Express Entry Reforms: IRCC’s Proposal on the New Immigration Program & CRS Revamp

Although public consultations on this have not started yet, we have a source that has given us access to a copy of an Internal IRCC draft discussion paper which provides more details on the proposed Express Entry reforms.

Here’s what we know so far.

Key Takeaways 

• The proposed eligibility for the Federal High Skill Immigration Program is at least a high school diploma, one year of TEER 0-3 work experience in the last 3 years, and language scores of CLB/NCLC 6.
• Additional CRS points proposed for experience or job offers in high-wage occupations and “practice-ready” candidates in regulated occupations.
• CRS points for French language ability, Canadian college education, spousal factors, and sibling in Canada could be reduced or removed entirely.
• Emphasis will be on selecting candidates with more earnings potential.

Eligibility for the New Express Entry Immigration Program

The Internal IRCC discussion paper suggests that the eligibility criteria for the new Express Entry High Skilled Immigration Program will be:

• Education: At least Canadian high school diploma or equivalent (with ECA)
• Language Skills: CLB/NCLC 6 for all TEERs in all four language abilities in either French or English
• Work Experience: 1 year cumulative in one or more TEER 0–3 occupations within the last 3 years (Canadian or foreign)

Candidates will not require a job offer to be eligible for the Federal High Skilled Immigration Program (although you could get CRS points for having one).

It is also not clear whether applicants will need to show proof of funds to enter the pool.

How The Proposed Eligibility Compares with the Current Economic Programs

Currently, to enter the Express Entry pool, candidates must meet the minimum eligibility criteria for at least one of the three economic immigration programs—The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program.

It is fair to say that the eligibility requirements for the three programs vary significantly. In fact, one of the stated objectives of the reforms is to streamline the eligibility criteria. The discussion paper states that with the introduction of category-based draws, three distinct programs, and their associated eligibility checks, are no longer needed.

The internal IRCC document also plans to scrap the FSW selection grid, which is currently used to assess FSW candidates on language skills, education, skilled work experience, age, arranged employment, and adaptability. According to the discussion paper, the FSW points grid is redundant, as these factors are also assessed while calculating CRS scores once candidates are in the Express Entry pool.

Changes to the CRS System

Alongside the merging of programs, IRCC is also considering making some dramatic changes to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

CRS Score Factors That Aren’t Changing

We can’t know what will change for certain, given that consultations have just started, but we do know where IRCC is planning to keep things the same.

• Age: 0 points after age 45; maximum 110 points for ages 20–29.
• Education: 0 points for less than high school; maximum 150 points for PhD
• First Official Language: 0 points at CLB/NCLC 4 or below; maximum 136 points at CLB/NCLC 10 or above
• Second Official Language: 0 points at CLB/NCLC 4 or below; maximum 24 points at CLB/NCLC 9 or above

IRCC says these human capital factors (together with Canadian work experience) are the strongest predictors of good economic outcomes for newcomers and should remain as the foundation for Express Entry.

As to proposed changes, we have some details on what IRCC is hoping to update.

Canadian Work Experience and Job Offers

Under the current system, Canadian work experience counts for a maximum 80 points for 5 or more years and 0 for less than one year.

The proposed change means experience will be considered under a new “Labour Market Integration” factor. This includes Canadian work experience in a high wage occupation, or a job offer in a high wage occupation.

Points for job offers were temporarily eliminated under the current CRS system in March 2025. They will be reintroduced as points for job offers or experience in high wage occupations. More points would be given to candidates with job offers or occupations that earn more than the national average, with the number of points awarded directly corresponding to the amount of money you can expect to earn in a specific occupation.  This would be broken down into three tiers.

• 2 times the national median wage (e.g., physicians, university professors)
• 5 times the national median wage (e.g., engineers, teachers, transportation managers)
• 3 times the national median wage (e.g., financial analysts, bricklayers, heavy-duty equipment operators).

IRCC says this will “help mitigate the risk of fraud as well as remove concerns such as gender and geographic disparities, or cases where individuals work excessive hours in low-wage jobs to demonstrate high income.”

Although it is unclear whether points for job offers will be restricted to those on an LMIA work permit, the discussion paper also notes that IRCC is looking into the possibility of adding LMIA exemptions for situations where fraud risk is low, such as for candidates who’ve already been working in Canada for six months on a valid work permit.

