From 3 November 2026, a job offer can add Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points to an Express Entry profile again, and it no longer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The points go only to jobs on a new list of high-wage occupations published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They sit inside a new CRS factor, Labour Market Integration, which also gives extra points for Canadian work in those same occupations. You get points for your Canadian work experience or for your job offer, whichever is higher, never both.
Lena Metlege Diab, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the change in Kitchener, Ontario, on 16 October 2026, and IRCC updated its Express Entry pages the same day. Until 2 November a job offer earns no CRS points, and our CRS calculator scores profiles under those current rules.
The new Labour Market Integration factor
Labour Market Integration scores you in one of two ways: on your Canadian work experience, with extra points when that work was in a high-wage occupation, or on a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation. IRCC works out both and gives you the higher score. The two are never added together.
The factor is worth up to 150 points if you have no accompanying spouse or common-law partner, and up to 140 if you do:
| Route | With a spouse or partner | Without a spouse or partner |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian work experience | 140 (70 work-length + 70 high-wage) | 150 (80 work-length + 70 high-wage) |
| Qualifying job offer | 100 | 100 |
The spouse column applies only when your spouse or partner is coming with you to Canada and is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Otherwise you are scored as single.
Work-length points are the same points IRCC gives for Canadian work experience today. Measured against those points, the factor adds at most 100 and never takes any away. The 100 is a top-level job offer for someone with no Canadian work, who has 0 today.
Job-offer points return, without an LMIA
IRCC is reintroducing job-offer points. To earn them, the offer must be valid under Express Entry and be for a position in an occupation on the high-wage list. The points depend on the occupation’s level, and they are the same with or without a spouse:
| Job offer in an occupation whose median wage is | CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least twice the average median wage | 100 |
| At least 1.5 times, but less than twice | 70 |
| At least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times | 50 |
| Not on the high-wage list | 0 |
A qualifying offer must generally be for full-time, continuous work in Canada for at least one year after you become a permanent resident. Specific requirements apply to some occupations, including skilled trades and physicians who provide publicly funded medical services.
From 3 November you do not need an LMIA for an Express Entry job offer, whether you use it for CRS points or for program eligibility. Having an LMIA gives you no extra CRS points and no priority. The offer can be for an existing or a new position, with an existing or a new employer. A work permit on its own is not a job offer, even an open work permit, and an offer that is revoked no longer qualifies.
Job-offer points have been 0 since 25 March 2025. IRCC announced the removal in December 2024 as a temporary measure against fraud, to take away the incentive to buy or sell LMIAs illegally. The old values, 50 points for a qualifying offer or 200 in senior management (NOC Major Group 00), were added on top of Canadian experience points. The new scale is 100, 70 or 50, for listed occupations only, and it never adds to Canadian experience points.
Officer review of the offer
An officer assesses every qualifying job offer when you apply for permanent residence, which comes after the invitation. The officer must be satisfied that the offer is genuine before it can count for program eligibility or for your Labour Market Integration score. The check covers whether:
- the employer is active in the business, can meet the terms of the offer, made an offer that meets its reasonable needs, and is following employment and recruitment laws
- you are qualified and able to perform the work, and are likely to accept the offer and carry out the job
IRCC says it will keep verifying job offers and acting on potential fraud or misrepresentation. Limiting the points to high-wage occupations also helps verification, it says, because many of these occupations need specialized skills, experience or qualifications that can be assessed in the application. For how a similar test works in work-permit files, see our guide to how officers judge a job offer.
If anyone asks you to pay for a job offer or an LMIA, say no. IRCC removed job-offer points in 2025 to take away the incentive to buy or sell LMIAs illegally, and the officer who reviews your offer at the permanent residence stage checks whether the employer has followed employment and recruitment laws.
Extra points for Canadian work in a high-wage occupation
If you have worked in Canada, your Canadian experience now scores in two parts. The first part, work-length, uses today’s table, and the rules for what counts as Canadian work experience are not changing. It means working for a Canadian employer in Canada, generally within the previous 10 years, in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Remote work counts if you were physically in Canada.
| Length of Canadian work | 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 points are added on top when at least 1 year of that work (12 months, or 1,560 hours) was in one or more occupations on the list. The months can be continuous or not, full-time or an equal amount of part-time, and spread across more than one listed job. If you held two jobs at the same time, hours count only up to the full-time equivalent of 30 hours a week.
| Your qualifying Canadian work in listed occupations | Extra points |
|---|---|
| At least 12 months in occupations at twice the average median wage or more | 70 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined in occupations at 1.5 times or more | 40 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined in occupations at 1.3 times or more | 20 |
| Less than 12 months | 0 |
These extra points are the same with or without a spouse. Canadian work in an unlisted occupation keeps its work-length points and earns no high-wage points.
