Starting November 3, 2026, Canada is changing how Express Entry awards points for Canadian work experience and qualifying job offers. The changes may improve some candidates’ Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores, particularly where their Canadian experience or job offer falls within an occupation on IRCC’s new high-wage list.

An LMIA will also no longer be required for qualifying job offers used for the new Express Entry points or, subject to the applicable policy conditions, job offer requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs.

For candidates and employers, the immediate task is to review occupation classifications, employment records and job offer information. Understanding how the new calculation works is essential: the available points are not simply added together.

What is changing?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is introducing a Labour Market Integration factor within the CRS.

This factor compares two possible calculations:

• Points for the duration of qualifying Canadian work experience, plus additional points for experience in eligible high-wage occupations.
• Points for a qualifying job offer in an eligible high-wage occupation.

Candidates receive whichever calculation gives them more points. The Canadian work experience calculation and the job offer calculation are not combined.

The maximum available under this factor is 150 points without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, or 140 points with one. These totals include existing points for the duration of Canadian work experience; they do not represent 150 or 140 entirely new points.

What does “high-wage occupation” mean?

For these changes, eligibility depends on the occupation’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) code and its position on IRCC’s published list.

It does not depend on an individual applicant’s salary alone.

IRCC groups eligible occupations into three levels using Canadian occupation-wide wage data. A higher salary does not automatically move someone into a higher level, and a job title alone does not establish the correct NOC.

Candidates should confirm that their actual duties match the occupation claimed, then check whether that NOC appears on the high-wage list.

How many points are available?

The points differ depending on whether the candidate is being assessed for Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer.

For the Canadian experience bonus, candidates need at least one year of qualifying full-time experience, or its part-time equivalent, in eligible occupations. The experience can be non-continuous and may be combined across qualifying occupations. The tier awarded depends on the qualifying experience accumulated at the relevant occupation levels.

Existing requirements for qualifying Canadian work experience continue to apply. Working additional hours does not allow someone to complete a year’s requirement faster: IRCC counts a maximum of 30 hours per week.

Candidates whose Canadian experience is outside the high-wage list continue to receive the applicable points for its duration.

Why a job offer may not add its full point value

Consider a candidate without an accompanying spouse or partner who has:

• One year of qualifying Canadian experience, worth 40 duration points.
• Enough qualifying experience at the middle high-wage level to receive a 40-point bonus.
• A qualifying job offer at that same level, worth 70 points.

The Canadian experience calculation produces 80 points. The job offer calculation produces 70.

IRCC would award 80 points under the new factor—not 150. In this simplified example, the increase over the candidate’s existing 40 experience-duration points would be 40 points.

This comparison matters when estimating a revised CRS score. A job offer’s listed value is not necessarily the amount by which someone’s current score will increase.

What does removing the LMIA requirement mean?

From November 3, a qualifying Express Entry job offer will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment to receive the new points. Having an LMIA will not provide extra CRS points or priority.

However, the offer must still meet the applicable requirements and be genuine.

IRCC will assess matters such as whether the employer actively operates the business, needs the position and can fulfil the offer’s terms. Officers will also consider whether the candidate is qualified and likely to accept and perform the work.

Offers generally need to provide full-time, continuous employment in Canada for at least one year after permanent residence. Specific provisions apply to certain situations, including physicians providing publicly funded medical services.

These Express Entry changes do not themselves authorize someone to work in Canada. Temporary work authorization must be assessed separately.

Does every qualifying offer earn CRS points?

No. Program eligibility and CRS ranking remain separate assessments.

An offer outside the high-wage list may still help a candidate meet applicable Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades requirements without earning the new CRS job offer points.

The temporary public policy addressing those programs’ LMIA-related requirements applies to qualifying candidates invited on or after November 3, subject to its conditions. Candidates with an earlier invitation should not assume the new provisions apply to their application.

What should candidates do now?

IRCC advised candidates seeking job offer points to review and update the required offer information before November 3. If you have not done so, review your profile now.

Existing profiles will be recalculated when the changes take effect. IRCC says this may take up to two weeks, with invitation rounds paused during recalculation.

Candidates should check their NOC, employment dates, hours and job offer details against supporting documents. They should also continue monitoring profile expiry, language-test validity and temporary status.

From November 3, IRCC has published a temporary procedure for entering offers without an LMIA while the online form still contains LMIA questions. Follow IRCC’s current instructions carefully rather than guessing how to complete those fields.

Next steps

The changes may strengthen an Express Entry profile, but additional points do not guarantee an invitation or permanent residence approval. Eligibility, accurate documentation and the requirements of each invitation round still matter.

At Egdal Immigration Consulting, we help candidates and employers review NOC classifications, Canadian work experience, job offers and Express Entry eligibility together.

If you may be affected by the November 3 changes, book a consultation to assess your revised score and identify the steps needed to support your profile.