Understanding the 2026 Express Entry Changes

What is changing, and when

Starting November 3, 2026, Express Entry will award new points for Canadian work experience and job offers in high-wage occupations, and a job offer will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to count.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the changes on October 16, 2026. It is one of the biggest shifts to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) since job offer points were removed in March 2025.

In short:

• Job offer points are back: 50, 70 or 100 CRS points for a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.
• Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation can earn up to 70 extra points, for a maximum of 150.
• No LMIA is needed for a job offer to earn points or to meet job offer requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs.
• IRCC has published a list of 186 eligible occupations.
• Candidates with a job offer should have it reflected in their Express Entry profile before November 3.

The new Labour Market Integration factor

The CRS is getting a new section called the Labour Market Integration factor, worth up to 150 points. It scores you on either your Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer, never both. IRCC calculates both options and gives you whichever is higher.

Scoring option	With a spouse or partner	Without a spouse or partner
Canadian work experience	Up to 140 (70 work-length + 70 high-wage)	Up to 150 (80 work-length + 70 high-wage)
Qualifying job offer	Up to 100	Up to 100

What counts as a high-wage occupation?

An occupation is high-wage when the median wage of everyone in Canada working in that NOC is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the whole Canadian workforce.

This is the most misunderstood part of the change. It is based on the occupation, not on your personal salary. A well-paid job in an occupation that is not on the list earns no high-wage points. A modestly paid job in a listed occupation still qualifies.

Occupations are grouped into three levels:

• Level 1: at least 2 times the average median wage
• Level 2: at least 1.5 times, but less than 2 times
• Level 3: at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times

IRCC sets each occupation’s level using three years of data from the Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and the Census. The current list uses 2023 to 2025 data. If the list changes after you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), IRCC keeps the level that applied on the day you were invited.

Points for Canadian work experience

Canadian work experience points now have two parts: work-length points, which everyone with qualifying experience receives, plus high-wage bonus points for experience in a listed occupation.

Work-length points

These are the same points currently awarded for qualifying Canadian experience in any TEER 0 to 3 occupation. The eligibility rules for Canadian experience are not changing.

Canadian work experience	With a spouse or partner	Without a spouse or partner
Less than 1 year	0	0
1 year	35	40
2 years	46	53
3 years	56	64
4 years	63	72
5 years or more	70	80

High-wage bonus points

On top of work-length points, you can earn a bonus if you have at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian experience in one or more listed high-wage occupations.

High-wage experience (at least 12 months)	Bonus points
In Level 1 occupations (2 times the median)	70
In Level 2 occupations (1.5 times the median)	40
In Level 3 occupations (1.3 times the median)	20
Less than 12 months	0

The experience can be continuous or not, full-time or an equal amount of part-time, and combined across more than one high-wage job. If you held two jobs at once, hours count only up to the full-time equivalent of 30 hours per week.

Candidates already in the pool with qualifying experience will receive these points automatically when IRCC recalculates profiles. Skills transferability points are not changing.

Points for a job offer

Job offer points are returning to Express Entry. A qualifying offer earns 50, 70 or 100 points, depending on the level of the occupation. The points are the same whether or not you have a spouse or partner.

Job offer occupation	Points
Level 1 high-wage occupation (2 times the median)	100
Level 2 high-wage occupation (1.5 times the median)	70
Level 3 high-wage occupation (1.3 times the median)	50
Occupation not on the high-wage list	0

To earn these points, the offer must be valid under Express Entry and be for a position in a listed high-wage occupation.

Again, the salary written in the offer does not set the points. A job offer for a marketing manager (NOC 10022, Level 2) earns 70 points whatever the offered wage. That said, the wage still matters: officers check that the employer follows employment laws and can actually fulfil the offer.

No LMIA required: what it means and what it doesn’t

From November 3, a job offer no longer needs an LMIA to earn CRS points or to meet Express Entry program eligibility.

What changes:

• You don’t need an LMIA for a job offer to qualify for program eligibility or CRS points.
• Having an LMIA gives no extra points and no priority.
• The offer can be for an existing or a new position.
• The offer can be from your current employer or a new one.

What does not change:

• Every job offer is still reviewed by an officer when you apply for permanent residence. The officer must be satisfied the offer is genuine before it can count.
• Officers will look at whether the employer is active in its business, can fulfil the offer, made an offer that meets a real need, and follows employment and recruitment laws.
• They will also look at whether you are qualified and able to do the job, and are likely to accept it and carry it out. For regulated professions, such as nursing or engineering, this means your path to Canadian licensing matters.
• An Express Entry job offer does not give you permission to work in Canada.
• LMIA requirements for work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are unchanged. Employers hiring temporary foreign workers still need an LMIA unless an exemption applies.

If an officer finds an offer is not genuine, the points are removed. If your score then falls below the cut-off of the draw you were invited in, your application can be refused.

Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants

CRS points and program eligibility are assessed separately, so a job offer can help you qualify for a program even if it earns no points.

