On November 3, IRCC changes how Canadian work experience and job offers are scored. In our example profile a 431 becomes a 501. Yours may gain more, less or nothing. Our free CRS calculator now shows today's score and the November 3 score side by side.
Here is one example profile run through our free CRS calculator: 431 points under today's rules, and 501 under IRCC's November 3 rules. Same person, same answers, 70 more points. The difference comes from a detail most people have never looked up: the NOC code of the job they worked in. In this example it is four years of Canadian work in a 2× high-wage occupation, with no spouse or partner. A different job could gain less, or nothing at all. The calculator now scores your profile twice, under today's rules and under IRCC's November 3 rules, and puts the two numbers side by side, so you find out which case you are in before the change takes effect.
Extra CRS points do not guarantee an invitation to apply, and this calculator is an estimate, not a decision. It applies IRCC's published description of the November 3 changes to the answers you give.
What changes on November 3
IRCC is adding a Labour Market Integration factor to the Comprehensive Ranking System. It gives you points for either your Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer, never both, and you get whichever scores higher. For work experience, you keep the work-length points you get today and can add a bonus for work in high-wage occupations. IRCC decides what counts as high-wage by the NOC code, not by your salary. The full explanation is in our November 3 guide.
- Work experience route: work-length points (up to 80 without a spouse or partner, 70 with one) plus a high-wage bonus of 70, 40 or 20 points.
- Job offer route: 100, 70 or 50 points for an offer in a high-wage occupation, and no LMIA is needed.
- The maximum for the whole factor is 150 points without a spouse or partner and 140 with one.
- High-wage points need at least 12 months, or 1,560 hours, of qualifying Canadian work in those occupations.
What the calculator does with that
You answer the usual CRS questions once. A short optional section then asks two things: which high-wage jobs you worked in Canada, and whether you have a qualifying job offer. The result shows today's score and your November 3 score, with the difference and the working behind it.
- Search for the job, not the code. Type a job title or a NOC code and pick the result. The calculator tells you whether that occupation is on IRCC's high-wage list and at which level.
- Up to three jobs. Months and hours are added up the way IRCC counts them, with part-time work counted in proportion.
- It catches impossible answers. The months in your high-wage jobs cannot add up to more than the Canadian work experience you entered, and an invitation older than 60 days is not used.
- It lists what a valid job offer needs and asks you to confirm it, so you are not told an offer is worth 100 points when it would not qualify.
- Dated language results carry over. Enter your test date once and your scores follow you into the other tools while they are still valid.
Examples from IRCC's tables
These examples use IRCC's published tables for a candidate without a spouse or partner, and change nothing else in the profile. They show the arithmetic only. Your own score depends on your whole profile.
IRCC says the work-length points are the same points awarded today, and that the new factor replaces today's Canadian work experience points. IRCC has not yet published an updated CRS grid or a new overall maximum, so treat these as estimates and check IRCC's page after November 3.
| Profile | Today | From November 3 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 years of Canadian work in a 2× high-wage job (the example above) | 72 | 142 (72 + 70) | +70 |
| 5 years of Canadian work in a 2× high-wage job | 80 | 150 (80 + 70) | +70 |
| 3 years in a 1.5× high-wage job | 64 | 104 (64 + 40) | +40 |
| 3 years in a 1.3× high-wage job | 64 | 84 (64 + 20) | +20 |
| 3 years in a job that is not high-wage | 64 | 64 | 0 |
| No Canadian work, a qualifying offer in a 2× high-wage job | 0 | 100 | +100 |
How to use it in two minutes
- Open the CRS calculator and answer the core questions: age, education, language results and work experience.
- In the November 3 section, search for each job you worked in Canada, then enter the months and hours a week. If you have a job offer, tick it and confirm the requirements.
- Calculate. Read the two scores and the explanation underneath. If the November 3 score is lower or the same as today's, that is useful to know too.
What it cannot tell you
A score only ranks candidates who are already in the Express Entry pool, and it does not show that you qualify to enter it. Use the Program Eligibility tool for that. The calculator also cannot predict a cut-off, and ITC iLand is not a government body. IRCC will recalculate existing profiles when the changes take effect, which it says could take up to two weeks, with invitation rounds paused in the meantime. The official detail is on IRCC's changes page.
