development and program administration 40012 Government managers – education policy development and program administration 40019 Other managers in public administration 40040 Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services 40041 Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers 41100 Judges 41101 Lawyers and Quebec notaries 41200 University professors and lecturers 60010 Corporate sales managers 80010 Managers in natural resources production and fishing 90011 Utilities managers Level 2: Occupations earning 1.5 to less than twice the national median wage benchmark NOC code NOC description 00014 Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services 00015 Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities 10019 Other administrative services managers 10022 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers 10029 Other business services managers 10030 Telecommunication carriers managers 11103 Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers 11201 Professional occupations in business management consulting 21100 Physicists and astronomers 21102 Geoscientists and oceanographers 21103 Meteorologists and climatologists 21109 Other professional occupations in physical sciences 21111 Forestry professionals 21120 Public and environmental health and safety professionals 21202 Urban and land use planners 21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries 21211 Data scientists 21220 Cybersecurity specialists 21221 Business systems specialists 21222 Information systems specialists 21223 Database analysts and data administrators 21230 Computer systems developers and programmers 21231 Software engineers and designers 21232 Software developers and programmers 21300 Civil engineers 21301 Mechanical engineers 21310 Electrical and electronics engineers 21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) 21320 Chemical engineers 21321 Industrial and manufacturing engineers 21322 Metallurgical and materials engineers 21331 Geological engineers 21390 Aerospace engineers 21399 Other professional engineers 22231 Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers 22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics 30010 Managers in health care 31110 Dentists 31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists 31120 Pharmacists 31200 Psychologists 31202 Physiotherapists 31203 Occupational therapists 31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors 31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists 40020 Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training 40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education 40030 Managers in social, community and correctional services 40042 Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces 41210 College and other vocational instructors 41220 Secondary school teachers 41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers 41310 Police investigators and other investigative occupations 41311 Probation and parole officers 41320 Educational counsellors 41401 Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts 41402 Business development officers and market researchers and analysts 41404 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers 41407 Program officers unique to government 42100 Police officers (except commissioned) 42101 Firefighters 50010 Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers 50011 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts 51100 Librarians 70010 Construction managers 70012 Facility operation and maintenance managers 70020 Managers in transportation 70021 Postal and courier services managers 72011 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations 72012 Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades 72023 Supervisors, railway transport operations 72103 Boilermakers 72202 Power system electricians 72203 Electrical power line and cable workers 72301 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers 72406 Elevator constructors and mechanics 72600 Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors 72601 Air traffic controllers and related occupations 72604 Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators 73310 Railway and yard locomotive engineers 82020 Supervisors, mining and quarrying 82021 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services 83101 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers 90010 Manufacturing managers 92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities 92100 Power engineers and power systems operators 93100 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing 93101 Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing Level 3: Occupations earning 1.3 to less than 1.5 times the national median wage benchmark NOC code NOC description 00010 Legislators 11100 Financial auditors and accountants 11101 Financial and investment analysts 11102 Financial advisors 11109 Other financial officers 11200 Human resources professionals 12201 Insurance adjusters and
