How to Update Your Express Entry Profile for Canada’s New Job Offer Rules

Under the new rules, you will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for a job offer to qualify. Having an LMIA will not give you extra Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points or priority over other candidates. 

But, a genuine job offer (without an LMIA) can help you boost your score – if you’re in a high-wage occupation. Job offers can be for existing or new positions and can come from any employer. The job offer must be genuine, however, and IRCC will be on the lookout for fraud.  

If you have a high-wage occupation job offer that isn’t already included in your Express Entry profile, you should add it before November 3, 2026. 

Should you include your job offer letter for a high-wage occupation?  

This depends, and it will be a strategic question for some Express Entry candidates. 

Under the new CRS scoring for high-wage occupations, candidates can qualify for points based on one of two factors:  

1. Eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation; or
2. A qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.   

Since you can’t get points for both qualifying experience and a job offer for a high-wage occupation, it may not be necessary for you to include the job offer letter if you are already receiving more than 100 points for qualifying high-wage occupation experience.  

But if you’re currently in the pool and have a job offer for a high-wage occupation, you could get a boost of 50-100 points by updating your profile to include the job offer information.  

If you have both a Canadian job offer and Canadian experience, IRCC will automatically recalculate your CRS score based on whichever option gives you more points. 

How to update your Express Entry profile if you have a job offer 

If you have a job offer that isn’t currently included in your profile, sign in to your IRCC secure account and update your information under Work history. 

You will need to provide: 

• The job’s start date 

• Your employer’s name and address 

• The National Occupational Classification (NOC) code for the position 

• Your LMIA number, if you have one.  

What if you don’t have an LMIA? 

From November 3, 2026, you will no longer need an LMIA for your job offer to qualify. However, IRCC’s online system will not immediately reflect this change. 

If you have a job offer without an LMIA, IRCC has instructed candidates to enter the following information from November 3: 

Although these details may seem unusual, they are the temporary instructions provided by IRCC for candidates with job offers that do not have an LMIA. 

What counts as a valid job offer? 

Not every job offer will qualify under Express Entry. 

To be considered valid, your job offer must: 

• Be recent and in writing. 

• Come from an employer other than an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada. 

• Be for a full-time, continuous job, that will continue for at least one year after you receive permanent residence. 

• Include details about your pay, deductions, job duties and working conditions, such as your hours of work. 

• Meet any additional requirements of the Express Entry program you qualify under. 

Remember: Having a Canadian work permit, including an open work permit, does not automatically mean you have a valid job offer. 

What isn’t changing? 

Job offers will continue to play a role in determining eligibility for certain immigration programs, including: 

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) 

• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) 

• Certain Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams 

Under the new public policy (which is yet to be released), valid job offers for these programs can be in high-wage or non-high-wage occupations without requiring an LMIA. 

Although a job offer in an occupation that is not high-wage doesn’t get you additional points, it can exempt you from the proof of settlement funds requirement under Express Entry. 

Special rules for physicians: Certain foreign physicians with offers to provide publicly funded medical services in Canada may qualify for exemptions from standard job offer requirements under a temporary public policy.  

What should Express Entry candidates do now? 

If you’re already in the Express Entry pool, check your profile before November 3 to make sure any job offers are included and your employment details are accurate. 

If you have a qualifying job offer without an LMIA, follow IRCC’s temporary instructions which we outlined above when updating your profile from November 3. 

IRCC will recalculate profiles automatically. Candidates should check their updated CRS scores after the recalculation process is complete.