Job offer points are coming back to Express Entry … but not yet

Before March 25, 2025, Express Entry candidates could significantly increase their Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”) points with a qualifying offer of arranged employment.  A candidate with an offer of arranged employment for a job classified under Major Group 00 (senior management) in the National Occupational Classification (“NOC”) would receive 200 additional CRS points.  For any other skilled occupation (TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3), they would receive 50 additional CRS points. 

A valid offer of employment had to be from a single employer for a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 position.  It also had to be continuous, paid, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), and not seasonal.  In addition, the offer had to be valid for at least one year after the foreign national became a permanent resident.  The offer of employment also had to satisfy the following requirements:

• It had to be made by an employer with a new positive LMIA that approved the job offer and named the foreign national and their proposed position; OR
• If the foreign national was currently working in Canada (in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation) under a work permit that was issued based on an LMIA, and: (1) they were working for the employer listed on their work permit; (2) they were authorized to work in Canada on the day that they applied for a permanent resident visa, and when the visa was issued; and (3) their current employer made the foreign national an offer for a full-time job from the date that they were accepted as a permanent resident; OR
• If the foreign national had a valid work permit (under an international agreement, a federal-provincial agreement, or Canadian interests) for a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job that was LMIA-exempt: (1) they were currently working for the employer specified on the work permit; (2) they had one year of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work) with that employer under any work permit; and (3) They had a valid job offer from that employer for at least one year from the date that they were accepted as a permanent resident.

Unfortunately, investigations conducted by IRCC reportedly found that some employers and intermediaries were selling fraudulent LMIA-supported job offers to Express Entry candidates, reportedly for $20,000 to $75,000 per letter.  On December 17, 2024, then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced at a press conference that IRCC would eliminate the incentive for candidates to purchase an LMIA.

On March 25, 2025, IRCC eliminated CRS points for arranged employment through an amendment to the Ministerial Instructions governing Express Entry.  However, it also eliminated CRS points for candidates who had been working under LMIA-exempt work permits.  This prompted criticism since the stated reason for the change was the elimination of LMIA-fraud.  Since LMIA-exempt work permit holders did not need LMIAs, eliminating CRS points for that group made no sense. 

The change applied to Express Entry candidates who were already in the pool; their CRS points were adjusted automatically.  Candidates holding an unexpired Invitation to Apply, or who had a permanent residence application already in progress, were not affected.

On March 13, 2026, IRCC published its 2026-27 Departmental Plan.  Among other things, this Departmental Plan lists the following among the results it plans on achieving:

Supporting the Talent Attraction Strategy to remain competitive in attracting global talent, including bilingual and French-speaking permanent residents, through … developing a broader suite of reforms to Express Entry, including the addition of points for job offers and Canadian work experience in high wage occupations and consideration of how to reward those in [sic] who are certified to work in regulated occupations.

IRCC held public consultations, which began on April 23, 2026, and closed on May 24, 2026.  The consultation materials confirmed that any restored job offer points would be limited to high-wage occupations, on the reasoning that many high-wage jobs require specialized skills and experience, which makes it easier to verify that a candidate is qualified.  In theory, this should help to reduce the risk of job offer fraud.

IRCC has also proposed defining high-wage occupations as those whose median wage exceeds the median wage of all Canadians.  This means that candidates with experience in the same occupation would be treated identically even if their actual pay differs due to work location or other reasons.

As of the date of this article, IRCC has not published any further details.  So, while we can look forward to CRS points for arranged offers of employment at some point in the future, we don’t know exactly when this will happen.