Express Entry: Up to 100 CRS Points Without an LMIA — Act Before November 3

On November 3, 2026, Express Entry changes in two ways. A new Labour Market Integration factor awards CRS points for Canadian work experience or a job offer, with extra points when the occupation is high-wage. And a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is no longer required for a qualifying Express Entry job offer. IRCC will recalculate the scores of candidates already in the pool, which can take up to two weeks, and says invitation rounds will be paused while it does.

The short version

• A job offer in a high-wage occupation can earn 50, 70 or 100 CRS points, with no LMIA.
• Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation earns a 20, 40 or 70-point bonus on top of your work-duration points.
• IRCC gives you whichever route scores higher. The two are never added together.
• The maximum for the whole factor is 150 points without a spouse or partner and 140 with one. That is the total score of the factor, not 150 entirely new points.
• Whether an occupation is high-wage depends on its official NOC classification, not on the candidate's own salary.

How the Labour Market Integration factor is scored

According to IRCC's Express Entry changes page, your score for this factor comes from comparing two routes, and you receive the higher one:

• Route 1, Canadian work experience: work-duration points (up to 80 without a spouse or partner, or 70 with one) plus a high-wage bonus of 20, 40 or 70 points.
• Route 2, a qualifying job offer: 50, 70 or 100 points, depending on the occupation's wage level.

The wage level of the occupation decides the high-wage bonus and the job-offer points. IRCC measures it against the average median wage of the Canadian workforce:

Worked example: how the two routes are compared

These examples use IRCC's tables for a candidate without a spouse or partner. They show the arithmetic only. Your real score depends on your own occupation, hours and circumstances.

• Example 1: work experience wins. Three years of Canadian work experience earns 64 work-duration points. The occupation is in the 1.5× tier, a 40-point bonus. Route 1 is 64 + 40 = 104. A job offer in a 1.3× occupation would be worth 50. The higher score, 104, is used.
• Example 2: the job offer wins. One year of Canadian work experience earns 40 points, and the occupation is in the 1.3× tier, a 20-point bonus. Route 1 is 40 + 20 = 60. A qualifying offer in a different, 2× occupation is worth 100. The higher score, 100, is used.

Which work experience counts, and what makes an occupation "high-wage"?

High-wage status belongs to the occupation, not to the person. IRCC assesses it using all people in Canada working under the same National Occupational Classification (NOC) code, and says it is "not determined based on a person's specific job position". A high salary in an occupation that is not on the list does not qualify. What counts is the NOC code.

• How much: at least 12 months, or 1,560 hours, of qualifying Canadian work experience in eligible high-wage occupations.
• Which occupations: TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, with the experience generally acquired in Canada within the previous 10 years.
• Flexibility: the experience can be continuous or not, full-time or an equal amount of part-time work, and it can be combined across more than one eligible high-wage job.
• 30-hour weekly cap: if you held several jobs at the same time, hours count only up to the equal of full-time work, which IRCC sets at 30 hours a week.
• The list: IRCC publishes the official list of high-wage NOC occupations in three wage tiers (2× or more, 1.5× to under 2×, and 1.3× to under 1.5×). IRCC says the list is currently based on 2023 to 2025 data and takes effect November 3, 2026. If you are not sure of your NOC code, start with our NOC Finder.

Job offers: what qualifies

IRCC sets out these conditions for a job offer under Express Entry:

• Genuine: IRCC officers assess whether the offer is genuine when they review the permanent residence application, and the employer must have complied with applicable federal and provincial employment and recruitment laws.
• Full-time and continuous: at least 30 hours a week for at least one year. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, IRCC counts that year from when you become a permanent resident.
• Existing or new: the offer can be for an existing or a new position, and with an existing or a new employer.
• A work permit is not a job offer. IRCC says a work permit on its own is not a job offer, even an open work permit.
• No LMIA needed for the CRS points, and no extra credit for having one. IRCC says an LMIA is not required for a qualifying job offer to earn the new Express Entry points, and that having one will not give you more points or priority. For Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades eligibility, see the temporary public policy below.

