If you have an active Express Entry profile, you may already have IRCC's email "Changes to CRS points – November 3, 2026". Here is what it says in plain language, what is new, and what to check in your profile before the changes take effect.
If you have an active Express Entry profile, you may already have an email from IRCC titled "Express Entry: Changes to CRS points – November 3, 2026". It arrives in English and French. We have read one of these emails, and this guide explains it in plain language: what it says, what is new compared with IRCC's October 16 announcement, and what to check in your profile before the changes take effect. We do not know how widely IRCC is sending it, so do not read anything into having received it, or not. What matters is your own profile: the NOC code of your Canadian job, and any job offer you hold. Our free CRS calculator shows your score under today's rules and under the November 3 rules side by side.
Additional CRS points do not guarantee an invitation to apply. IRCC's email says invitations depend on the cut-off score and on the size and type of each round.
What the email says
In our words, IRCC tells candidates that:
- The changes take effect on November 3, 2026 and may affect your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
- A new Labour Market Integration factor gives points for either Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation, whichever gives the higher score.
- Only qualifying offers in eligible high-wage occupations earn CRS points. An offer in any other occupation can still help someone qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, but it earns no CRS points.
- The LMIA is no longer used to decide whether an offer qualifies for program eligibility or CRS points. An offer backed by an LMIA, including a permanent resident LMIA, gets no priority. The LMIA-exemption rules are removed too, so a qualifying offer can be for a current or a new position, with a current or a new employer, for any candidate, whatever their work permit status or type.
- New points for Canadian work experience in high-wage occupations are added on top of the points you already get for how long you have worked in Canada.
- IRCC decides which occupations are high-wage and publishes the list on its website.
What IRCC asks you to do
- Keep your profile accurate and up to date if your situation changes, for example a new or updated job offer or new Canadian work experience.
- If you have a job offer, put its details in your profile.
- Do not assume every offer will earn points. IRCC says updated instructions and eligibility requirements will be on its "Express Entry: Job offer" page after November 3, 2026.
- Expect a recalculation. The system will recalculate existing profiles when the changes take effect. IRCC says this can take up to two weeks for all profiles, and invitation rounds are paused during that time and restart when it is done.
What is new compared with IRCC's October 16 pages
Most of the email repeats what IRCC published on October 16, which we explained in our November 3 guide. A few points are worth noticing. Both IRCC pages we checked on October 21 are still dated October 16.
- The email says the LMIA-exemption rules are removed and that a qualifying offer works for any candidate, whatever their work permit status or type. That is a clearer statement than the earlier pages.
- The email says updated job-offer instructions will be published after November 3. IRCC's Job offer page today still shows the earlier, LMIA-based wording, so the page will change.
- Timing of profile updates is worded differently. The email tells you to include offer details in your profile, with no date. IRCC's Job offer page, dated October 16, says that if your offer is not in your profile you should update it before November 3, 2026. Our reading: if you hold an offer you want counted, add it before November 3, then check IRCC's page again after that date. Your own RCIC can confirm this for your situation.
What it means for your score
The factor gives you the higher of two routes, never both added together. These are IRCC's published figures, for a candidate without a spouse or partner unless stated.
IRCC has not yet published an updated CRS grid or a new overall maximum, so treat any projected score as an estimate and check IRCC's pages after November 3. The factor tops out at 150 points without a spouse or partner and 140 with one.
| Your situation | What changes on November 3 |
|---|---|
| Canadian work in a job on IRCC's high-wage list, 12 months or 1,560 hours or more | A high-wage bonus of 70, 40 or 20 points on top of your work-length points |
| Canadian work in a job that is not on the list | Your work-length points stay as they are today, with no bonus |
| A job offer in a high-wage occupation | 100, 70 or 50 points, if it is higher than your work route |
| A job offer in an occupation that is not on the list | 0 CRS points. It may still help you qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker or Skilled Trades programs |
A checklist before November 3
- Find the NOC code for each Canadian job in your profile and check it against IRCC's high-wage list. The match is by code, and the code should reflect your real duties, not just your job title. A regulated immigration consultant can confirm yours.
- If you have a job offer, check that it is in your profile and that it meets IRCC's conditions: in writing, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), continuous and paid, lasting at least a year after you become a permanent resident, and genuine. It does not need an LMIA from November 3.
- Check the offer's occupation too. Only an offer in a high-wage occupation earns CRS points. An offer elsewhere can help eligibility but adds no points.
- Add anything new: new Canadian work, a new offer, changed circumstances.
- Plan for the recalculation window. Rounds are paused while IRCC recalculates profiles, which it says can take up to two weeks.
- See both scores. Our calculator scores your profile under today's rules and the November 3 rules, as we show in this worked example.
What we do not know yet
IRCC has not published the updated CRS grid or a new overall maximum, and its updated job-offer instructions are due after November 3. We also do not know exactly when the recalculation will finish and invitation rounds will restart. This guide describes IRCC's published information as of October 21, 2026 and is not legal advice. ITC iLand is not a government body. The official detail is on IRCC's changes page and Job offer page.