On our reading of IRCC’s table, months in a higher-level job also count toward a lower tier. Eight months as a computer and information systems manager (twice the average) plus four months as a software developer (1.5 times) make 12 months at 1.5 times or more. That gives 40 points, not 70, because the top tier needs 12 months in occupations at twice the average.
The higher of the two, never both: worked examples
Each example changes only this factor and holds the rest of the profile the same. “Today” is today’s Canadian work experience points, with 0 for a job offer. “From 3 November” is the higher of work-length plus high-wage points, or job-offer points. Each person is single unless the row says otherwise.
| Profile | NOC and level | Today | From 3 November | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year in Canada as a software developer | 21232, 1.5 times | 40 | 40 + 40 = 80 | +40 |
| 1 year in Canada as a web developer | 21234, 1.3 times | 40 | 40 + 20 = 60 | +20 |
| 1 year in Canada as a food service supervisor | 62020, not listed | 40 | 40 + 0 = 40 | 0 |
| 6 months in Canada as a software developer | 21232, 1.5 times | 0 | 0 + 0 = 0 | 0 |
| 3 years in Canada as a computer and information systems manager | 20012, twice the average | 64 | 64 + 70 = 134 | +70 |
| 5 or more years in Canada as a family physician | 31102, twice the average | 80 | 80 + 70 = 150 | +70 |
| With a spouse: 1 year in Canada as a software developer | 21232, 1.5 times | 35 | 35 + 40 = 75 | +40 |
| No Canadian work; genuine offer as a registered nurse | 31301, 1.5 times | 0 | 70 | +70 |
| No Canadian work; genuine offer as a computer and information systems manager (single or with a spouse) | 20012, twice the average | 0 | 100 | +100 |
| 2 years in Canada as a food service supervisor, plus an offer as a software developer | 62020 (not listed) + 21232 (1.5 times) | 53 | higher of 53 and 70 = 70 | +17 (not +70) |
| 1 year in Canada as a software developer, plus an offer in the same occupation | 21232, 1.5 times | 40 | higher of 80 and 70 = 80 | +40 (the offer adds nothing) |
| 1 year in Canada as a software developer, plus an offer as a computer and information systems manager | 21232 (1.5 times) + 20012 (twice the average) | 40 | higher of 80 and 100 = 100 | +60 (not +100) |
| 5 or more years in an unlisted occupation, plus an offer as a registered nurse | Not listed + 31301 (1.5 times) | 80 | higher of 80 and 70 = 80 | 0 (the offer adds nothing) |
| 5 or more years in an unlisted occupation, plus an offer at twice the average | Not listed + any NOC at twice the average | 80 | higher of 80 and 100 = 100 | +20 (not +100) |
Two groups gain the most. Someone with no Canadian work experience and a genuine offer in a listed occupation goes from 0 to 50, 70 or 100. Someone with at least 12 months of Canadian work in a listed occupation gains 20, 40 or 70. Canadian work only in unlisted occupations gains nothing.
A job offer can replace weak Canadian experience, but it never adds to it. For a single applicant with 2 years in an unlisted job, a 70-point offer lifts the factor by 17, because the offer replaces the 53 work-length points rather than joining them; with an accompanying spouse, the same offer replaces 46 points and lifts the factor by 24. For someone already working in a listed occupation, an offer often adds nothing. With 5 or more years of Canadian work, only an offer at twice the average median wage changes the factor, and by no more than 20 for a single applicant, or 30 with an accompanying spouse.
An accompanying spouse lowers only the work-length points; high-wage and job-offer points are the same either way. Someone who has never worked in Canada can enter the factor only through a job offer, because both parts of the experience side need at least a year of Canadian work.
