On October 16, 2026, IRCC announced changes to how the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) awards points under Express Entry. At the time, only a news release and a backgrounder were available. Today, November 3, 2026, the new Ministerial Instructions respecting the Express Entry system (the MI) came into force, setting out the scoring rules under the new CRS structure. This article focuses on what the MI now clarifies.
1. The CRS is now scored out of 1,270, with a new Labour Market Integration factor; everything else stays the same
| NewWhat the MI clarifies | What we already knew |
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The maximum CRS score is now 1,270. Apart from the new Labour Market Integration (LMI) factor, no other part of the grid has changed. The maximum for core human capital factors rises from 500 to 570 (or from 460 to 530 with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner), while the maximums for spouse or common-law partner factors (40), skill transferability factors (100) and additional factors (600) are unchanged. The MI is clear on how LMI works. Points are awarded either for Canadian work experience (length of experience plus any high-wage occupation points) or for a qualifying offer of employment, up to 150 points, or 140 with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner. Candidates who qualify under both receive the higher of the two. The two are never combined. | LMI replaces Canadian work experience as a core human capital factor and has two pathways. The Canadian work experience pathway combines points for length of experience with points for experience in a high-wage occupation. The job offer pathway awards 50, 70 or 100 points, depending on the occupation's high-wage level. High-wage occupation points require at least one year (1,560 hours) of experience in one or more high-wage occupations and come in three levels: 20, 40 or 70 points. |
Further reading and tools
My earlier articles already cover the LMI point values and how the two pathways compare, so I will not repeat them here. Since LMI is the only factor that changed, my earlier conclusion still stands: if you already have one year of experience in a high-wage occupation, the Canadian work experience pathway gives you more points than a job offer at the same level, with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
- Doria's Watch: The new CRS structure: LMI point values
- Doria's Watch: High-wage job offers, what to do now: comparing the two pathways and when a job offer helps
- Doria's Tool: LMI points comparison tool: see which pathway gives you more points
- Doria's Tool: High-wage and category-based occupation lists: check whether an occupation is on the list and at which level
2. High-wage occupation levels: the list in effect when you are invited applies
| NewWhat the MI clarifies | What we already knew |
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The high-wage occupation list is updated from time to time, and LMI points are based on the level shown on the list on the day you receive an invitation to apply (ITA). For example, your occupation may be at the 1.5 times level when you enter the pool. If the list changes before you are invited, whether the level moves or the occupation is removed, IRCC uses the level and the list in effect on the date the invitation is issued. Once you have received an ITA, later changes do not affect you. If the occupation moves up or down a level, or is removed from the list, IRCC keeps using the level that applied on the date you were invited. | High-wage status depends on the occupation, not on your own pay. Under the MI, a high-wage occupation is one whose median wage is at least 1.3 times the median wage of the entire Canadian workforce.
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3. High-wage occupation points: combining experience at different levels
| NewWhat the MI clarifies | What we already knew |
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For LMI, both length of experience points and high-wage occupation points count Canadian work experience gained within the 10 years before your score is calculated. This 10-year period applies to CRS scoring only. To be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, you still need one year of qualifying Canadian work experience within the three years before you apply. If your high-wage experience spans different levels, you receive points for the highest level at which you meet the one-year requirement. Experience at different high-wage levels can be combined, but it must add up to 1,560 hours. | High-wage occupation points require one year of experience in one or more high-wage occupations. One year means full-time work, or 1,560 hours (30 hours a week). The experience can come from more than one high-wage occupation, and these points are added to your length of experience points. |
Two examples
Example 1: Consecutive jobs at different levels can be combined
- You work full time in a 1.5 times occupation from January to June, then full time in a 2 times occupation from July to December.
- Six months at the 2 times level is not enough for 70 points, but you have one full year (1,560 hours) at the 1.5 times level or higher, so you receive 40 high-wage occupation points.
- These 40 points are added to your length of experience points.
Example 2: Working two jobs at the same time does not speed things up
- From January to June, you work two full-time jobs at the same time, one in a 1.5 times occupation and one in a 2 times occupation. You do not work from July to December.
- Hours from multiple jobs are counted up to a combined 30 hours a week, so two concurrent six-month jobs cannot be claimed as one year of high-wage experience.
- The new MI also states that simultaneous periods of work experience are to be assessed separately when determining the applicable high-wage level (subsection 15.1(9)). How this applies in practice still needs to be confirmed.
What does not count
- Work during a period of full-time study.
- Self-employment, except for physicians providing publicly funded medical services in Canada (NOC 31100, 31101 and 31102).
- Unauthorized work.
- Work done without temporary resident status.
- Experience that does not match the lead statement and the main duties of the NOC you claim.
4. What counts as a qualifying job offer under Express Entry
| NewWhat the MI clarifies | What we already knew |
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The MI sets out what a qualifying offer of employment must be: full-time work in Canada of at least 30 hours a week, with a continuous duration of at least one year from the day your permanent resident visa is issued. An offer in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation must come from a single employer, while an offer in a skilled trade can come from up to two employers. Embassies, high commissions and consulates in Canada cannot make a qualifying offer, nor can employers that are ineligible or in default on an administrative monetary penalty. If the offer is revoked, it is no longer a qualifying offer. The same job offer can also count toward Federal Skilled Worker Program eligibility and selection points. An LMIA is no longer required, but you must still meet all other FSWP requirements. | Only job offers in occupations on the high-wage list earn CRS points: 100 at the 2 times level, 70 at the 1.5 times level and 50 at the 1.3 times level. A job offer in an occupation not on the list earns no CRS points. Job offers no longer need an LMIA. You do not need to be working for the employer already, and the offer can be for a new position with a new employer. See also: Doria's Watch: Job offers for FSW eligibility, any TEER 0–3 jobs, on how a job offer outside the high-wage list can still help with FSWP eligibility |
5. How officers assess whether a high-wage job offer is genuine
| NewWhat the MI clarifies | What we already knew |
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The MI now sets out how officers assess whether a job offer is genuine. An offer earns points only if an officer is satisfied that it is genuine, having regard to five factors: (a) the employer is actively engaged in the business; (b) the offer is consistent with the employer's reasonable employment needs; (c) the employer is reasonably able to fulfill the terms of the offer; (d) you are qualified for the job, able to perform it, and likely to accept and carry it out; and (e) the employer's past compliance with employment and recruitment laws. | With the LMIA requirement gone, the genuineness review now takes place when you apply for permanent residence, and officers will assess whether the job offer is genuine. See also: Doria's Watch: High-wage job offers, what to do now, section 3, on the review risks in different situations |
What officers will look at under each factor:
(a) The employer is actively engaged in the business: whether the company actually operates the business the job offer relates to.
(b) Reasonable employment needs: why the employer needs this position and whether it fits the size of the business.
(c) Ability to fulfill the offer: whether the employer can afford the wage and actually provide the job.
(d) Qualified, able, and likely to accept and carry out the job: whether your past work experience or education matches the lead statement and main duties of the NOC. Officers may also compare this with the work history and NOCs you have declared in earlier Express Entry profiles.
(e) Past compliance: whether the employer has complied with the employment and recruitment laws of the province where you will work, including the rules on hiring foreign nationals.
Summary
The Express Entry rules are now settled. I encourage you to take an honest look at your options and make the most of every opportunity, while making sure that all of your documents are accurate and compliant. If anything is still unclear, you are welcome to book a consultation, or find me on the Doria's Watch: Stay Connected page.
I hope this article helps. Let's look forward to the first invitation rounds under the new rules this November. Good luck, everyone! 🍀