Starting November 3, 2026, IRCC added CRS points for working in high-wage occupations. You can now get up to 150 points for Canadian experience plus points for occupation category, or up to 100 points for a job offer in a high-wage occupation without LMIA. The system works differently now: experience and job offer points cannot be combined, but experience can be combined with the occupation category.
Which occupations are considered high-wage
IRCC has identified 186 occupations as high-wage based on the median wage of the NOC code. An occupation falls into the category regardless of what wage a specific worker earns — only the median wage for the code counts. Occupations are divided into three groups depending on how many times their median wage exceeds the national median wage.
The highest-paying group is 2x (twice the Canadian median): occupations here receive the maximum points. The second group is 1.5x (one and a half times): fewer points than the first. The third group is 1.3x (1.3 times): the smallest number of additional points among high-wage occupations.
Points for high-wage occupations
The system works like this: if you already have work experience in Canada, you get points for that experience, and you can also get additional points because your occupation is on the high-wage list.
Points for this occupation category depend on the group: 2x group occupations give 70 additional points, 1.5x group occupations give 40 points, 1.3x group occupations give 20 points. These points are added to the points for the Canadian experience itself — they do not replace them.
Job offer instead of experience: points for the invitation
If you are currently outside Canada and have no Canadian experience, but you have received a job offer in a high-wage occupation, you can get points for the offer itself — without taking experience into account.
These points are higher than those for experience: a job offer in a 2x group occupation gives 100 points, in the 1.5x group — 70 points, in the 1.3x group — 50 points. LMIA is not required.
Important: if you have a job offer, you cannot simultaneously receive points for Canadian experience. The system will choose the higher result or apply only one of these factors.
How the system works when changing occupations
If you worked in Canada in one occupation and then received a job offer in another high-wage occupation, the system works on the “higher of the two options” principle.
For example, if you worked as an administrative assistant for 2 years (experience points — 53) and then received a job offer in a 2x group occupation (job offer points — 100), the system automatically gives you 100 points. You don’t get both results, only the higher one.
However, if you worked for 2 years in a 1.5x group occupation (for example, an IT specialist), you get 53 points for experience plus 40 points for the occupation category, totaling 93 points. This is one of the new rules: occupation category points can only be combined with points for the experience itself, not with the job offer.
How to update your Express Entry profile
If you have a job offer, update your profile by November 3. In the “Do you have a valid job offer?” section, select “Yes”, then also answer “Yes” to the question about LMIA.
In the LMIA number field, enter 50000000000 (a one followed by zeros). The issue date is January 1, 2026, and the expiry date is January 1, 2029. The system will automatically recalculate points based on the new rules. IRCC plans to update its CRS calculator so you can check the calculations yourself.
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Reader experience is useful, but it is not advice: check the rules on the official site.
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