The high-wage occupations list
An occupation is high-wage when the median wage of everyone in Canada working in that NOC code is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. The level comes from the occupation, not from your own job or salary, so two people with the same NOC code get the same level whatever each of them earns.
IRCC groups listed occupations into three levels: at least twice the average median wage, at least 1.5 times, and at least 1.3 times. It sets them from three sources over the last three years: Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and the Census of Population. Each NOC gets the highest level its median wage reached in that period. The list takes effect on 3 November 2026 and is based on 2023 to 2025 data. IRCC publishes no dollar figure for the average median wage or for any level, and gives no schedule for updating the list.
If the list changes after you receive an invitation to apply (ITA), IRCC keeps the level that applied on the date you were invited. That holds whether your occupation moves level, leaves the list or joins it.
By our count of IRCC’s tables, the list has 186 NOC codes: 31 at twice the average median wage, 89 at 1.5 times and 66 at 1.3 times. All of them are TEER 0 to 3 occupations, and none is TEER 4 or 5. If you are unsure of your code, our guide to finding your NOC code explains how to match your duties to one.
Common occupations and their points
| NOC | Occupation (IRCC title) | Median wage, compared with the average | Extra points for 12+ months of Canadian work | Job-offer points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 31302 | Nurse practitioners | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 31301 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 31110 | Dentists | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 31120 | Pharmacists | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 31202 | Physiotherapists | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 32120 | Medical laboratory technologists | At least 1.3 times | +20 | 50 |
| 20010 | Engineering managers | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 21332 | Petroleum engineers | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 21300 | Civil engineers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | At least 1.3 times | +20 | 50 |
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 21220 | Cybersecurity specialists | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 21234 | Web developers and programmers | At least 1.3 times | +20 | 50 |
| 10010 | Financial managers | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 11201 | Professional occupations in business management consulting | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 11100 | Financial auditors and accountants | At least 1.3 times | +20 | 50 |
| 41200 | University professors and lecturers | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 41220 | Secondary school teachers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 41101 | Lawyers and Quebec notaries | At least twice | +70 | 100 |
| 70010 | Construction managers | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 72202 | Power system electricians | At least 1.5 times | +40 | 70 |
| 72201 | Industrial electricians | At least 1.3 times | +20 | 50 |
IRCC’s announcement names electricians as an example, but not every electrician code is on the list. Industrial electricians (72201) are at 1.3 times; power system electricians (72202), electrical power line and cable workers (72203) and electrical trades contractors and supervisors (72011) are at 1.5 times. NOC 72200, Electricians (except industrial and power system), is not listed.
Other common occupations that are not on the list include licensed practical nurses (32101), web designers (21233), computer network and web technicians (22220), accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200), food service supervisors (62020), cooks (63200), plumbers (72300) and carpenters (72310).
The full list
Codes and titles below are copied from IRCC’s list, which takes effect on 3 November 2026.
At least twice the average median wage: 31 occupations (job offer 100 points; 12+ months of Canadian work +70)
| NOC code | NOC description (IRCC) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
At least 1.5 times, but less than twice: 89 occupations (job offer 70 points; 12+ months of Canadian work +40)
| NOC code | NOC description (IRCC) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
At least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times: 66 occupations (job offer 50 points; 12+ months of Canadian work +20)
| NOC code | NOC description (IRCC) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Rules that are not changing
Skill transferability points work as before: they keep using the length of your Canadian work experience, not the high-wage rules. On our reading, a job offer that wins the Labour Market Integration comparison therefore leaves the transferability points tied to your Canadian experience in place.
Job offers used for program eligibility follow their own rules, and IRCC assesses them separately from CRS points. For the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) programs, a qualifying offer can be in any eligible TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job that meets the program’s requirements, on the high-wage list or not, and from 3 November it needs no LMIA. An offer in an unlisted occupation can therefore make you eligible and still earn 0 CRS points. A temporary public policy will exempt candidates invited on or after 3 November from LMIA and LMIA-exemption requirements for these offers, provided they meet its conditions. As of 16 October 2026, IRCC has not published the policy.
FSW and the Canadian Experience Class still do not require a job offer. FST still requires a full-time offer of at least 1 year or a Canadian certificate of qualification in the trade. The FSW page still describes its 10 arranged-employment points in LMIA terms, and IRCC has not said how they apply to an offer without one. Where a job offer is part of eligibility (FST, FSW and some provincial nominee streams), IRCC says that requirement is not changing and asks you to keep the job-offer details in your profile so you stay eligible. Our Express Entry guide covers the three federal programs.
