Canada Changes Express Entry on 3 November: Up to 100 Points for High-Wage Jobs
From 3 November 2026, Express Entry gives extra CRS points for Canadian experience or a job offer in high-wage occupations, and these job offers no longer need an LMIA.
Canada| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Organization | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) |
| Official source | IRCC backgrounder – Changes to Express Entry for high-wage occupations ✓ canada.ca |
Canada is changing how Express Entry ranks skilled workers. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced on 16 October 2026 that, from 3 November 2026, candidates with Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-wage occupation will receive extra points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
What is a "high-wage occupation"?
An occupation counts as high-wage when its median wage is at least 1.3 times the median wage of Canada's overall workforce. IRCC will publish and update the list using Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data. The government gave engineers and electricians as examples.
Extra points for Canadian work experience
Candidates need at least 12 months of eligible experience gained in Canada within the past 10 years, in an occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
| Occupation's median wage | Extra CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least 2× the national median | 70 |
| At least 1.5× | 40 |
| At least 1.3× | 20 |
These points come on top of the existing points for years of experience. The combined maximum is 150.
Extra points for a job offer
| Occupation's median wage | Extra CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least 2× the national median | 100 |
| At least 1.5× | 70 |
| At least 1.3× | 50 |
The job must generally be full-time and continue for at least one year after the candidate becomes a permanent resident.
You cannot add both together. If you qualify for experience points and job-offer points, IRCC gives you whichever is higher.
No LMIA needed for these job offers
From 3 November, a qualifying job offer will not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to earn the new points. A temporary public policy also removes the LMIA requirement for job offers used to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs, for candidates invited on or after that date who meet its conditions.
IRCC says officers will still check that every job offer is genuine. A revoked offer no longer counts.
What candidates should do now
- Have a job offer? Add the offer details to your Express Entry profile before 3 November 2026.
- Have Canadian experience? You don't need to do anything. Scores in the pool will be recalculated automatically.
- Expect a short pause in invitations: the recalculation may take up to two weeks, and draws are paused during that time.
Extra points do not guarantee an invitation. Invitations still depend on each draw's cut-off score.
Be careful of anyone selling "LMIA-free job offers" for money. Paying for a job offer is a common scam, and IRCC checks whether offers are genuine.
Apply only through the official source.
Open official notice →TheJobSeek never charges for jobs and is not a recruitment agency. If anyone asks you to pay for a job offer or visa in the name of this article, it is a scam.
