On October 16, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced changes to Express Entry for high-wage occupations. Starting November 3, 2026, qualifying foreign nationals can receive higher Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores.

As background, Express Entry is an online system used to manage immigration applications for skilled workers in Canada. Candidates in the Express Entry pool are ranked by CRS score, and those with the highest scores are invited to apply for permanent residence. Since March 25, 2025, job offers have not earned any CRS points.

What Will Change

• Canada will introduce points for eligible Canadian work experience or qualifying job offers in high-wage occupations. A high-wage occupation is one whose median wage, across everyone in Canada in the same National Occupational Classification (NOC) code, is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. IRCC has published a list of 186 eligible occupations, grouped into three wage levels (1.3, 1.5 and 2 times the median wage). The level is set by the occupation, not by the individual’s own salary.
• Canada will remove Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements for qualifying job offers used to establish program eligibility (including the job offer requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Programs) and to obtain CRS points. Having an LMIA will not earn additional points. Job offers may be for an existing or a new position with any employer, and IRCC officers will continue to assess whether each offer is genuine.

The upcoming changes may benefit qualifying foreign nationals by increasing their scores and their chances of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Removing LMIA requirements for qualifying job offers should also simplify the process of supporting employees’ permanent residence. However, job offers in occupations that are not on IRCC’s high-wage list will not earn CRS points.

Recommendations

Candidates with a valid job offer that is not yet in their Express Entry profile should add it before November 3, 2026. IRCC will recalculate existing profiles automatically when the changes take effect, including points for Canadian work experience, so candidates do not need to withdraw and resubmit their profiles. The recalculation could take up to two weeks, and IRCC will pause invitation rounds until it is complete.

Employers should consider (1) identifying Canadian employees and candidates in the Express Entry pool whose roles fall within the 186 listed NOC codes; (2) confirming the NOC code and wage level for each role; (3) issuing compliant, genuine job offers to eligible employees before November 3 where appropriate; and (4) checking with counsel before relying on an existing LMIA-based strategy.

Pryor Cashman is closely tracking how any future changes to Express Entry may affect our clients. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Pryor Cashman professional.

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Counsel Michelle Muñoz-Machen was a contributing author to this client alert.