IRCC’s pages announce no change to the points for age, education, language, spouse factors, siblings, French or a provincial nomination.
The pause, and a checklist for before 3 November
When the change takes effect, IRCC’s system recalculates every profile already in the pool, including the points for eligible Canadian work experience. This could take up to two weeks. Invitation rounds pause during the recalculation and start again when it is complete; IRCC has not given a restart date. You can follow the rounds on our Express Entry draws tracker.
Higher CRS points do not by themselves earn an invitation. Each round still has its own requirements and cut-off score.
Before 3 November:
- Find the NOC code of each Canadian job you have held and of any job offer, and look each one up in the lists above. The level comes from the code, not from your pay.
- Count your months of qualifying Canadian work in listed occupations. The extra points start at 12 months (1,560 hours).
- If you have a valid job offer that is not in your profile, IRCC asks you to add it before 3 November. The profile asks for the start date, the employer’s name and address, and the NOC code.
- Check the offer letter. It must be recent and in writing, and must not come from an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada. It must set out your pay and deductions, your duties and conditions such as your hours.
- Keep in your profile any job offer you rely on for FSW, FST or a provincial nominee stream, even if it earns no CRS points.
- If an employer is applying for an LMIA only for your CRS points, note that from 3 November an LMIA adds no points and gives your profile no priority.
IRCC says that from 3 November, when the requirements change, its online system will not yet reflect them. The profile will still require you to select that you have a positive LMIA, even though you don’t need one. IRCC’s instruction for a job offer without an LMIA is to enter these details under “Work history”:
| Question or field | Response |
|---|---|
| Was a positive LMIA issued for the job offer in Canada? | Yes |
| LMIA Number | 00000 |
| LMIA Issuance Date | 2026-01-01 |
| LMIA Expiry Date | 2029-01-01 |
These values are reproduced from IRCC’s What has changed and Job offer pages.
To see how the change affects your own profile, start your assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an LMIA for an Express Entry job offer from 3 November?
No. From 3 November an Express Entry job offer needs no LMIA for CRS points, and having one adds no points or priority. For FSW and FST eligibility, IRCC says a temporary public policy will lift LMIA requirements for candidates invited on or after 3 November who meet its conditions; as of 16 October 2026 the policy has not been published. The offer still has to be valid under Express Entry, and an officer must be satisfied that it is genuine. IRCC’s 16 October pages are about Express Entry job offers. They say nothing about LMIAs for work permits, and each province sets its own stream rules.
Can I get points for my Canadian experience and my job offer together?
No. IRCC calculates both and gives you the higher number. A job offer helps only when its points are higher than your work-length points plus your high-wage points.
Does my own salary decide whether my job counts as high-wage?
No. The level depends on the median wage of everyone in Canada in your NOC code, compared with the average median wage of the whole workforce. Your own pay, past or present, does not change it.
I have never worked in Canada. Can the new factor give me points?
Only through a qualifying job offer in a listed occupation, worth 50, 70 or 100 points. Both parts of the experience side need at least a year of Canadian work. The offer must be valid under Express Entry, and an officer checks that it is genuine when you apply for permanent residence.
What happens if my occupation changes level after I am invited?
IRCC keeps using the level that applied on the date it invited you, whether your occupation moves level, is removed from the list or is added to it.
Sources
IRCC pages, checked 16 October 2026:
- Express Entry: What has changed (published 16 October 2026)
- High-wage occupations and how we assess them (published 16 October 2026)
- Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) criteria (updated 16 October 2026)
- Express Entry: Job offer (updated 16 October 2026)
- News release: Canada refocusing Express Entry on top talent that drives economic growth (16 October 2026)
- Backgrounder: Changes to Express Entry for high-wage occupations (16 October 2026)
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (updated 16 October 2026)
- News release: Canada takes action to reduce fraud in Express Entry system (23 December 2024)
- Ministerial Instructions amendment 2025-1 (in effect 25 March 2025)
This article is general information, not legal advice, and it describes published official rules rather than any individual case. Hadi Imani is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, licence R522575, practising in Toronto; that licence covers Canadian immigration only.
