10/17/2026
Job offer points are back November 3. No LMIA needed. But your NOC must be on IRCC's high-wage list. 100 points for 2x median wage. 70 for 1.5x. 50 for 1.3x. Zero if not on the list. Check your NOC before November 3 👇
🇨🇦 HAVE A CANADIAN JOB OFFER? HERE ARE THE STEPS TO GET 50, 70 OR 100 EXTRA EXPRESS ENTRY POINTS WITHOUT AN LMIA FROM NOVEMBER 3
Starting November 3, 2026, Express Entry job-offer points are coming back under completely different rules.
You will no longer need an LMIA simply to make a qualifying job offer eligible for CRS job-offer points.
But having a job, an employment letter or a work permit does not automatically give you 50, 70 or 100 points.
Here is what you need to check.
📌 STEP 1: MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A QUALIFYING JOB OFFER
A work permit by itself is not a job offer.
You need a genuine offer of employment that meets the Express Entry requirements.
Generally, the offer must be:
✅ Paid
✅ Full-time
✅ Continuous
✅ In Canada
✅ For at least one year after you become a permanent resident
✅ From an employer that can genuinely offer and provide the employment
The exact requirements can vary depending on the Express Entry program and occupation.
📌 IMPORTANT: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ALREADY BE WORKING FOR THAT EMPLOYER
This is an important part of the November 3 changes.
IRCC specifically says a qualifying job offer may be for your existing position, or for a new position.
And it may come from your existing employer, or from a new employer.
So, for example, you could potentially have a genuine qualifying offer for a job you are expected to start in the future.
You do not necessarily need to already be working for that employer to receive job-offer points.
IRCC will still assess whether the offer is genuine, whether the employer can actually fulfill it, whether you are qualified for the position and whether you are likely to accept and carry out the employment.
📌 STEP 2: AN LMIA WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED
Starting November 3:
❌ You do not need a positive LMIA just to make the offer qualify
❌ Having an LMIA will not give you extra CRS points
❌ An LMIA-supported job offer will not receive priority simply because it has an LMIA
Instead, IRCC will assess whether the offer itself is genuine and meets the applicable requirements.
📌 STEP 3: CHECK WHETHER YOUR NOC IS ON IRCC'S HIGH-WAGE OCCUPATION LIST
Not every valid Canadian job offer will receive CRS job-offer points.
For the new CRS points, your occupation must appear on IRCC's Express Entry High-Wage Occupations List.
Depending on the level assigned to your NOC, a qualifying offer may give you:
100 CRS points for a NOC in the 2 times median-wage level
70 CRS points for a NOC in the 1.5 times median-wage level
50 CRS points for a NOC in the 1.3 times median-wage level
0 job-offer CRS points if the occupation is not included in the eligible high-wage list
IRCC has published the official list online, so the first step should be finding your correct NOC and checking which level, if any, it appears under.
📌 STEP 4: DON'T CONFUSE THE MEDIAN-WAGE LIST WITH YOUR PERSONAL SALARY
This is probably going to cause a lot of confusion.
You do not receive 50, 70 or 100 points simply because your own employer is paying you 1.3 times, 1.5 times or 2 times a particular wage.
IRCC classifies the occupation itself.
It looks at the median wage of people across Canada working under that NOC and places eligible NOCs into one of the three high-wage levels.
IRCC specifically says this classification is not based on your individual job position or salary.
So instead of asking whether your salary is 1.5 times the median wage, you should first ask whether your NOC is on IRCC's high-wage occupation list, and at which level.
📌 STEP 5: VALID JOB OFFER DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN JOB-OFFER CRS POINTS
This distinction is very important.
A job offer may still be considered valid for Express Entry program eligibility even if the occupation does not appear on the high-wage list.
For example, qualifying job offers can still matter for:
✅ Federal Skilled Worker Program
✅ Federal Skilled Trades Program
✅ Certain Provincial Nominee Program streams
But receiving the new 50, 70 or 100 CRS job-offer points requires the qualifying offer to be in an eligible high-wage occupation.
So a valid job offer for program eligibility does not automatically mean eligibility for CRS job-offer points.
📌 STEP 6: ALREADY IN THE EXPRESS ENTRY POOL? CHECK YOUR PROFILE
This part is now directly confirmed by IRCC.
IRCC says that if you have a valid job offer that is not included in your Express Entry profile, you should update your profile before November 3, 2026.
IRCC is also advising candidates who may qualify for job-offer points to review their profiles and make sure all required job-offer information is included and accurate.
This is particularly important for someone who previously did not enter a job offer because, under the old rules, their offer did not have the required LMIA or LMIA exemption.
If that offer can qualify under the new rules, do not simply assume IRCC will know about it.
Review your profile and enter the qualifying job-offer information correctly.
📌 STEP 7: WHAT IF YOUR OFFER DOES NOT HAVE AN LMIA?
There is a temporary technical issue applicants should know about.
Although the rules change on November 3, IRCC says its Express Entry online system will not immediately reflect the new LMIA-free requirements.
IRCC therefore instructs candidates with a qualifying job offer without an LMIA to temporarily enter:
Positive LMIA: YES
LMIA Number: 00000
LMIA Issue Date: January 1, 2026
LMIA Expiry Date: January 1, 2029
These are IRCC's own temporary instructions for completing the profile.
📌 STEP 8: DON'T EXPECT YOUR OLD CRS SCORE TO STAY THE SAME
IRCC will recalculate existing Express Entry profiles when the new system takes effect.
The recalculation may take up to two weeks, and Express Entry invitation rounds will be paused while this process is completed.
There is another important rule.
The new Labour Market Integration factor considers either your qualifying Canadian work experience or your qualifying high-wage job offer.
You do not simply add both sets of points together.
IRCC will compare the two and use the option that gives you the higher CRS score.
📌 WHAT SHOULD YOU DO BEFORE NOVEMBER 3?
1. Find your correct NOC
2. Check IRCC's official high-wage occupation list
3. See whether your NOC falls under the 50, 70 or 100-point level
4. Confirm that you actually have a genuine qualifying job offer
5. Remember that you do not necessarily have to already be working for that employer
6. Review your Express Entry profile
7. If your qualifying job offer is missing, update your profile
8. Follow IRCC's temporary instructions if your offer does not have an LMIA
🇨🇦 BOTTOM LINE
From November 3, the question will no longer simply be whether you have an LMIA.
Instead, ask:
Do you have a genuine qualifying job offer?
Is your NOC on IRCC's high-wage occupation list?
Does it qualify for 50, 70 or 100 points?
And have you actually declared the offer correctly in your Express Entry profile?
For some candidates, a genuine future job offer from a new employer could now be worth up to 100 additional CRS points even without an LMIA.
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🕵️♂️ Gurpreet Singh Brar - RCIC-IRB
CICC Licence No. R710995
✅ SK Licence No. 001223
☎️ +1 (306) 209-5002
📧 [email protected]
Disclaimer: General information only - not legal advice.
