From November 3, 2026, Express Entry adds CRS points for high-wage Canadian work and job offers, drops the LMIA requirement for them, and pauses draws while scores are recalculated.
On October 16, 2026, IRCC announced a major change to how Express Entry scores candidates, effective November 3, 2026. Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-wage occupation will now earn extra CRS points, and a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) will no longer be needed for those offer points. Existing profiles will be rescored, and invitation rounds will pause while that happens.
This guide is based on secondary summaries of IRCC's announcement (VG Immigration and Newland Chase). The signed public policy and amended Ministerial Instructions were not available to us, so confirm exact conditions with IRCC before relying on any detail below.
High-wage experience points. Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation earns points based on how that occupation's median wage compares to the national median wage. The work generally needs to be in Canada, in a TEER 0-3 occupation, within the past ten years.
Job-offer points. A qualifying high-wage job offer earns points as an alternative route. The two routes are not added together: IRCC uses whichever gives you the higher score.
| Occupation's median wage vs. national median | Experience points | Job-offer points |
|---|
| At least 2x | 70 | 100 |
| At least 1.5x, under 2x | 40 | 70 |
| At least 1.3x, under 1.5x | 20 | 50 |
The experience figures are for 12 months at that wage tier. The combined labour market integration factor is capped at 150 points without an accompanying spouse and 140 with one.
No LMIA for these offers. For Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades candidates invited on or after November 3, a temporary public policy waives the LMIA and LMIA-exemption requirement for qualifying offers. The offer can be for an existing or new position with any employer, but it must be genuine, and the full-time, continuous work requirement still applies.
Pool recalculation. Profiles already in the pool will be rescored automatically. This may take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds will stay paused until it finishes. No restart date has been confirmed.
If you work in a high-wage Canadian role: your score could rise without any action, and by up to 70 points on experience alone if your occupation sits in the top tier. Check the occupation list IRCC published with the announcement against your NOC code on the NOC codes explained page.
If you have a job offer: update your profile with accurate offer details before November 3. IRCC's guidance on legacy LMIA fields is ambiguous about timing, so check live guidance before using any placeholder entries.
If you are on the edge of recent cutoffs: the October 15 CEC round closed at CRS 519. A change of this size may reshuffle who is above the line, in either direction, so avoid spending on a language retest purely to chase a few points until new scores appear.
If your job pays below the high-wage threshold: nothing is taken away from you in this announcement. The factor adds points; it does not subtract them from anyone.
Tip
Write down your current CRS breakdown today. After the recalculation you will want to see exactly which factor moved, and your profile will only show the new total.
A consultation report dated October 15, 2026 floated further changes that are not adopted: merging CEC, FSW and FST into a single federal high-skilled program, narrowing or removing the Canadian study bonus, possibly changing additional French points, removing sibling points, and delaying the age-point decline. None have confirmed point values or dates. See our overview of the Express Entry overhaul and Ministerial Instruction changes for the background.
Because rounds pause during recalculation, the draws between now and November 3 may be the last at current scoring for a few weeks. The most recent rounds were the French-language draw at 435 and the CEC draw at 519. That timing is our inference, not an IRCC statement.
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Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.