The Express Entry system introduced a Labor Market Integration Factor (LMIF) that awards up to 150 CRS points for Canadian work experience or up to 100 points for a confirmed job offer. Points depend on whether your position is on the IRCC’s high-wage occupation list, not on your personal salary.

What are Labor Market Integration Factors

LMIF is one of the components of the overall Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) in Express Entry. It evaluates candidates based on age, education, language proficiency, and work experience. The higher your CRS, the better your position in the queue for receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

These points previously fell under the human capital category, but from the beginning of 2026 were moved to a separate LMIF factor. The points themselves remained the same; only their category changed.

Important clarification: you can receive points EITHER for Canadian work experience OR for a job offer, but not for both simultaneously. The Express Entry system automatically selects the option that gives you more points.

Points for Canadian work experience

If you have worked in Canada, you can earn points based on two factors: the duration of employment and whether your position is on the high-wage occupation list.

To earn points, work experience must meet Express Entry requirements: the position must be classified at level 0, 1, 2, or 3 according to the NOC classification.

Points for duration of experience are awarded regardless of occupation. With 3 years of qualified experience without an accompanying spouse, you receive 64 points. A maximum of 80 points is awarded for 5 or more years of full-time employment.

Additional points for high wage occupations

If during your Canadian work experience you held a position on the IRCC’s high-wage occupation list, you can earn additional points.

It is important to remember: high wage points depend on the NOC code of your position, not on your personal salary. IRCC uses the NOC system to identify occupations with high median earnings. The IRCC website contains a complete list of these occupations. Even if you earn a very high salary but your position is not on this list, you will not receive these additional points.

To earn additional points, you need a minimum of 12 months (or 1,560 hours) of qualified experience in such a position. Experience does not need to be continuous — it can be accumulated. You can also combine experience in different positions from the high-wage list, but IRCC counts a maximum of 30 hours per week.

There are approximately 180 high-wage occupations on the list, covering healthcare, engineering, technology, trades, and other sectors.

Maximum points for work experience

If you have worked in Canada for 5 years or more, you will receive 80 base points. If at least one year of your experience was in a high-wage occupation, you will receive an additional 70 points, reaching the maximum of 150 LMIF points.

This is the maximum possible number of points for work experience. You cannot go above 150 in this category.

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Points for a confirmed job offer

You can earn up to 100 CRS points for a confirmed job offer from a Canadian employer. This does not require an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) — this changed from the beginning of 2026.

The key word in qualifying for a job offer is having a position on the high-wage occupation list. Not all job offers qualify. If your position is at the highest level of the high-wage occupation categories, you can receive a maximum of 100 points even without previous Canadian work experience.

The offer can come from your current employer or from a new Canadian company if you are abroad. The employer must be legally registered and genuinely able to fulfill the terms of the offer. The immigration officer will also verify that you are qualified for the position.

What happens if you have both experience and a job offer

If you have worked in Canada and have simultaneously received a confirmed job offer, Express Entry does not allow you to add points from both categories. The system automatically calculates which option gives you more points and awards you that amount.

Example: you have 5 years of Canadian experience (80 points) and a job offer (100 points). Express Entry will award you 100 points for the job offer.

Another example: you have 5 years of experience, 1 year of which in a high wage position (totaling 150 points) and simultaneously have a job offer (100 points). Express Entry will award you 150 points for experience, as this is higher.

If your work experience already gives you 100 points or more, a job offer will not increase your LMIF score, and time spent obtaining it could be directed toward other aspects of the immigration process.