New High-Wage Occupation CRS Points Take Effect Today

Whether you’re waiting on your profile update or you’re not eligible and you want to know what’s next, here’s what you should know about today’s high-wage occupation points changes.  

Key Takeaways

• Canada’s new high-wage occupation points take effect on November 3, 2026.
• It may take up to two weeks for your profile to be updated.
• Candidates can receive up to 70 additional CRS points for eligible Canadian work experience or up to 100 points for a qualifying job offer.
• There’s a procedural change too — a new Labour Market Integration factor replaces Canadian work experience as a standalone core human capital factor.
• The maximum possible CRS score has increased from 1,200 to 1,270 points.

What Is the New Labour Market Integration Factor?

The revised Ministerial Instructions introduce Labour Market Integration (LMI) as a new core human capital factor. LMI will replace Canadian work experience as a standalone factor for CRS points in Express Entry.

Under the Labour Market Integration Factor, candidates can receive points through one of two options:

1. Canadian work experience: Existing points based on years of Canadian work experience, plus up to 70 additional points for eligible high-wage experience.
2. Qualifying job offer: Up to 100 points for a job offer in an eligible high-wage occupation.

Candidates cannot combine the points from these two options.

Instead, IRCC will calculate the points available under each option and award whichever provides the higher score. Watch Dane’s video below for more details.

How Many CRS Points Can Candidates Receive for High-Wage Occupations?

The new instructions divide high-wage occupations into three tiers based on their median wages, relative to the national median wage.

The number of points you receive will depend on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code of your occupation, rather than your individual salary.

To receive the additional Canadian work experience points, you must have at least 12 months, or 1,560 hours, of eligible experience in one or more high-wage occupations.

The existing points for years of Canadian work experience remain unchanged and can be combined with any high-wage Canadian experience points.

IRCC will use its official high-wage occupation list to determine which occupations qualify and how many points they receive. The list may be updated over time.

What Has Changed for Express Entry Job Offers?

In March 2025, Canada had removed CRS points for arranged employment. The new instructions restore job offer points, but only for qualifying offers in high-wage occupations.

One of the most significant changes is that a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is no longer required for a job offer to qualify for Express Entry program eligibility or CRS points.

Having an LMIA will not provide additional CRS points or give a candidate priority.

As of November 3, 2026, a qualifying job offer must:

• Be in an NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation. Only high-wage occupation offers will qualify for CRS points.
• Be for full-time employment in Canada, involving at least 30 hours of work per week.
• Be for continuous employment lasting at least one year after permanent residence is issued.
• Be assessed as genuine by an immigration officer.

Job offers may be for existing or new positions. They may come from a candidate’s current employer or a new employer.

The revised instructions also retain special provisions for certain physicians providing publicly funded medical services and skilled trades workers who receive qualifying offers from up to two employers.

How Will IRCC Assess Whether a Job Offer Is Genuine?

The revised Ministerial Instructions introduce specific criteria for assessing the genuineness of job offers.

An immigration officer must consider five factors before accepting a job offer as qualifying employment.

1. Whether the employer is actively operating the business.
2. Whether the position meets the employer’s reasonable staffing needs.
3. Whether the employer can fulfil the terms of the job offer.
4. Whether the candidate is qualified, able and likely to perform the work.
5. Whether the employer has complied with applicable employment and recruitment laws.

Previously, this assessment was done by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). However, now that the LMIA requirement has been removed, job offers will be assessed by immigration officers instead.

To verify the genuineness of the job offer, officers may request information from either the employer or the applicant, or both.

Not sure if your job offer counts? Read Rebecca’s in-depth guidance on claiming job offer points.

What Is the Maximum CRS Score for Express Entry?

The revised Ministerial Instructions increase the maximum possible CRS score from 1,200 to 1,270 points.

This reflects an increase in the maximum core human capital points available under the new Labour Market Integration factor.

Candidates without an accompanying spouse can now receive up to 570 core human capital points, compared with 500 previously. Those with an accompanying spouse can receive up to 530 points, compared with 460 previously.

Within core human capital factors, the new LMI factor can contribute a maximum of:

• 150 points for candidates without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
• 140 points for candidates with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.

The maximum points available under the different CRS categories are now:

These maximums are possible through Canadian work experience, including five years of Canadian experience and the 70-point high-wage bonus for an occupation with a median wage of at least twice the national median wage.

The maximum points available through a qualifying job offer are 100.

Other CRS factors, including age, education, language proficiency, skill transferability, provincial nominations and French-language proficiency, remain unchanged for now.

What Should Express Entry Candidates Do Now?

If you are already in the Express Entry pool, you do not need to create a new profile to receive the updated points. IRCC will automatically recalculate the CRS scores of candidates already in the Express Entry pool.

This process could take up to two weeks, starting November 3, 2026. During the recalculation period, IRCC will pause Express Entry invitation rounds. Draws will resume once the process is complete.

That said, many candidates are already reporting on Reddit that their CRS scores have been updated.

If you receive a qualifying job offer and want to claim points for it, you should update your Express Entry profile. If you also have high-wage Canadian experience, it may not always be useful to claim points for a job offer. Read our guide to understand when it may be worth it to get a job offer.

You should review your profile to ensure your work experience, NOC codes, and job offer information are accurate.

If you qualify for the new points, you will see your CRS score increase. This will potentially improve your chance of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

Candidates who do not work in eligible high-wage occupations will continue receiving points for their Canadian work experience, if they have any. However, rankings within the Express Entry pool will likely change significantly now that the high-wage occupation points have been implemented. This might make those without high-wage experience or job offers less competitive in the pool. If you are in such a situation, now is a good time to explore other ways to improve your chances of receiving permanent residence.