A New Chapter for Express Entry: Your Guide to the Changes Starting November 3
This is a week to pay close attention. On Tuesday, November 3, Express Entry gets its most significant scoring overhaul in years, and several other changes land in the same few days. Below is what is changing, what this week’s draws told us, and what to do right now if you or someone in your family has a file in progress.
What Changes Starting November 3
Express Entry gets a new scoring factor
On October 16, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced two changes to Express Entry, both taking effect on November 3:
• A new Labour Market Integration factor in the CRS. Candidates earn points for either eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation. You receive whichever route scores higher. The two cannot be combined.
• No LMIA required for a qualifying job offer. From November 3, a Labour Market Impact Assessment is no longer needed for a job offer to earn these CRS points or to meet the job offer requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs. IRCC has been clear that holding an LMIA earns no extra points and gives no priority.
How the points work
The factor is worth a maximum of 150 points for candidates without an accompanying spouse or partner and 140 points for those with one. Here is how the pieces fit together.
• Canadian work experience route. The points you already earn for the length of your Canadian work experience (up to 80 without a partner, up to 70 with one) continue. On top of that, at least 12 months of qualifying experience in a high-wage occupation adds a bonus of 70, 40 or 20 points depending on the wage tier. Maximum: 150 without a partner (80 + 70) or 140 with a partner (70 + 70).
• Job offer route. A qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation earns 100, 70 or 50 points depending on the wage tier. An offer in an occupation that is not on the list earns no CRS points.
The wage tiers work like this:
• Top tier: occupations whose median wage is at least twice the national average. Job offer: 100 points. Work experience bonus: 70 points.
• Middle tier: at least 1.5 times but less than twice the average. Job offer: 70 points. Work experience bonus: 40 points.
• Lower tier: at least 1.3 times but less than 1.5 times the average. Job offer: 50 points. Work experience bonus: 20 points.
One important point: the test applies to the occupation, not to your personal salary. IRCC has published a list of 186 high-wage occupations (31 in the top tier, 89 in the middle tier and 66 in the lower tier), built from 2023 to 2025 wage data. Senior managers, physicians, lawyers and university professors sit at the top. The middle tier includes engineers, software engineers, registered nurses, pharmacists, power system electricians and power line workers. The lower tier includes architects, medical laboratory technologists, industrial electricians, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, ironworkers and crane operators. Similar-sounding jobs can land in different tiers or off the list entirely, so check your exact NOC code.
If your occupation is not on the list, your score does not go down. Candidates already in the pool will be rescored automatically.
What happens to invitations
• Draws will pause. IRCC says rescoring the entire pool can take up to two weeks, and no invitation rounds will be held during that time. Draws resume once the recalculation is finished.
• Points are not a guarantee. Extra points improve your ranking, but every round still has its own cut-off. Watch for updated Ministerial Instructions around the start date.
What to do before November 3
• Update your profile if you hold a qualifying job offer. IRCC’s guidance is that candidates who want job offer points must have the required information in their Express Entry profile before November 3.
• Expect a temporary technical workaround. IRCC’s online system still asks about a positive LMIA, so the department has published specific placeholder entries for candidates who have a qualifying offer but no LMIA. IRCC authorizes those entries from November 3. Please do not guess or enter anything early. If this applies to you, we will walk you through it so the profile is accurate.
• Remember that genuineness is still tested. Officers will look at whether the employer is actively operating, whether the job meets a real business need, whether the employer can meet the terms of the offer, whether you are qualified for the role, and whether the employer follows employment and recruitment laws. A withdrawn offer earns nothing.
• Know the difference between eligibility and points. For Federal Skilled Worker or Skilled Trades eligibility, a qualifying offer can be in any eligible TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation. CRS points, however, are only available for offers in high-wage occupations. IRCC will use a temporary public policy to apply the LMIA exemption to candidates invited on or after November 3, so watch for the full text.
• This is an Express Entry change only. IRCC has clarified that employers still must follow the Temporary Foreign Worker Program rules and the requirements of any other program they use.
The bigger picture
Job offer points were removed from the CRS in March 2025 after serious concerns about LMIAs being bought and sold. The November 3 reform brings them back in a much narrower form: high-wage occupations only, no LMIA, and direct verification by IRCC. The department has described the update as the first step in a broader reform of Express Entry, so more changes may follow.
