On 16 October 2026 Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced changes to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), the points grid that ranks candidates for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class and part of the Provincial Nominee Program. IRCC’s program page says the changes take effect on 3 November 2026.

Two things change. First, IRCC is adding a new Labour Market Integration factor that rewards Canadian work experience in high-wage occupations and brings back points for job offers in those occupations. Second, a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) will no longer be required for a job offer to earn CRS points or to meet the job-offer requirement of the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs.

From 3 November, IRCC says, “you don’t need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for a job offer to qualify for program eligibility or CRS points” — and having one “will not give you more CRS points.”

How the new points work

IRCC defines a high-wage occupation as one whose national median wage is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. The test uses the occupation’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) code, not the candidate’s own salary. IRCC will keep a list built from Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data over the previous three years. Each occupation is placed at the highest level it reached in any of those years.

  • Work-length points stay as they are: up to 80 points without a spouse or 70 with one, for five or more years of qualifying Canadian experience in TEER 0–3 jobs.
  • High-wage experience points (new, on top of work-length points; at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian experience): 70 points where the occupation’s median wage is at least twice the average median; 40 at 1.5 times; 20 at 1.3 times.
  • Job offer points (reintroduced, high-wage occupations only): 100, 70 or 50 points at the same three wage levels. A job offer outside the high-wage list earns 0 CRS points.
  • A candidate gets either the Canadian-experience score or the job-offer score, whichever is higher, not both. The factor is capped at 150 points (140 with a spouse).

What changes for job offers

Under the new rules, an Express Entry job offer may be for an existing or a new position, with an existing or a new employer. An officer will assess whether the offer is genuine when the candidate applies for permanent residence. That includes whether the employer is active, can meet the terms and follows employment and recruitment laws, and whether the candidate is qualified and likely to take the job. IRCC also says its online profile system will not reflect the change on 3 November. Until it does, candidates with a non-LMIA job offer are told to answer “Yes” to the LMIA question and enter placeholder values (LMIA number 00000).

Citizen impact: The LMIA is the step where an employer must show that no Canadian worker was available for the job. Removing it from Express Entry job offers means a permanent-residence candidate can collect up to 100 CRS points for a high-wage offer without that labour-market test. IRCC says officers will still check that offers are genuine. Who gains: candidates already working in Canada in high-paid occupations (IRCC names engineers and electricians), and employers who want to sponsor them without paying for and waiting on an LMIA. Who could lose ground: candidates whose Canadian experience is in lower-wage occupations, and anyone mid-pool who needs a draw in the two-week pause while profiles are re-scored. IRCC has not said how many invitations it will issue under the new grid; overall admission numbers are set separately in the annual immigration levels plan.

What this piece refuses

Do not write that Ottawa has “abolished the LMIA” across the board. The release and program pages change how job offers are assessed under Express Entry (CRS points and FSW/FST job-offer eligibility). They say nothing about LMIAs for temporary work permits. Do not write that candidates get points for their personal salary. The test is the occupation’s national median wage. Do not quote a national median-wage dollar figure as an IRCC number. The release and program pages give only the ratios (1.3, 1.5, 2 times).

Bottom line

Verified as of 19 October 2026 from IRCC’s 16 October news release and its Express Entry program pages: from 3 November, CRS adds a Labour Market Integration factor worth up to 150 points. That means up to 70 extra for high-wage Canadian experience, or 100/70/50 for high-wage job offers. LMIAs are no longer required for Express Entry job offers, and draws pause for up to two weeks during re-scoring. Watch the published high-wage occupation list, the first post-3 November draw cut-offs, and the levels plan.