HomeBusinessExpress Entry Trades Category Refocused on Construction — Cooks and Chefs Removed

February 18, 2026

By peopled-hwadmin

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Express Entry Trades Category Refocused on Construction — Cooks and Chefs Removed

FEDERAL · CONSTRUCTION · TALENT PIPELINE

Date: Announced February 18, 2026

IRCC removed Cooks and Chefs from the Express Entry Trade Occupations category and added Butchers. Previously, cooks were absorbing the large majority of trade-category invitations roughly 1,121 of a hypothetical 2,000-person draw versus only 401 across all 20 hands-on construction trades combined. IRCC also relaxed the work-experience rule across all categories, from 6 months continuous to 12 months (non-continuous) within 3 years, which particularly helps construction workers who see seasonal gaps in employment.

Why it matters for Peopled: the federal Trades draw pool now points almost entirely at construction and industrial occupations, which should ease PR odds for the construction-trade candidates we place — a genuinely favourable shift for our core BC and Manitoba pipeline.

Source: https://www.cicnews.com/2026/03/a-quiet-change-has-reshaped-express-entrys-skilled-trades-category-0372184.html

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Sonny Wong 黃仕儒

Sonny is a business leader who has spent a career in multicultural marketing with an interest in immigrant communities, and inclusion, equity, and diversity (IED). As an award-winning multicultural marketer, he has worked with global blue-chip clients devising strategies to reach diasporic communities throughout North America. Recently, he founded, led, and produced the national grassroots anti-racism movement, #HealthNotHate. By combining his network in marketing, film and television, and his zest for entrepreneurship, he successfully took the program across Canada garnering millions of dollars of earned media and publicity for the campaign, all on 100% voluntary efforts by all participants. He has spoken at anti-racism conferences and webinars, and has parlayed his experience into an IED consulting practice.

He is a committed community steward with a strong record of engagement and leadership. He serves as a board director of BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of BC, Cascade Public Media, and OMNI Television’s Pacific Advisory Board. Previously, he served on the boards of Capilano University, Chinese Canadian Museum, Chinatown Legacy Stewardship Group, among others. He was a founding member of the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival serving as its General Manager for over a decade.

Sonny is a published writer and thought leader having contributed to Adweek, Business in Vancouver, Huffington Post, Medium, and Strategy; he has spoken at many conferences and events. Sonny has been recognized as a Business in Vancouver 40 Under 40 recipient. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UBC. In his spare time, he is an avid road cyclist always trying to ride faster than he did the last time.

Amber Rana

Collaborative and results-driven attorney, Amber Rana, operates in both India and Canada. He is the co-owner and founder of Peopled, and the proprietor of Amrana LLP, a law firm in India, with over 11 years of experience in ensuring the legality of commercial transactions. Amber, a qualified advocate/lawyer from the prestigious ILS Law School in Pune, is recognized for his effective communication and executive skills. He has successfully built strong relationships with diverse clients, including those from indigenous and minority communities, government agencies, and businesses. Amber excels in managing large teams, executive stakeholders, and competing priorities to address complex issues and collaboratively create legal policies and programs.

As a member of the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, Amber actively contributes to bridging the Indo-Canadian gap by assisting Indian businesses and clients in investing and relocating to Canada. His law firm’s initiative focuses on providing professional support through partnerships in Canada.

Amber is an expert in addressing crimes against women and is dedicated to promoting women’s rights. He conducts corporate workforce training on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) modules, with a specific emphasis on LGBTQIA rights for workforce inclusion. Additionally, he actively engages in corporate boardroom training on these issues and contributes pro bono work for NGOs.

The host of the talk show “Know Your Kanoon,” with over 100k weekly listeners, Amber raises legal awareness on public issues. He addresses legal queries from listeners, covering various aspects of law affecting daily lives, such as Civil, Criminal, Consumer, and Constitutional law. Business Standard magazine has featured him for his views on Amazon retail litigation.

Amber has been recognized by the Ministry of Law & Justice in India for his consultation and advisory work on the negotiation of international agreements and supervision of litigation. He has also received appreciation from the Election Commission of India for his contribution to implementing Diversity & Inclusion Policies in a national campaign. The initiative focuses on educating and encouraging voters from diverse cultural backgrounds to exercise their voting rights.

During his 7+ years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Amber worked in the Indirect Taxation team and served as a Tax (SME) Subject Matter Expert in the Risk Assurance Services team. His expertise includes thorough knowledge of the Manufacturing Industry and Service Contract Management. Amber played a pivotal role in developing interdepartmental and government liaison teams at PwC and received numerous awards for client appreciation from manufacturing and service industry clients.