Also starting November 3: changes to refugee claims through the IRCC Portal
The same day, IRCC introduces a new process for submitting refugee claims online. It is part of Canada’s asylum modernization under Bill C-12, which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026.
• Deadline for existing claims: a claim submitted through the portal by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 2 generally will not need the additional information introduced under the new process, unless IRCC asks for it later.
• Unfinished applications: personal information already entered will be saved, but claimants will need to review their earlier answers and respond to new questions before submitting.
• Claims started with the CBSA: if you were instructed to complete your claim online, link it to your IRCC Portal account before the deadline. If you do not, the information the CBSA collected will not be saved and you will have to enter it again.
• A caution: do not rush an incomplete or inaccurate claim just to beat the deadline. The right to seek protection is not changing, only the process.
Not sure how the November 3 changes affect your file? Book a consultation at elginimmigration.com
Express Entry Draw Analysis
IRCC held three rounds this week, issuing 5,942 invitations to apply in total.
• October 26, Provincial Nominee Program: 792 invitations at a minimum CRS of 761. That is a slightly lower cut-off than the 772 recorded in the previous PNP round on October 13, which issued 752.
• October 27, French-language proficiency: 5,000 invitations at a minimum CRS of 407. This was the second French-language round in 11 days and the cut-off fell 28 points from the 435 recorded on October 16. Across 12 French-language rounds so far this year, cut-offs have ranged from 382 to 435.
• October 28, Transport occupations: 150 invitations at a minimum CRS of 477.
There was no Canadian Experience Class round this week. The most recent was on October 15, with 2,500 invitations at 519, and the pool of Canadian-experience candidates has been waiting since.
What the numbers tell us
• October was a heavy month. Seven rounds issued 17,694 invitations, and IRCC has now invited more than 149,000 candidates in 2026.
• These were the last draws under the current scoring rules. Cut-offs from before November 3 will not map neatly onto what comes next, so treat them as old-system benchmarks.
• The pool is crowded in the middle. IRCC’s mid-October snapshot showed roughly 229,000 profiles, with the largest concentration (about 71,600) between 451 and 500. That is exactly the zone where new high-wage points could reshuffle rankings, since a candidate in a high-wage occupation can gain 20 to 150 points depending on tier and route.
• Non-qualifying candidates are not penalized, but ranks will shift. Your score will not fall, but others may move above you once their points are added.
Provincial Nominee Program Updates
British Columbia
On October 29, BC issued 772 invitations in two selections under Innovate: High Economic Impact:
• Wage-based selection: 524 invitations to candidates with a job offer paying at least $49 an hour and $99,000 a year in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation, with no minimum score.
• Points-based selection: 248 invitations at a minimum score of 131.
The wage bar has been easing steadily. It was $62 an hour in April, $52 in the September 24 round and is now $49. The points cut-off held at 131 and the wage group grew from 426 to 524 invitations. BC reminds candidates that future rounds may use different selection factors, so do not assume the next one will look the same.
Newfoundland and Labrador
NL issued 85 invitations on October 29, following 126 in its October 16 round. Smaller, steady rounds are the pattern here.
Manitoba
Late last week, Manitoba’s Draw on October 22 issued 1,304 Letters of Advice to Apply: 734 to Manitoba graduates, 513 under the overall Skilled Worker in Manitoba selection and 57 through strategic recruitment initiatives. Cut-offs of 816 and 846 were published for the skilled worker groups.
Ontario
As of October 27, Ontario has still not issued a single invitation under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, more than 12 weeks after the expression of interest portal opened on August 4. The province’s last invitations of any kind were on April 30, and it does not give advance notice before a round. If you registered, keep your profile and your employer’s job offer information current so you are ready when the first round arrives.
Business Immigration and Employer News
• Start-Up Visa and Self-Employed Persons Program. The status quo continues: the Start-Up Visa stopped accepting new applications on December 31, 2025, and the Self-Employed Persons Program remains paused until further notice. IRCC has said a new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs will be communicated in 2026, and we are still watching for it.
• Work permit holders waiting on an LMIA. On October 28, IRCC updated its instructions for in-Canada work permit applications that qualify for concurrent processing. The 90-day limit introduced in August is gone, and officers are now directed to hold these files until the LMIA decision is made. The option is still limited to workers whose current permit expires within two weeks or less and whose employer filed a complete LMIA application with enough lead time. With ESDC processing averaging about 90 business days for high-wage cases in August, filing early still matters.
