Canada will remove the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement for qualifying Express Entry job offers from November 3, 2026, while introducing a new points system that rewards eligible Canadian work experience and offers in high-wage occupations.
For skilled workers waiting for permanent residence, the change could improve their ranking without requiring an employer to obtain an LMIA for that immigration purpose. But the number of points will depend on the occupationâs national wage classification, rather than simply how much an individual employer offers to pay.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced the changes in Kitchener, Ontario, on October 16. In its official announcement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the reforms aim to attract workers positioned to succeed in Canadaâs labour market.
âCanada is competing globally for people with the skills we need to build a prosperous economy and stronger public services,â Diab said.
The announcement does not eliminate LMIAs across Canadaâs temporary foreign worker system. Its scope is qualifying job offers used for Express Entry points and relevant permanent-immigration program eligibility.
Who gets the extra pointsâand why salary alone is not enough
Under the new rules, a qualifying job offer in an eligible high-wage occupation can receive 50, 70 or 100 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. Eligible Canadian work experience in those occupations can attract an additional 20, 40 or 70 points.
| Occupationâs national median wage | Job-offer points | Canadian experience bonus |
|---|---|---|
| At least 1.3 times, but below 1.5 times, the workforce median | 50 | 20 |
| At least 1.5 times, but below twice, the workforce median | 70 | 40 |
| At least twice the workforce median | 100 | 70 |
The distinction matters: IRCC classifies occupations using National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes and nationwide wage data. A higher personal salary does not automatically move an applicant into a higher points tier.
The official occupation list places family physicians and computer and information systems managers in the highest tier. Software engineers, data scientists and registered nurses appear in the middle tier, while accountants, architects and web developers appear in the lower qualifying tier.
Applicants need at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian experience in eligible occupations to receive the experience bonus. That bonus is added to their existing points for the length of Canadian work experience.
However, applicants cannot combine that experience total with job-offer points. IRCC will compare the two options under its new Labour Market Integration factor and award whichever is higher. The maximum is 150 points without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, or 140 with one.
What applicants must check before November 3
Candidates seeking job-offer points should review their Express Entry profiles before November 3 and ensure the required employment information is accurate. Existing profiles will be recalculated when the changes take effect.
IRCC says recalculation could take up to two weeks. Invitation rounds will pause during that process and resume once it is complete. This is a transition pause, rather than an announcement that Express Entry is closing.
For applicants following Canadaâs recent Express Entry draw and CRS cutoff changes, the distinction is important: additional points may improve a ranking, but they do not guarantee an invitation or permanent residence.
Employers will still face scrutiny. Officers must establish that the business is active, the position meets a reasonable employment need, the employer can fulfil the offer and the candidate can perform the work. Offers generally need to cover full-time, continuous employment in Canada for at least one year after permanent residence, subject to specific exceptions.
Another detail can easily be missed: a qualifying offer outside the high-wage list may still help establish eligibility under an immigration program, even though it earns no high-wage job-offer CRS points. IRCC assesses program eligibility and ranking separately.
The departmentâs detailed guidance on the November changes explains those differences. For applicants, checking the exact NOC code and the offerâs conditions will be more useful than relying on a headline promising points for any highly paid job.
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