Skills Transferability

IRCC plans to start prioritizing “practice-ready” candidates for licensed occupations, such as trades. This would mean accepting only Red Seal certificates and introducing points for trade apprenticeship work.

Licensed occupations that aren’t trades, such as healthcare and teaching, could still benefit from being “practice-ready”, or applicants who are already fully licensed in Canada.  IRCC may also consider exempting them from additional language testing, meaning provincial regulatory bodies could accept IRCC-approved language tests. However, IRCC would have to approach every province and territory individually to make this happen.

Reassessing “Weaker” CRS Factors

French Language Skills

The IRCC discussion paper notes that additional points for French language may be removed or modified. This is because since 2023, category-based draws have been enough to achieve Francophone targets. As a result, IRCC notes, additional CRS points for French may no longer be necessary.

The document reiterates that French continues to play a role in both the country’s economic and community goals.

IRCC may be thinking that the department has less need to “double reward” French ability—once through targeted draws, and again through additional CRS points. Presently, anyone in the Express Entry pool with a NCLC 7 in all four abilities is eligible for French category-based draws. IRCC can meet its Francophone targets even without the additional points for French simply by moving the cut-off for these draws.

On one hand, this suggests that IRCC plans to continue category-based draws for French-language proficiency, which have featured prominently in Express Entry rounds of invitation over the last couple of years. On the other hand, removing the CRS points will inevitably lead to further declines in French draw cut-offs and could put French-speakers at a disadvantage for other category-based draws.

Study in Canada

The current system awards up to 150 points for education and an additional 15-30 points for Canadian education. The IRCC discussion paper notes that Canadian college graduates tend to earn slightly less than university graduates, but the majority of applicants (76%) who received additional points for Canadian education only had a 1 or 2 year college credential. In response, a potential change for points awarded for study in Canada could be available for only graduate-level education.

Family in Canada

The discussion paper suggests that spousal factors and having a sibling in Canada have a limited role in determining economic success.

In response, IRCC proposes removing or adjusting the points awarded for a spouse and reconsidering entirely the points awarded for a sibling.

Defining Canadian Work Experience

The internal document also hints that we can expect to see a clarification on the type of work that can count as Canadian work experience.

Specifically, it states the clearer rules would ensure the Canadian work experience definition would reflect participation in the Canadian labour market, and include work that:

• Was performed in Canada as a temporary resident
• Paid by wages or commission.

And exclude:

• Most self-employment work (except physicians)
• Work during full-time studies
• Unauthorized work
• Work during asylum claims
• Foreign government employment
• Work in embassies/consulates
• Certain high-commission roles

What This Means for the Future of Express Entry

Creating streamlined eligibility criteria for all Express Entry applicants will make the process for prospective applicants easier to understand, but at what expense?

We can’t help but be concerned that, if put into force, this new basic eligibility threshold is going to prioritise quantity over quality. A rationale behind the reform is to establish a more diverse pool of international talent to fill a variety of labour market needs. But lowering the barrier to enter the Express Entry pool will not necessarily translate to attracting international talent for help with Canada’s labour market needs.

An obvious example here is the work experience requirement. Under the FSW, although the minimum work experience threshold is only 1 year of skilled work experience, many applicants actually need 4+ years of experience to qualify, because that gets them the 67 points they need on the selection factors grid.

Under the proposed changes, only 1 year of skilled experience will be needed, irrespective of other merits of the applicant. But the likelihood of an applicant securing Canadian employment and being able to economically establish themselves with only one year of experience is a concern. IRCC’s discussion paper acknowledges this and notes that more Canadian experience is directly correlated with higher earnings, and those without prior Canadian experience need 3-4 years to catch up economically.

In creating a more diverse pool, IRCC will need to make sure they are selecting applicants who have the necessary amount of work experience to secure employment in Canada.

But one thing is certain—Express Entry, as a whole, isn’t going away. The objective of these reforms is to make the system easier to navigate and diversify the talent it draws. The changes to the CRS scoring will also help ensure that factors that have the most economic impact, such as high-wage employment, language skills, and age continue to be prioritized.

These changes are not final yet, and regulatory changes will only be made once the consultation process is complete. To stay up to date on IRCC’s plans and Express Entry changes, join the Moving2Canada community.