What the LMIA change does and does not do

From November 3, 2026, IRCC says an LMIA is no longer required for a qualifying job offer to earn the new Express Entry CRS points. For eligibility under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), IRCC says a temporary public policy exempts candidates invited to apply on or after November 3, 2026 from all requirements related to LMIA and LMIA exemptions for qualifying job offers used to establish eligibility, provided they meet the conditions of the public policy. The IRCC pages we checked do not state an expiry date for the policy, so confirm its conditions and current status on IRCC's site.

This is a change to how Express Entry treats job offers. IRCC's pages do not describe any change to the LMIA requirements for temporary work permits, so treat those as unchanged unless IRCC says otherwise.

IRCC also lists a temporary public policy for foreign physicians who were invited to apply through Express Entry on or after April 25, 2023, submitted an application, and have a job offer to provide publicly funded medical services in Canada. Under it, the offer is valid under the Federal Skilled Worker Program even if the job is not continuous and does not last at least one year after the permanent resident visa is issued. It is specific to physicians, so do not assume it applies to other occupations.

Entering an LMIA-free job offer in your profile

IRCC says that as of November 3, 2026 its requirements will have changed but its online system will not yet reflect that. Under "Work history", the profile will still ask whether a positive LMIA was issued, even though you do not need one. For a qualifying offer without an LMIA, IRCC instructs you to enter these values:

IRCC's news release also says candidates who want job-offer points must update their profile before November 3, while the system instructions above are dated from November 3. If you have a qualifying offer, confirm the exact steps and timing on IRCC's page or with your representative.

What should candidates do now?

This is general information, not advice on your file. The practical points the announcement raises:

• Check your occupation. Find your NOC code on IRCC's high-wage list and see which tier it falls under.
• If you have a qualifying job offer, check that it meets the conditions above and follow IRCC's advice to update your profile before November 3.
• Expect a pause. IRCC says rounds will stop during the recalculation, which can take up to two weeks. That is not a problem with your profile.
• Do not assume cut-offs will fall. Other candidates' scores are recalculated too, so how invitation cut-offs move afterwards cannot be predicted from this announcement.

What was not announced

This announcement covers the Labour Market Integration factor and the LMIA change only. IRCC consulted in spring 2026 on wider reforms: merging the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs into one, and changing the points for French, Canadian study, siblings and the spousal grid. Those were not part of the October 16 announcement, and no decision on them has been announced. See IRCC's consultation page for what was proposed. For background, read our overview of the single-program reform proposal, or see our Express Entry program page.

A high-wage occupation or a qualifying job offer can change your strategy, but only if the rules fit your actual file. If you are unsure whether your work experience or offer qualifies, or how to update your profile, talk it through before November 3.

Frequently asked questions

• Is November 3 the last day to get the new points? No. The new rules start on November 3 and keep applying afterwards. IRCC's advice to update before that date is for candidates who already have a qualifying job offer and want it counted when scores are recalculated.
• Is the 150-point maximum all new points? No. It is the total score of the Labour Market Integration factor, which includes work-duration points. The high-wage bonus adds 20, 40 or 70; a job offer is worth 50, 70 or 100.
• Does my own salary decide if I get the high-wage points? No. IRCC decides by the occupation's NOC classification, using the median wage of everyone in Canada in that occupation.
• Can I get both work-experience and job-offer points? No. IRCC gives you whichever route scores higher.
• Do I still need an LMIA for the job offer? Not for the new Express Entry CRS points from November 3. For FSWP and FSTP eligibility, IRCC says a temporary public policy exempts candidates invited to apply on or after November 3, 2026, provided they meet its conditions. IRCC's pages do not say this changes LMIA requirements for work permits.
• Can a work permit count as a job offer? No. IRCC says a work permit on its own is not a job offer, even an open work permit.
• Does an offer outside the high-wage list earn CRS points? No, it earns 0 job-offer points. It can still help you meet Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades eligibility.
• What do I enter in my profile for an LMIA-free offer? IRCC instructs: positive LMIA "Yes", LMIA number 00000, issuance date 2026-01-01, expiry date 2029-01-01, from November 3, 2026.
• Does a higher score mean I will be invited? No. IRCC states that additional CRS points do not guarantee an invitation to apply.