On November 3, 2026, IRCC changes how Express Entry ranks candidates. A new Labour Market Integration factor awards points for either Canadian work experience (up to 150) or a job offer in a high-wage occupation (up to 100). Only the higher of the two counts. Job offers also no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). If you're deciding whether to take a new offer, accept a promotion or wait out a 12-month work milestone, the two options now compete instead of adding together.
The short version
- From November 3, 2026, Canadian work experience and job offers are scored inside one Labour Market Integration factor, capped at 150 CRS points. You get points for one or the other, never both.
- Canadian work experience can reach 150 points without a partner (80 for length plus 70 for high-wage work) or 140 with one. Job offers in eligible high-wage occupations earn 50, 70 or 100.
- An LMIA is no longer needed for a job offer to count, and holding one adds no points or priority. An officer checks that the offer is genuine at the permanent residence stage.
- Existing profiles will be recalculated, which could take up to two weeks. Invitation rounds pause until that is complete.
How the Labour Market Integration factor is scored
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is the points score IRCC uses to rank profiles in the Express Entry pool. Under IRCC's 2026 changes, the system calculates your points from Canadian work experience and from a job offer, then keeps whichever is higher.
| Score option | With a spouse or common-law partner | Without a spouse or common-law partner |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian work experience | 140 (70 work-length + 70 high-wage) | 150 (80 work-length + 70 high-wage) |
| Qualifying job offer | 100 | 100 |
Work-length points are unchanged: the same points awarded now for work in any TEER 0 to 3 job. TEER is the training, education, experience and responsibilities category attached to each job code.
| Length of Canadian work experience | With partner | Without partner |
|---|---|---|
| None or less than a 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 occupation points are new and sit on top of work-length points. They require at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian experience in eligible high-wage occupations. That experience can be non-continuous, part-time adding up to the full-time equivalent, or combined across more than one eligible job. If you held two jobs at once, hours count only up to 30 a week.
| Qualifying Canadian work experience | Points |
|---|---|
| At least 12 months in occupations at 2 times the average median wage or more | 70 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined at 1.5 times or more | 40 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined at 1.3 times or more | 20 |
| Less than 12 months in high-wage occupations | 0 |
Job offer points return to the CRS. The offer must be valid under Express Entry and be in an eligible high-wage occupation.
| Job offer category | Points |
|---|---|
| High-wage occupation at 2 times the average median wage or more | 100 |
| At least 1.5 to under 2 times | 70 |
| At least 1.3 times, but less than 1.5 times | 50 |
| Not a high-wage occupation | 0 |
What counts as a high-wage occupation
A job is high-wage if the median wage of everyone in Canada working under that National Occupational Classification (NOC) code is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the Canadian workforce. The test looks at the whole occupation, not your own salary. IRCC groups eligible codes into three levels and links the list from its changes page.
Old rule versus new
Under the current CRS criteria, Canadian work experience tops out at 80 points without a partner and 70 with one. From November 3, the ceiling rises to 150 and 140. All 70 extra points depend on the occupation: a candidate whose five years are in jobs off the high-wage list still tops out at 80.
What isn't changing
- Eligibility rules for Canadian work experience. For the Canadian Experience Class, IRCC's program page still requires paid work in TEER 0 to 3, gained while authorized to work in Canada, totalling at least 1 year or 1,560 hours in the 3 years before applying. Work done while studying full-time and self-employed work doesn't count, except for some physicians under a temporary public policy.
- Skills transferability. These points keep using the existing length requirements, not the high-wage points.
- Job offers that programs require. Where a valid job offer is part of eligibility (the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and some provincial nominee streams), that stays. For FSW and FST, the offer can be in any eligible TEER 0 to 3 job, not only one on the high-wage list.
Who the November 3 rewrite affects
- Everyone in the pool on November 3. Scores are recalculated automatically, with no invitations during the pause of up to two weeks.