• Employers and the new Express Entry points. If you are an employer supporting a worker’s Express Entry profile, make sure the job, wage and duties match your real business needs and the NOC code you list, and never charge a candidate for a job offer. Doing so puts both of you at serious risk.
Ministerial Statements and Policy Direction
The case for the Express Entry Reform
Minister Diab framed the changes as a way to cut red tape and attract skilled workers in a global competition for talent. IRCC says the new weighting favours factors linked to stronger economic outcomes, and points to its own research finding that job offers and Canadian work experience are associated with higher earnings after admission. The department also says officers will assess offers directly, so employers and candidates no longer need a separate ESDC process.
The concerns being Raised
Critics argue that removing the LMIA also removes the one federal check on whether a qualified Canadian was available for the job, and they note the timing: Statistics Canada’s September labour force numbers showed employment down 68,000 and the unemployment rate up to 6.5%. IRCC’s response is that the genuineness review remains, that points are limited to specialized high-wage roles, and that extra points do not guarantee an invitation. This debate is likely to continue as data on how the new factor is used becomes available.
Tougher penalties for Dishonest Representatives
On October 28, IRCC announced that new administrative penalties are now in force for anyone who gives paid immigration or citizenship advice or representation and breaks the law. The regime covers licensed consultants, lawyers and other authorized representatives, as well as unauthorized people who charge for advice, wherever they are located.
• Three violations: paid advice without authorization (base penalty $5,000), knowingly being involved in misrepresentation ($15,000) and refusing to provide documents to IRCC ($10,000).
• Penalties grow. The amount is calculated from the base, an impact amount, any profit gained and a multiplier for past findings, up to a maximum of $1.5 million.
• Names will be published. IRCC will list penalized individuals and their violations online, with a public registry expected in 2027. The rules apply only to conduct after they came into force.
For applicants, the message is simple: you are responsible for what is in your application, and a file prepared by an unauthorized or dishonest representative can be refused or lead to a misrepresentation finding against you. We welcome the stronger protection for the public.
The Week Ahead: November 1–7
• Monday, November 2 (11:59 p.m. ET): deadline to submit existing refugee claims through the IRCC Portal and avoid the new questions. CBSA-referred claimants should link their claim to a portal account by then.
• Tuesday, November 3: the Express Entry changes take effect. Expect invitation rounds to pause for up to two weeks while the pool is rescored, then resume under the new rules. Watch for updated Ministerial Instructions and the full temporary public policy text.
• Wednesday, November 4: IRCC’s timeline has the final penalty regulations scheduled for publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II.
• The 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan: the law requires it to be tabled by November 1 (a Sunday this year) or within 30 sitting days after. As of our latest check it had not been tabled. The current plan carries notional permanent resident targets of 380,000 for both 2027 and 2028, so the split between Express Entry, PNPs and family classes will be the thing to watch.
• Ontario’s first Workforce Priority round could arrive at any time, without notice.
Want a personalized read on where you stand before the pause begins? Reach us at elginimmigration.com
Immigration Tip of the Week
Make sure your NOC matches what you actually do
With CRS points now tied to a list of high-wage occupations, your NOC code carries more weight than ever. Officers assess your duties, not your job title, so the code in your profile has to reflect the work you really perform.
• Compare duties, not titles. Read the NOC lead statement and main duties for the code you plan to use and check that most of your actual duties match.
• Document it. Reference letters should describe your duties, hours, dates and pay. For the work experience route, IRCC looks for at least 12 months of qualifying full-time experience, which can be spread across more than one occupation.
• Never choose a code because it is on the list. Picking a NOC to earn points your duties do not support can be treated as misrepresentation, which carries a five-year ban.
• Check who is helping you. Only lawyers, Quebec notaries, paralegals and College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants licensees can charge for immigration advice. If someone promises approval or offers to sell you a job offer, walk away.
Elgin Immigration is led by Gagandeep Singh, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant. If you are unsure which code fits your role, we can review your documents with you before anything is submitted.
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration policies and procedures can change; please contact Elgin Immigration at info@elginimmigration.com for advice specific to your situation.
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