3 Ways to Get Extra Express Entry Points starting November 3, 2026 | No LMIA

Last Updated: October 2026

In March 2026 we wrote about IRCC's plan to bring job offer points back. The plan now has a date and a points table.

If you want to know what these changes do to your own score, book a consultation.

What changes in Express Entry on November 3, 2026?

As of November 3, 2026, Express Entry introduces a new CRS factor called Labour Market Integration, with a maximum of 150 points. IRCC describes it as points for either Canadian work experience (based on how long you worked, with extra points for work in eligible high-wage occupations) or a qualifying job offer in an eligible high-wage occupation.

Three statements from IRCC's pages define the change:

1. Job offer points are back. IRCC's wording is that it is "reintroducing job offer points to the CRS," for high-wage occupations only.
2. No LMIA is needed. As of November 3, 2026, "you don't need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for a job offer to qualify for program eligibility or CRS points," and "having an LMIA will not give you more CRS points or give your profile priority."
3. One route or the other. "You can only receive points for Canadian work experience or an eligible job offer, not both." IRCC awards whichever gives the higher number.

IRCC will recalculate existing profiles when the changes take effect. IRCC says this could take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds are paused during that period.

The points tables

Route A: Canadian work experience = work-length points + high-wage occupation points.

Work-length points are the same CRS points currently awarded for qualifying work experience in any TEER 0 to 3 occupation. IRCC states the eligibility requirements for Canadian work experience are not changing.

High-wage occupation points are added on top, for at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian work experience in one or more eligible high-wage occupations.

Route B: Job offer. The offer must be valid under Express Entry and for a position in an eligible high-wage occupation.

Route A can reach 150 points without a spouse (80 + 70) or 140 with a spouse (70 + 70). Route B reaches 100. That is why a job offer helps most when a candidate has little Canadian experience, or experience in an occupation that is not on the high-wage list.

What counts as a high-wage occupation?

A high-wage occupation under Express Entry is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) whose median wage, across all people in Canada working in that NOC, is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. IRCC states this "is not determined based on a person's specific job position or salary."

IRCC groups high-wage occupations into three levels (2x, 1.5x, 1.3x) and publishes the list on its website. The current list uses data from 2023 to 2025, drawn from the Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and the Census of Population. Each NOC is assigned the highest level its median wage met in any of those three years.

Examples from IRCC's list, as published October 16, 2026:

• 2x level: financial managers (10010), human resources managers (10011), engineering managers (20010), computer and information systems managers (20012), general practitioners and family physicians (31102), nurse practitioners (31302), corporate sales managers (60010).
• 1.5x level: software developers and programmers (21232), civil engineers (21300), mechanical engineers (21301), data scientists (21211), registered nurses (31301), pharmacists (31120), secondary school teachers (41220), construction managers (70010), power system electricians (72202).
• 1.3x level: financial auditors and accountants (11100), human resources professionals (11200), web developers and programmers (21234), architects (21200), social workers (41300), retail and wholesale trade managers (60020), accommodation service managers (60031), industrial electricians (72201), heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401), crane operators (72500).

An occupation that is not on the list earns 0 high-wage experience points and 0 job offer points, whatever its TEER category. The general "electricians" NOC, for example, does not appear on IRCC's list; only industrial electricians and power system electricians do.

Scenario 1: You have 12+ months of Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation

This scenario earns 20, 40 or 70 extra points on top of the work-length points you already have. No job offer and no LMIA are involved. The experience must meet the existing requirements for qualifying Canadian work experience and must have been gained in one or more occupations on IRCC's high-wage list.

IRCC states the experience may be continuous or not, full-time or the equivalent in part-time hours, and combined across more than one high-wage job. Concurrent jobs count only up to the equivalent of full-time work (30 hours per week).

Worked example. A candidate without a spouse has one year of qualifying Canadian experience as a software developer and programmer (NOC 21232, 1.5x level). Today that year earns 40 points. From November 3, 2026, it earns 40 + 40 = 80 points.

