What happens on November 3
Two things change at once. First, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) gets a new factor that IRCC calls labour market integration: extra points for eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation, or for a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation. Second, a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is no longer needed for a job offer to count, either for the new points or for the job-offer eligibility rules of the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Until now a job offer earned no CRS points at all; the current grid has no job-offer line. It mattered only where it was part of eligibility. From November 3 a job offer can again move your score, but only if the occupation is on IRCC's high-wage list.
The recalculation and the pause in draws
You do not need to re-enter the pool. IRCC says every existing profile will be recalculated automatically under the new points, including the new points for Canadian work experience. The recalculation may take up to two weeks, and IRCC will not hold invitation rounds while it runs. Rounds start again when it is complete.
So if you are waiting for a draw in early November, expect a gap. The last rounds before the switch were the provincial nominee, French-language and transport rounds of October 26 to 28.
Points for Canadian work experience
The existing points for the length of your Canadian work experience stay: up to 80 points for five years or more without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, up to 70 with one. On top of that, candidates with at least 12 months of eligible Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation receive an addition based on the occupation's wage level:
- 70 points for at least 12 months in one or more occupations at twice the Canadian median wage or more;
- 40 points, if you do not qualify for 70, for at least 12 months combined in occupations at 1.5 times the median or more;
- 20 points, if you qualify for neither, for at least 12 months combined across any eligible high-wage occupations (1.3 times the median or more).
Combined with the duration points, Canadian work experience can be worth up to 150 points. The experience must generally have been gained in Canada within the previous ten years in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation. Canadian experience in an occupation that is not on the list still earns the duration points, as before.
The wage level is about the occupation, not about you. IRCC groups NOC codes by the median wage of everyone in Canada doing that job, using Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data from the previous three years, and takes the highest level the occupation reached in any of those years. Your own salary does not raise or lower the level. The list in force on November 3 is based on 2023 to 2025 data.
Points for a job offer, and the end of the LMIA
A qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation earns 100 points at twice the median wage, 70 points at 1.5 times, and 50 points at 1.3 times. The offer must generally be for full-time, continuous work in Canada for at least one year after you become a permanent resident. Skilled trades and physicians providing publicly funded medical services have their own specific requirements.
If you qualify both through Canadian experience and through a job offer, you receive whichever gives more points. The two are not added together. The maximum under the whole factor is 150 points without an accompanying spouse or partner and 140 with one.
The LMIA is gone, but the check on the offer is not. An officer must be satisfied that the offer is genuine: that the employer is actively running the business, that the offer reflects a reasonable employment need, that the employer can meet its terms, that you are qualified and likely to take the job, and that the employer complies with federal and provincial employment and recruitment law. An offer that is withdrawn stops counting.
What to check in your profile before the switch
- Job offer detailsPoints for a job offer are not automatic. IRCC asks candidates who may qualify to review and update their profile before November 3 so that all required job-offer information is there and correct. If you have an offer without an LMIA that you left out because it did not count, add it now.
- NOC code of your Canadian experienceFind your occupation on the high-wage list and note its level. If your work history straddles two NOC codes, the "combined" rules for 40 and 20 points may apply, while 70 points requires the 12 months to be at the two-times level.
- Dates and TEER categoryOnly Canadian experience within the previous ten years in TEER 0 to 3 counts. Check that your start and end dates and your job duties match the NOC you claim; this is where profiles get challenged after an invitation.
- Eligibility job offers stay inIf a job offer is part of your eligibility under the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or a provincial stream, keep its details in the profile even if it is not a high-wage occupation. That part has not changed.
After the recalculation
Check your new score once the pool reopens. If it went up, remember IRCC's own caution: more points do not guarantee an invitation, which still depends on the type of round and its cut-off. If you receive an invitation and the list changes afterwards, IRCC keeps using the level that applied on the day you were invited, whether the occupation moved levels, was added or was removed. Keep evidence for every claim in the profile: reference letters with duties, hours and wages for the Canadian experience, and the signed offer and employer details for the job offer, because that is what the officer will test.
Frequently asked questions
I have Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation but no job offer. Do I need to do anything?
No. IRCC says the recalculation includes the Canadian work experience points automatically, provided your experience is already in the profile with the right NOC and dates.
My employer offered me a job but never applied for an LMIA. Can I use the offer?
From November 3, an LMIA is not required for the offer to count for points or for FSW and FST eligibility, but the offer still has to meet the qualifying-offer rules and pass the genuineness check described above.
My occupation is not on the list. Did I lose points?
No. The duration points for Canadian work experience are unchanged, and the other CRS factors are unchanged. You simply do not receive the new addition.