- Candidates with Canadian experience in high-wage occupations. Their experience score rises by up to 70 points (from 80 to 150 without a partner, or from 70 to 140 with one). A candidate with no Canadian experience can still earn up to 100 points from a qualifying job offer.
- Candidates holding a job offer without an LMIA. Those offers can now count if the occupation is on the high-wage list.
- Candidates with a partner. Their work-length ceiling is 70, so the experience route tops out at 140.
- FSW, FST and some provincial nominee candidates. A job offer may still matter for program eligibility even if it earns no CRS points. IRCC assesses the two separately.
Less affected: candidates with no Canadian experience and no offer, and those whose work isn't in a high-wage occupation. Their high-wage and job offer points stay at 0.
What to do before and after November 3
- Check your NOC code for your current job and any offer you're weighing against IRCC's high-wage list, linked from the 2026 changes page.
- Add a valid job offer that has no LMIA, if you haven't entered it. The CRS criteria page advises updating your profile in that case. Because the online form won't reflect the change yet, IRCC says to enter these details under "Work history":
- "Was a positive LMIA issued?": Yes
- LMIA number: 00000
- Issuance date: 2026-01-01
- Expiry date: 2029-01-01
- Keep job offer details in your profile if FSW, FST or a provincial stream needs the offer for eligibility, even when it earns no CRS points.
- Count your hours toward 12 months (1,560 hours) in high-wage work. Under the Ministerial Instructions, any update made before an invitation triggers a recalculation.
- Check your profile's timing. The same instructions say a profile stays in the pool for up to one year, and language test results must be less than two years old.
- Prepare evidence that the offer is genuine. At the permanent residence stage, an officer checks that the employer is active in the business, can fulfil the offer, made an offer that meets its needs, and follows employment and recruitment laws. The officer also checks that you are qualified and able to do the work and are likely to accept the job.
Worked example: experience versus a job offer, no partner
Illustration only: a candidate without a partner has 3 years of Canadian work experience, all in occupations at 1.5 to under 2 times the average median wage.
- Work-length points: 64
- High-wage points: 40
- Experience total: 64 + 40 = 104
Suppose the same candidate also holds a job offer. In a 1.3-to-1.5-times occupation it is worth 50. Even at 2 times or more it is worth 100, 4 points below 104. The system counts 104 either way, so the offer adds nothing to the CRS score, though it may still matter for program eligibility.
The 12-month milestone. A different candidate without a partner has 11 months in a 2-times occupation. Their experience points are 0 (0 for length, 0 for high-wage). A 2-times job offer would give them 100 right away.
At 12 months, the experience route becomes 40 + 70 = 110, which is 10 more than the offer. With a partner, the same milestone gives 35 + 70 = 105, still 5 more.
Common questions
Do I still need an LMIA for Express Entry job offer points?
No. From November 3, 2026, an LMIA isn't needed for a job offer to count toward program eligibility or CRS points, and having one gives no extra points or priority. The offer can be for a new or existing position, with a new or existing employer.
Can I get points for both a job offer and Canadian work experience?
No. The factor counts whichever gives the higher score, to a maximum of 150.
Does my salary decide whether my job is high-wage?
No. IRCC compares the median wage of everyone in Canada under your NOC code with the average median wage of the workforce. Your own pay doesn't set the level.
Does this change job offer rules for FSW and FST?
Not for eligibility. FSW and FST job offers can still be in any eligible TEER 0 to 3 job. An offer can meet program requirements and still earn 0 CRS points if the occupation isn't on the high-wage list.
What we don't know yet
- Which of the three levels your own NOC code falls into until you check IRCC's list.
- When the online profile will stop asking for LMIA details.
- When exactly invitation rounds will restart. IRCC says only "up to two weeks".
- How CRS cut-offs will move once job offer and high-wage points are in the pool.
- How strictly officers will apply the genuineness test in practice.
Whether your experience or an offer scores higher, and whether waiting for a milestone makes sense, depends on the details of your profile. You can check your Express Entry eligibility with us, or talk your options through with one of our RCICs, who can assess your specific case.