Canada has announced significant changes to its Express Entry system that could improve permanent residence opportunities for skilled workers, particularly those with Canadian work experience or qualifying job offers.

What's changing?

✅ Up to 100 additional CRS points for qualifying job offers in designated high-wage occupations.

✅ Up to 70 additional CRS points for eligible Canadian work experience in high-wage occupations.

✅ LMIA no longer required for qualifying job offers to receive the new Express Entry points or meet certain Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Program requirements.

✅ Express Entry draws temporarily paused for up to two weeks from November 3 while IRCC recalculates CRS scores.

Eligible occupations include certain roles in healthcare, engineering, skilled trades, technology and education.

Important: Candidates already in the Express Entry pool will have their scores automatically recalculated. However, those seeking points for a qualifying job offer must update their profiles with the required information before November 3.

In my personal opinion: this is a significant development for Canada's economic immigration system, particularly for skilled workers who have already established themselves in the Canadian labour market.

The removal of the LMIA requirement for qualifying job offers could also simplify the permanent residence process for eligible candidates and employers.

However, not every job offer or Canadian work experience will qualify for the additional points. Eligibility depends on the occupation, work experience and specific IRCC requirements.

With these changes approaching, I strongly encourage Express Entry candidates to review their profiles, verify their occupation classifications and reassess their immigration strategies.

Need help? reach out to me personally at sharmila@annarbour.com with your resume. Further draws have stopped until November 3rd. Let's get you invited.