## Key takeaways
– New Express Entry scoring rules take effect on November 3, 2026, introducing a Labour Market Integration Factor worth up to 150 CRS points.
– Candidates can earn the new points through Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation, and an LMIA is no longer required for a qualifying job offer.
– IRCC is pausing all Express Entry invitation rounds from November 3 while it recalculates the score of every profile in the pool, a process that could take up to two weeks.
– No resume date has been confirmed. The last three draws were held on October 26, 27 and 28, 2026.
– Candidates with a qualifying job offer must make sure their profile contains the required job offer information, because job offer points are not applied automatically.
## What happened
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on October 16, 2026, that Express Entry would adopt a new Labour Market Integration Factor within the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), effective November 3, 2026. From November 3, candidates earn points through one of two routes, whichever is higher: extra points for eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation, or points for a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation. The routes do not stack, and the maximum is 150 points (140 with a spouse or common-law partner). At the same time, a qualifying job offer no longer needs an LMIA for the candidate to claim CRS points or to meet program requirements.
## How the new points work
An occupation qualifies as high-wage when its national median wage reaches at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. IRCC groups the 186 eligible occupations into three tiers using wage data from the previous three years drawn from Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and Census sources. Top tier (at least twice the median): 100 points for a job offer, 70 for 12 or more months of experience. Middle tier (1.5 to under 2 times the median): 70 and 40. Lowest tier (1.3 to under 1.5 times): 50 and 20. The experience bonus sits on top of the existing duration-based points, which can reach 80 for five years of Canadian work experience. The candidate’s own salary does not determine the tier — the occupation’s national median wage does.
## Why draws are pausing
IRCC confirmed that invitation rounds will pause from November 3, 2026, while it recalculates the CRS score of every profile in the pool. The recalculation may take up to two weeks, no rounds will be held during that window, and IRCC has not announced a restart date. The pause is administrative, not a suspension: every profile’s score must be recalculated under the new factor before invitations can resume. The last draws before the pause were held on three consecutive days: a Provincial Nominee Program round on October 26, 2026, with 792 invitations at a cut-off of 761; a French-language round on October 27, with 5,000 invitations at 407; and a transport occupations round on October 28, with 150 invitations at 477.
## What it means for candidates
The new factor changes the competitive picture for almost every group in the pool. Candidates with at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation will see their scores rise automatically during the recalculation, provided their profiles contain the required information. Candidates holding a genuine job offer in a high-wage occupation can gain up to 100 points without an LMIA, a pathway that has been worth zero points since March 2025 — but they must update their Express Entry profiles with the required job offer information, because IRCC will not apply job offer points automatically from profile data entered before the November 3 changes. Offshore candidates without Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer gain nothing, so their ranking falls even though their score is unchanged. With 228,724 candidates in the pool as of October 25 and the latest CEC cut-off at 519, even a modest number gaining 20 to 70 points will push cut-offs higher when draws resume.
## Frequently asked questions
Q: When do the new Express Entry CRS rules take effect?
A: November 3, 2026. From that date, candidates can earn up to 150 CRS points for Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.
Q: Do I still need an LMIA for a job offer to earn CRS points?
A: No. From November 3, 2026, a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation no longer needs an LMIA for the candidate to claim CRS points or meet program requirements.
Q: Why are Express Entry draws paused?
A: IRCC is recalculating the CRS score of every profile under the new rules. That could take up to two weeks, and no rounds will be held during that window.
Q: When will Express Entry draws resume?
A: IRCC has not confirmed one. Draws resume once the recalculation is complete, which could take up to two weeks from November 3, 2026.
Q: Do I need to update my Express Entry profile for the new points?
A: Yes. Job offer points are not applied automatically, so candidates with a qualifying job offer must add the required information to their profile. Work experience points are recalculated automatically, but candidates should check their NOC codes and work history are accurate.
For help checking your eligibility or preparing your application, contact ImmiQuest Immigration at +1 778-855-4155, info@immiquest.ca, or https://immiquest.ca. Vikas Tulashyam, RCIC #R709710