What changed on November 3, 2026
Three things changed:
- A new Labour Market Integration factor. Your Canadian work points now sit in this factor, and it can also include high-wage points.
- Job offers in high-wage occupations earn points, with no Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) needed.
- The maximum score is now 1,270, up from 1,200.
Your age, education, language, spouse, skill transferability and additional points still work the same way.
How the new points work
You get points for either Canadian experience or a job offer, whichever is higher. You don't get both.
| Canadian work experience | Single | With spouse |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 0 | 0 |
| 1 year | 40 | 35 |
| 2 years | 53 | 46 |
| 3 years | 64 | 56 |
| 4 years | 72 | 63 |
| 5 years or more | 80 | 70 |
| High-wage occupation level | Extra points for 1+ year of Canadian work | Points for a job offer |
|---|---|---|
| At least 1.3 times the median wage | 20 | 50 |
| At least 1.5 times the median wage | 40 | 70 |
| At least twice the median wage | 70 | 100 |
The level comes from your occupation's NOC code, not your own pay. You can search IRCC's high-wage list here.
Three examples (single applicant)
| Your situation | Work-length points | Extra points | Factor total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years in Canada in a 1.5x occupation, no job offer | 53 | +40 | 93 |
| No Canadian work, job offer in a 2x occupation | 0 | Job offer: 100 | 100 |
| 3 years in Canada in a 1.3x occupation, plus a 1.5x job offer | 64 | +20 = 84, higher than the 70 for the offer | 84 |
Why your score may look different
- Your experience is in a high-wage occupation. You may gain 20, 40 or 70 points.
- Your job offer is in a high-wage occupation. You may gain 50, 70 or 100 points, if it's in your profile.
- The update isn't finished yet. IRCC says recalculating can take up to 2 weeks, so your score may not have moved yet.
- Your NOC code is wrong. High-wage points depend on the NOC in your profile.
- Something else changed. A birthday, or an expired language test, can also move your score.
Going by IRCC's published tables, work-length points are the same as before, so these changes alone shouldn't lower your score.
Are Express Entry draws paused?
Yes. IRCC says it will pause invitation rounds while it recalculates profiles and start again when that's done. It hasn't given a restart date. The last round before the change was round #453 on October 28, 2026.
Cut-off scores may shift once draws restart, because many candidates will have new scores. Nobody can say by how much yet, so be careful with anyone who promises a number.
What to do now
- Check your NOC codes for every job in your profile.
- Add any job offer to your profile. See how to add a job offer without an LMIA.
- Recheck your score with our CRS calculator, which follows IRCC's new rules.
- Plan your next step, such as a better language score or French. See 12 ways to increase your CRS score.
FAQs
Will my CRS score go down because of the new rules?
Based on IRCC's published tables, no. Work-length points stay the same and skill transferability hasn't changed. You only gain points if you have high-wage experience or a high-wage job offer.
How long will the recalculation take?
IRCC says up to 2 weeks from November 3, 2026.
Do I need to do anything for my score to update?
Not for Canadian work experience: IRCC recalculates it for you. If you have a job offer, you need to add it to your profile yourself.
What is the maximum CRS score now?
1,270 points, according to IRCC's calculator.