Canada 2026 Priority Work Permit Processing: Healthcare + Agri-Food Occupations 

Summary & key stats 

IRCC is prioritizing certain employer-specific work permit applications for people working in (or supporting) essential services—including a set of healthcare and agriculture/agri-food occupations.

Key stats from IRCC’s published list:

• Healthcare occupations listed: 18

• Agriculture & agri-food occupations listed: 11

• Important: This is about work permit processing speed (not PR approval)

• At QuestJobs, you can search and filter job listings as per priority occupations. 30,000 PR sponsored jobs for you  to apply to. 

---

What “priority work permit processing” actually is (IRCC)

IRCC states it is prioritizing certain work permit applications, and instructs applicants to use the NOC code their employer used (from the offer of employment or LMIA) and enter only the number in the “Job title” box (Details of intended work in Canada).

Quick eligibility notes (high level)

• This priority processing is tied to employer-specific work permits (not open work permits).

• IRCC also notes “even faster processing” may apply for provincial nominees in 3 specialist physician NOCs with a provincial/territorial support letter.

---

Priority Healthcare Occupations (NOC 2021)

Core nursing + clinical roles

• 31300 — Nursing coordinators and supervisors - 1,578 sponsored nursing jobs

• 31301 — Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses - Sponsored healthcare jobs

• 31100 — Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine - 416 sponsored clinical jobs

• 31101 — Specialists in surgery - sponsored surgeon jobs

• 31102 — General practitioners and family physicians - 264 sponsored physician jobs

• 31302 — Nurse practitioners - 116 nurse practitioner sponsored jobs

• 31303 — Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals - sponsored assistant jobs 

Diagnostics, lab, imaging, and respiratory

• 32103 — Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists - 377 sponsored therapist jobs

• 31209 — Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating - 900 sponsored healthcare jobs

• 31120 — Pharmacists - 305 sponsored pharmacist jobs 

• 32120 — Medical laboratory technologists - 64 MedTech sponsored jobs

• 33101 — Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations - 69 sponsored technical jobs 

• 32121 — Medical radiation technologists - 13 sponsored Medical Rad. jobs

• 32123 — Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists - Cardiology Tech sponsored jobs

Practical nursing + patient support

• 32101 — Licensed practical nurses - 386 sponsored practical nurse jobs

• 32102 — Paramedical occupations - 346 sponsored jobs

• 33102 — Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates - sponsored nurse aid jobs

Note on the “investigative” NOC in your list

IRCC’s page includes Police investigators and other investigative occupations (NOC 41310) in the same “essential services” list section.
(Just be aware this isn’t a healthcare job category—even though it appears alongside the essential list.)

---

Priority Agriculture & Agri-Food Occupations (NOC 2021)

IRCC lists these under “Agriculture and agri-food occupations”:

• 63201 — Butchers (retail and wholesale) - 108 sponsored butcher jobs 

• 65202 — Meat cutters and fishmongers (retail and wholesale) - Meat cutter jobs here 

• 82030 — Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors - 86 sponsored farm jobs 

• 85100 — Livestock labourers - Livestock jobs 

• 84120 — Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators - Sponsored farm jobs 

• 85101 — Harvesting labourers - sponsored harvesting jobs

• 85103 — Nursery and greenhouse labourers - sponsored greenhouse jobs 

And additional processing/plant labour roles commonly shown on the same priority lists:

• 94142 — Fish and seafood plant workers - Fish processing sponsored jobs

• 95106 — Labourers in food and beverage processing - F&B Processing sponsored jobs

• 95107 — Labourers in fish and seafood processing - Fish processing sponsored jobs

• 94141 — Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers - Butcher sponsored jobs

---

Make sure to create your free account at QuestJobs to start applying for the above lsited jobs. There are more than 30,000 sponsored jobs in the portal. This list is updated every 24 hours and the eligibility requirements are updated as and when requirments change.