Canada: Express Entry Changes to Prioritize High-Wage Occupations

October 16, 2026

insight-news-default

Country / Territory

At a Glance

  • Effective November 3, 2026, Canada will reintroduce Express Entry points for qualifying job offers in designated high-wage occupations and award additional points for eligible Canadian work experience in those occupations. Express Entry is Canada’s flagship economic immigration permanent residence program. 
  • Candidates will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment for certain Express Entry job offer purposes. 
  • The changes may improve eligible candidates’ permanent residence selection prospects and alter rankings across the Express Entry pool. 
  • Candidates seeking job offer points must update their profiles before November 3. Invitation rounds will pause for up to two weeks while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recalculates scores. 

The situation 

Effective November 3, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will introduce additional requirements for the Express Entry permanent residence program. In general, the new requirements will prioritize occupations with high wages and remove Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements for qualifying Express Entry job offers.  

A closer look 

CHANGE 

IMPACT 

Additional points for high-wage occupations. 

  • IRCC uses Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores to rank Express Entry candidates for invitations to apply for permanent residence. 
  • Under a new Labour Market Integration factor, candidates can receive points for either eligible Canadian work experience, with extra points for experience in designated high-wage occupations, or a job offer that meets IRCC’s requirements in one of those occupations. IRCC will award whichever score is higher; candidates cannot combine the two. 
  • Eligibility for these high-wage points depends on IRCC’s published occupation list, rather than the candidate’s individual salary. 
  • Foreign workers.  
    • Foreign nationals with eligible Canadian work experience or job offers in high-wage occupations may receive higher CRS scores, improving their rankings and prospects of receiving an invitation to apply for Express Entry.   
  • Employers. Employers should review affected employees’ occupation classifications, eligible Canadian work experience and job offer documentation to coordinate profile updates and reassess permanent residence strategies. 
  • IRCC transitional measures.  
    • IRCC will automatically recalculate CRS scores for candidates already in the Express Entry pool, which will include points for eligible Canadian work experience.  
    • IRCC will pause invitation rounds starting November 3, 2026, while it recalculates scores. The process may take up to two weeks, after which invitation rounds will resume. 

Removal of LMIA requirements for job offers under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Federal Skilled Trades Program. 

  • Currently, job offers used to meet requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Federal Skilled Trades Program generally require an LMIA unless an exemption applies. 
  • Starting November 3, 2026, IRCC will accept job offers that meet these programs’ requirements without an LMIA. Offers must still be genuine and meet applicable program requirements. 
  • Employers and candidates will no longer need to obtain an LMIA solely to support these Express Entry job offers. However, IRCC will assess business legitimacy and whether offers are genuine, so employers should be prepared to provide supporting documentation. Separate temporary work permit requirements will continue to apply. 
  • Removing the LMIA requirement may expand opportunities for candidates to pursue permanent residence based on their job offers, potentially helping employers attract and retain skilled workers. 

 

Background 

  • Express Entry system. Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. 
  • Purpose of scoring changes. Canada removed CRS points for qualifying job offers in March 2025. The upcoming changes that reintroduce points for job offers in high-wage occupations and award additional points for eligible Canadian work experience in those occupations will better align immigration selection with labor market needs, according to the government. 

Looking ahead 

Further significant changes to Express Entry may follow. In April 2026, IRCC outlined a proposal to replace the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Class with a single federal high-skilled immigration class with streamlined eligibility requirements. 

This broader restructuring remains a proposal and is separate from the scoring and job offer changes taking effect on November 3. Employers and foreign nationals should monitor further announcements for potential changes to permanent residence eligibility and application planning. 

We will report on relevant developments.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen. 

Fragomen.com home
Search Fragomen.com
Important Updates
Important Updates
Subscribe