• For the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs, a qualifying job offer can be in any eligible TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation that meets program requirements. It does not have to be on the high-wage list.
• From November 3, these offers also no longer need an LMIA. A temporary public policy exempts candidates invited on or after that date from LMIA-related requirements for job offers used to establish eligibility, if they meet its conditions.
• An offer outside the high-wage list may therefore make you eligible for a program but still earn 0 CRS points.

The Canadian Experience Class is not directly affected, but CEC candidates benefit most from the new high-wage experience points.

Real-world scenarios

These examples show how the Labour Market Integration factor works in practice. In each case, the candidate receives whichever option scores higher.

Candidate	Experience points	Job offer points	Points received
Single software developer (NOC 21232, Level 2), 2 years in Canada, job offer in the same role	53 + 40 = 93	70	93 (experience)
Married marketing manager (NOC 10022, Level 2), 8 months in Canada, job offer from current employer	0	70	70 (job offer)
Same marketing manager after reaching 12 months	35 + 40 = 75	70	75 (experience)
Civil engineer (NOC 21300, Level 2) outside Canada with a Canadian job offer	0	70	70 (job offer)
Financial manager (NOC 10010, Level 1) outside Canada with a Canadian job offer	0	100	100 (job offer)
Married accommodation service manager (NOC 60031, Level 3), 1 year in Canada	35 + 20 = 55	50	55 (experience)
Single restaurant manager (NOC 60030, not listed), 3 years in Canada	64	0	64 (same as today)
Cook with an LMIA-based job offer (not listed)	Work-length only	0	LMIA adds no points

A few lessons stand out:

• A job offer helps most for candidates outside Canada, or those with less than a year of Canadian experience.
• Once you pass 12 months in a listed occupation, experience usually beats the offer, and the offer adds nothing.
• Occupations not on the list, including many hospitality and food service roles, see no change in points.
• Regulated professionals abroad (for example, nurses) can claim offer points, but an officer may question the offer if there is no realistic path to licensing.

Full list of eligible high-wage occupations

IRCC’s list contains 186 occupations, effective November 3, 2026 and based on 2023 to 2025 wage data. Check the official list for any updates.

Level 1: at least 2 times the median wage (100 job offer points, +70 experience bonus)

NOC	Occupation
00011	Senior government managers and officials
00012	Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services
00013	Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
10010	Financial managers
10011	Human resources managers
10012	Purchasing managers
10020	Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
10021	Banking, credit and other investment managers
20010	Engineering managers
20011	Architecture and science managers
20012	Computer and information systems managers
21330	Mining engineers
21332	Petroleum engineers
31100	Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101	Specialists in surgery
31102	General practitioners and family physicians
31103	Veterinarians
31302	Nurse practitioners
31303	Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
40010	Government managers - health and social policy development and program administration
40011	Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration
40012	Government managers - education policy development and program administration
40019	Other managers in public administration
40040	Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services
40041	Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
41100	Judges
41101	Lawyers and Quebec notaries
41200	University professors and lecturers
60010	Corporate sales managers
80010	Managers in natural resources production and fishing
90011	Utilities managers

Level 2: at least 1.5 times, but less than 2 times, the median wage (70 job offer points, +40 experience bonus)

NOC	Occupation
00014	Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services
00015	Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities
10019	Other administrative services managers
10022	Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
10029	Other business services managers
10030	Telecommunication carriers managers
11103	Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers
11201	Professional occupations in business management consulting
21100	Physicists and astronomers
21102	Geoscientists and oceanographers
21103	Meteorologists and climatologists
21109	Other professional occupations in physical sciences
21111	Forestry professionals
21120	Public and environmental health and safety professionals
21202	Urban and land use planners
21210	Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211	Data scientists
21220	Cybersecurity specialists
21221	Business systems specialists
21222	Information systems specialists
21223	Database analysts and data administrators
21230	Computer systems developers and programmers
21231	Software engineers and designers
21232	Software developers and programmers
21300	Civil engineers
21301	Mechanical engineers
21310	Electrical and electronics engineers
21311	Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320	Chemical engineers
21321	Industrial and manufacturing engineers
21322	Metallurgical and materials engineers
21331	Geological engineers
21390	Aerospace engineers
21399	Other professional engineers
22231	Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers
22312	Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
30010	Managers in health care
31110	Dentists
31112	Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120	Pharmacists
31200	Psychologists
31202	Physiotherapists
31203	Occupational therapists
31300	Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301	Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
32111	Dental hygienists and dental therapists
40020	Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training
40021	School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
40030	Managers in social, community and correctional services
40042	Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces
41210	College and other vocational instructors
41220	Secondary school teachers
41221	Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
41310	Police investigators and other investigative occupations
41311	Probation and parole officers
41320	Educational counsellors
41401	Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts
41402	Business development officers and market researchers and analysts
41404	Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41407	Program officers unique to government
42100	Police officers (except commissioned)
42101	Firefighters
50010	Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers
50011	Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51100	Librarians
70010	Construction managers
70012	Facility operation and maintenance managers
70020	Managers in transportation
70021	Postal and courier services managers
72011	Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
72012	Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
72023	Supervisors, railway transport operations
72103	Boilermakers
72202	Power system electricians
72203	Electrical power line and cable workers
72301	Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
72406	Elevator constructors and mechanics
72600	Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
72601	Air traffic controllers and related occupations
72604	Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
73310	Railway and yard locomotive engineers
82020	Supervisors, mining and quarrying
82021	Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services
83101	Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
90010	Manufacturing managers
92011	Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
92100	Power engineers and power systems operators
93100	Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
93101	Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing

