Effective November 3, 2026
Express Entry CRS changes on November 3, 2026
IRCC is changing how Canadian work experience and job offers earn Comprehensive Ranking System points. Existing profiles are recalculated when the change takes effect. IRCC says that recalculation could take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds pause until it is done.
Current grid and the new factor
Before November 3, 2026, years of Canadian work experience are a core human-capital factor. A job offer does not add CRS points. High-wage occupations do not add points either.
From November 3, those length points leave the core section so they are not counted twice. They move into Labour Market Integration, together with new high-wage experience points. A qualifying job offer comes back, but only for an occupation on the high-wage list. The factor awards the higher of the two amounts.
| Option | With a spouse or partner | Without a spouse or partner |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian work experience | 140 (70 length + 70 high-wage) | 150 (80 length + 70 high-wage) |
| Qualifying job offer | 100 | 100 |
IRCC states a maximum of 150 points for the factor. With an accompanying spouse or partner, the Canadian-work side tops out at 140 because length points stop at 70. Job-offer points are the same either way. Compare a profile on the calculator.
Work-length points
Length points are the same values IRCC already awards for qualifying Canadian work in any TEER 0 to 3 occupation. The eligibility rules for that work are not changing. One year means at least 12 months or 1,560 hours.
| Length | With a spouse or partner | Without a spouse or partner |
|---|---|---|
| None or less than a year | 0 | 0 |
| 1 year | 35 | 40 |
| 2 years | 46 | 53 |
| 3 years | 56 | 64 |
| 4 years | 63 | 72 |
| 5 years or more | 70 | 80 |
High-wage experience points
A high-wage occupation is one whose median wage, for everyone in Canada in that NOC, is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the Canadian work force. It is not your own salary. IRCC groups the published NOC codes into three levels and awards one block of points, not a stack of all three.
| Qualifying experience | Points |
|---|---|
| At least 12 months in occupations at 2× the average median wage | 70 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined at 1.5× or above | 40 |
| Otherwise, at least 12 months combined at 1.3× or above | 20 |
| Under 12 months in listed high-wage occupations | 0 |
You need at least 12 months, or 1,560 hours, of qualifying Canadian work in one or more listed occupations. The work can be continuous or not, full-time or the part-time equivalent, and combined across listed jobs. Hours in overlapping jobs count only up to 30 hours a week. Months at 2× also count toward the 1.5× bar, and months at 2× or 1.5× count toward the 1.3× bar.
The official list takes effect on November 3, 2026, and IRCC says it is based on 2023 to 2025 wage data from the Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey, and the Census. If the list changes after an invitation, IRCC keeps the level that applied on the invitation date. High-wage occupations on canada.ca.
Job-offer points
Job-offer points return on November 3, 2026, only for a valid offer in a listed high-wage occupation. The offer is generally full-time, continuous, and for at least one year after you become a permanent resident. Some occupations, including skilled trades and certain physicians, have specific rules.
| Offer | Points |
|---|---|
| At least 2× the average median wage | 100 |
| At least 1.5× and under 2× | 70 |
| At least 1.3× and under 1.5× | 50 |
| Not a high-wage occupation | 0 |
An offer that is not in a high-wage occupation scores 0 CRS points under this factor. It can still be relevant to Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades eligibility. Those programs are not limited to the high-wage list. CRS points and program eligibility are separate, and this site does not assess eligibility.
LMIA and genuine offers
From November 3, 2026, a Labour Market Impact Assessment is not required for a job offer to count toward program eligibility or toward these CRS points. Having an LMIA does not add points and does not give a profile priority. The offer can be for a current or a new position, and for a current or a new employer. An officer still has to be satisfied that the offer is genuine, including that the employer is active, can meet the terms, and is following employment law, and that you can do the work and are likely to take it. A revoked offer no longer qualifies.
IRCC also says its online form will still ask for an LMIA after the rule change. The instructions on the changes page tell candidates who have a valid offer without an LMIA to answer that question in a specific way, including an LMIA number of 00000. This calculator does not collect that information and does not fill in an IRCC account. Follow the instructions on the IRCC changes page if you update a real profile.
What is not changing
- Age, education, and official-language points.
- Spouse or partner education, language, and Canadian work points, up to 40.
- Skill transferability. It still uses years of Canadian work, not the high-wage bonus, even if a job offer wins the new factor.
- Additional points for a sibling in Canada, French, Canadian study, and a provincial or territorial nomination. That section stays capped at 600.
- The rule that a spouse who is not coming with you, or who is a citizen or permanent resident, is scored on the single-applicant grid.
Sources: the IRCC changes page, the November 2026 news release, and the CRS criteria page. The criteria page still shows the pre-change grid, including Canadian work experience in the core section.