Canada refocusing Express Entry on top talent that drives economic growth

What changed

Starting November 3, 2026, Express Entry will give extra points to people with eligible Canadian work experience, or a qualifying job offer, in a high-wage occupation. Express Entry is the system Canada uses to choose people who want to become permanent residents. These points are added to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), the score that decides who is invited to apply. Examples of high-wage jobs named in the announcement include engineers and electricians.

Background

Express Entry is Canada's main online system for managing applications for permanent residence. It covers the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class, and part of the Provincial Nominee Program. Candidates create a profile, receive a CRS score, and may be invited to apply in rounds.

Key details

• Start date for the new points and the LMIA change: November 3, 2026.
• Points apply to eligible Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.
• A high-wage occupation has a median wage of at least 1.3 times the median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. This is based on typical earnings for the job, not your own salary.
• Eligible high-wage groups include health care, skilled trades, engineering, technology and education.
• IRCC will keep a public list of high-wage occupations, based on wage data from the previous three years. Check the official list for your job.
• Candidates already in the Express Entry pool will have their CRS scores recalculated automatically. This may take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds will pause during that time.
• To receive points for a qualifying job offer, you must update your profile with the required information before November 3, 2026.

Who it affects

This change affects people already in the Express Entry pool, people planning to apply, and employers who make job offers to foreign workers. It may matter most to people in these groups:

• Workers with Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation
• Workers with a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation
• Workers in health care, skilled trades, engineering, technology and education
• Employers hiring through Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades job offers

What it means for you

The new points may raise the CRS score of someone who already works in Canada in a high-wage job. For example, an electrician with a year of work experience in Canada may now receive extra points that they did not have before. Their score would be recalculated automatically, but a job offer they hold would only count if they update their profile before November 3.

What to do next

• Check whether your current or planned occupation appears on the IRCC high-wage occupations list.
• Confirm how many years of Canadian work experience you have, and whether it is in an eligible job.
• If you have a job offer, make sure your Express Entry profile is updated before November 3, 2026.
• Watch for the recalculation of scores, and expect invitation rounds to pause for up to two weeks.
• Keep your documents, job offer letters and employer details ready in case IRCC asks for them.
• Check the official IRCC website for the full rules, since this summary does not cover every condition.