Worked example. A candidate with a spouse has three years as a registered nurse (NOC 31301, 1.5x level): 56 + 40 = 96 points. If this candidate's employer also makes a job offer in the same occupation, the offer route is 70, which is lower, so the offer adds nothing.

Who this fits: post-graduation work permit holders, LMIA-based and LMIA-exempt work permit holders, and anyone in the Express Entry pool whose Canadian experience is in a listed occupation. IRCC states these points will be added automatically when existing profiles are recalculated.

Scenario 2: You are in Canada with little Canadian experience and have a job offer in a high-wage occupation

This scenario earns 50, 70 or 100 points through the job offer route, and it applies while the experience route is worth less. No LMIA is required. IRCC states the offer may be for an existing or a new position, from an existing or a new employer.

Worked example. A candidate without a spouse has eight months on a work permit as a financial auditor and accountant (NOC 11100, 1.3x level), and the employer makes a job offer in the same occupation. With less than one year of Canadian experience, the experience route is 0. The job offer earns 50 points. At twelve months, the experience route becomes 40 + 20 = 60, which is higher than 50, so the score moves to 60 points.

Worked example. A candidate without a spouse has two years of Canadian experience as a cook, which is not on the high-wage list, and receives an offer as a retail and wholesale trade manager (NOC 60020, 1.3x level). The experience route is 53 + 0 = 53. The job offer route is 50. The candidate receives 53 points: the offer does not beat the existing experience. An offer at the 1.5x level (70 points) would.

Who this fits: workers in their first year in Canada, candidates whose Canadian experience is in an occupation that is not on the list, and candidates whose employer is offering a role at a higher high-wage level than their current one.

Scenario 3: You are outside Canada and have a job offer in a high-wage occupation

This scenario earns 50, 70 or 100 points. With no Canadian experience, the experience route is 0, so the full job offer value applies. No LMIA is required, and the offer may be from a new employer for a new position.

Worked example. A candidate outside Canada receives a job offer as a financial manager (NOC 10010, 2x level). From November 3, 2026, that offer earns 100 points.

Worked example. The same candidate receives an offer as a web developer and programmer (NOC 21234, 1.3x level): 50 points.

Program eligibility is separate. IRCC states that for the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Programs, "a valid job offer may still help you meet program eligibility requirements even if the job is not on the high-wage occupation list," and that qualifying job offers for those programs "may be in any eligible TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job that meets program requirements." An offer as a carpenter, for example, can count toward eligibility but earns 0 CRS points.

How IRCC assesses whether a job offer is genuine

Every qualifying job offer is assessed by an officer when the candidate applies for permanent residence. IRCC states the officer "must be satisfied that the job offer is genuine" before using it for program eligibility or for the Labour Market Integration score. IRCC lists what the assessment includes.

On the employer's side, whether the employer:

• is active in the business
• can fulfill the terms of the offer
• made an offer that meets the employer's needs
• is following employment and recruitment laws

On the candidate's side, whether the candidate:

• is qualified and able to perform the work
• is likely to accept the offer and carry out the job

IRCC's news release adds that IRCC "will continue to assess job offers to confirm they are genuine and meet program requirements, with measures in place to protect against fraud." The release does not describe those measures. The points are claimed in the profile and the invitation is issued on the strength of them, but the genuineness assessment happens afterward, at the application stage.

Deadlines and how to update an Express Entry profile

IRCC's news release states that candidates already in the pool will have their scores "automatically recalculated under the new points system, which will include points for eligible Canadian work experience." Candidates "who wish to receive points for a qualifying job offer must update their profiles with the required information before November 3."

IRCC's Express Entry page adds that as of November 3, 2026, "our online system will not yet reflect that change," and that candidates with a job offer but no LMIA will still be required to select that a positive LMIA was issued. IRCC gives these placeholder entries for the "Work history" section:

The news release says to update before November 3. The Express Entry page describes the placeholder entries as applying as of November 3. The two pages do not say the same thing about timing. Anyone deciding when to enter placeholder values into a live profile should get advice on their specific situation first, and keep a dated copy of IRCC's instruction page with their records.