IRCC plans to bring back job offer points under Express Entry, as part of wider reforms

Canada’s immigration department has announced an update to bring back the CRS points-based system for candidates selected in the Express Entry system.

In addition, IRCC has decided to give CRS points to candidates with a good job offer and relevant work experience under the Express Entry system.

The plan also shows that IRCC is searching for candidates who already hold a certification to work in a regulated profession. 

It means candidates with an appropriate licensed certificate are eligible to do certain jobs in Canada. These candidates would have a chance to be selected for future Express Entry selections. 
 
These were the primary changes released by the Canadian government for the Express Entry system. These changes were found in the latest plan released by IRCC on March 13, 2026. 

In the main report, which has been released following information was given more importance : 

• Proposed Plans  
• Priorities 
• Expenses to be spent 

But it did not specify when these changes will be implemented. In Canada, there is a high demand for many jobs including those given under the Express Entry system job categories. These jobs are regulated professions, so they must carry an approved letter or certificate from the required officials before they can work in those roles.

These changes are made to help provide job opportunities to many candidates looking for job opportunities around the world. This was planned by Mark Carney during the Talent Attraction Strategy during the previous elections.

Which Jobs Are Considered High-Wage Occupations?

In the latest plan released by IRCC, no details have been given out about high-wage jobs in the proposed Express Entry reform. 

The skilled workers under the Express Entry System are evaluated based on the following : 

• Training 
• Educational qualification 
• Work experience
• Responsibilities under the TEER category

All these categories are part of Canada’s National Occupational Classification system. In general, occupations under higher TEER levels (0, 1, and 2) are usually associated with higher-paying roles. However, this system does not directly determine or list the exact wages for each job. 

Let us consider an example : 
Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a candidate gets a high-salary if their pay is equal to or more than the usual hourly wage in the place they are working.

So, whether a person gets a high salary depends on the province they are working in. These wages are updated every year by the officials.

The current average wage levels across Canada’s provinces and territories are presented in the table below.

Average Provincial Wages as of June 2025

Update on Job Offer Points in Express Entry

In March 2025, Canada decided not to grant additional CRS points for the candidates under Express Entry with a job offer. It also included those supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This change took place on March 25, 2025, after it was first announced in December 2024 by IRCC.

But when we have a look at the previous system, the candidates with more experience received an extra 50 or 200 CRS points. This helped the candidates to get a chance of getting an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR).

IRCC had initially brought this change to avoid any fraudulent activities. In other cases, a few candidates started getting approval from the Labour Market Impact Assessment to help in increasing their CRS scores.

Due to this, the Canadian government stopped offering extra CRS points to maintain a fair approach.

These new changes remained unaffected by those candidates :
 

• Who already got ITA 
• The PR applications, which were processed under the Express Entry system.

Due to the change, many candidates in the Express Entry pool saw a decrease in their CRS points from 50 to 100. But for others, not part of the Express Entry pool had the same points.

But there are other parts of the Express Entry system in which job offers are still valid. It helps the candidates to be qualified for the following program types : 
 

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), 
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) 
• Some streams of the Provincial Nominee Program 

How Croyez Immigration Helps Applicants Navigate Express Entry Changes

The constant changes in the Express Entry system can make the immigration based process confusing for applicants. Some of the updates related to the following factors play an essential role in a candidate’s PR process, like: 

• Applicant’s CRS points
• Job offers 
• Eligibility criteria

In situations like this, consulting an expert would be really helpful for the applicants to get an idea of important updates and also build their profile. 

We at Croyez Immigration can help every candidate to be aware of the latest immigration updates. It will help them improve their chances of getting a PR.