Dear future neighbour,
Express Entry is about to work differently, and the date to remember is November 3, 2026.
On October 16, 2026, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced a new way of scoring candidates in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Jobs with high wages, such as engineers and electricians, will now earn extra points. Employers also no longer have to go through the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process for a job offer to count.
Let’s break down what that means for you.
What is changing on November 3?
There are two big changes.
1. New points for high-wage jobs. Candidates will earn extra CRS points for eligible Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.
2. No more LMIA for qualifying job offers. A job offer no longer needs an LMIA to earn the new points. It also no longer needs one to meet the job offer requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. IRCC will still check that every job offer is genuine, so fraud checks stay in place.
How do the points work?
You can earn points in one of two ways: through your Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation, or through a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.
If you qualify both ways, you get whichever option gives you more points. The two are not added together.
The most a candidate can receive under this new factor is 150 points if they have no accompanying spouse or partner, and 140 points if they do.
Points for Canadian work experience
To qualify, you need at least one year of eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation. Your points depend on how high the wage level is.
| High-wage occupation level | Additional CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least 12 months in one or more occupations at 2 times the median | 70 |
| If not eligible for 70 points, at least 12 months combined in occupations at 1.5 times the median or above | 40 |
| If not eligible for 40 or 70 points, at least 12 months combined across eligible high-wage occupations (1.3 times the median or above) | 20 |
These points come on top of what you already earn for the length of your Canadian work experience, which is up to 80 points for 5 years. Put together, that can reach up to 150 points.
Your Canadian experience should generally have been gained within the past 10 years, in an occupation under TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). If your experience doesn’t qualify as high-wage, you will still get points for how long you’ve worked in Canada, as before.
Points for a job offer
| High-wage occupation level | CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least 2 times the median wage | 100 |
| At least 1.5 times the median wage | 70 |
| At least 1.3 times the median wage | 50 |
A qualifying job offer should generally be for full-time, continuous work in Canada for at least one year after you become a permanent resident. Extra rules apply to some jobs, including skilled trades and physicians providing publicly funded medical services.
An IRCC officer will decide whether the offer is genuine. They will look at whether:
- the employer is actively running the business making the offer
- the offer matches the employer’s reasonable hiring needs
- the employer can realistically meet the terms of the offer
- you are qualified for the job and likely to take it
- the employer followed federal and provincial employment and recruitment laws
If a job offer is withdrawn, it stops counting.
What should you do right now?
Update your profile before November 3. If you are already in the Express Entry pool, IRCC will automatically recalculate your CRS score to include points for Canadian work experience. Job offer points are different. To get those, you have to update your profile yourself with the required job offer details before the deadline. Missing this step could cost you points you are entitled to.
Expect a short pause. The score recalculation can take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds will be paused during that time.
Keep your expectations realistic. Extra points don’t guarantee an invitation. Invitations still depend on the CRS cut-off score for each round.
Ready to find out where you stand? Let’s talk before November 3
These changes could move your score a lot, or barely at all. It depends on your occupation, your Canadian work history and the job offer you hold. The new rules reward high-wage Canadian experience and genuine job offers without an LMIA, and a profile that isn’t updated on time could leave points on the table.
Don’t leave it to guesswork. Book a consultation at https://euiacademy.selar.com/30minutes and we will go through your profile, check your occupation, and decide the best next step. That might mean Express Entry, a provincial nomination, a work permit or a postgraduate work permit. We also help with spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications and school admissions. Whatever your goal, let’s build a plan that works for you.