Level 3: at least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times, the median wage (50 job offer points, +20 experience bonus)

NOC	Occupation
00010	Legislators
11100	Financial auditors and accountants
11101	Financial and investment analysts
11102	Financial advisors
11109	Other financial officers
11200	Human resources professionals
12201	Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
12203	Assessors, business valuators and appraisers
21101	Chemists
21110	Biologists and related scientists
21112	Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
21200	Architects
21201	Landscape architects
21203	Land surveyors
21234	Web developers and programmers
22214	Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology
22232	Occupational health and safety specialists
22233	Construction inspectors
22310	Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22313	Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
31121	Dietitians and nutritionists
32102	Paramedical occupations
32103	Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32120	Medical laboratory technologists
32121	Medical radiation technologists
32122	Medical sonographers
41300	Social workers
41400	Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41403	Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41405	Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41409	Other professional occupations in social science
43201	Correctional service officers
43203	Border services, customs, and immigration officers
50012	Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
51101	Conservators and curators
51102	Archivists
51111	Authors and writers (except technical)
51112	Technical writers
51120	Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52112	Broadcast technicians
60020	Retail and wholesale trade managers
60031	Accommodation service managers
60040	Managers in customer and personal services
72010	Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
72013	Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
72014	Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
72020	Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
72021	Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
72102	Sheet metal workers
72105	Ironworkers
72201	Industrial electricians
72302	Gas fitters
72320	Bricklayers
72321	Insulators
72401	Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
72403	Railway carmen/women
72404	Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
72500	Crane operators
72602	Deck officers, water transport
72603	Engineer officers, water transport
73311	Railway conductors and brakemen/women
82010	Supervisors, logging and forestry
83100	Underground production and development miners
83120	Fishing masters and officers
92010	Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
93102	Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators

Updating your Express Entry profile before November 3

If you have a job offer, it must be reflected in your Express Entry profile before November 3, 2026 for IRCC to consider it for the new points.

Here is why this deadline matters:

• Experience points are automatic. Job offer points are not. IRCC will recalculate everyone’s Canadian experience points, but it will only award job offer points if the offer is already in your profile.
• IRCC’s online system has not yet caught up with the new rules. Its profile questions still ask about an LMIA, so job offers must be entered according to IRCC’s specific interim instructions. Entering an offer incorrectly could cost you points or create a misrepresentation concern later.
• Draws will pause for up to two weeks after November 3 while IRCC recalculates profiles.
• Your work history must be accurate. The correct NOC code and dates determine whether you receive the high-wage bonus, and how much.
• The offer must hold up at the PR stage. Before adding it, it is worth confirming the offer is valid under Express Entry and will satisfy an officer that it is genuine.

Let Ann Arbour Consultants help

Because the rules are new and IRCC’s system is in transition, we recommend having a licensed professional review your profile before making changes. Please don’t update your profile without advice.

Our team can:

• Confirm whether your occupation is on the high-wage list, and at which level
• Calculate your new CRS score under both the experience and job offer options
• Review your job offer for Express Entry validity and genuineness
• Update your profile correctly under IRCC’s interim instructions, before the deadline
• Advise employers on supporting job offers without an LMIA

Contact Ann Arbour Consultants Inc. today to book a consultation.

Key points to remember

• The changes take effect November 3, 2026.
• Points depend on your occupation (NOC), not your salary.
• You get points for experience or a job offer, whichever is higher, never both.
• A job offer earns 50, 70 or 100 points and no longer needs an LMIA.
• High-wage Canadian experience can add up to 70 bonus points.
• Every job offer is still reviewed for genuineness at the PR stage.
• Temporary Foreign Worker Program LMIA rules have not changed.
• Job offers must be in your profile before November 3. Speak with Ann Arbour Consultants before updating.

 

📞 Call us: (647) 477-2197
📧 Email: info@annarbour.com

 

Sharmila Perera
RCIC R417167
CEO and President of Ann Arbour Consultants Inc.

 

Disclaimer:
The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or professional advice. Ann Arbour Consultants Inc., including its directors, employees, and affiliates, assumes no liability for any decisions made or actions taken in reliance upon the content of this material. For personalized and accurate advice tailored to your specific circumstances, please contact Ann Arbour Consultants Inc. to schedule a formal consultation