Express Entry High-Wage Occupations: Eligible NOC List, New CRS Points and Job Offers Without an LMIA
On October 16, 2026, IRCC announced changes to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that bring back job offer points, removed in March 2025. From November 3, 2026, Express Entry gives up to 150 points for Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-wage occupation, and a job offer no longer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Most candidates need to do nothing. Anyone with a job offer must act before November 3.
The changes at a glance
In force: November 3, 2026. Profiles are recalculated and draws pause for up to two weeks.
New CRS factor: "labour market integration", worth up to 150 points single or 140 with a spouse.
Job offer points return: 100, 70 or 50, but only for offers in one of 186 listed high-wage occupations.
No LMIA: not needed for offer points or for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) job offers. Having one adds nothing.
Deadline: a job offer must be in your profile before November 3 to count.
What makes an occupation high-wage
An occupation is high-wage when the median wage of everyone in Canada working in that NOC is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the whole workforce. Read that twice: it is the occupation, not your salary. A well-paid cook earns nothing here; a junior lawyer is Level 1.
IRCC sorts the list into three levels using wage data from 2023 to 2025. If the list changes after you are invited, the level on your invitation date stays.
Eligible NOC codes by level
Common codes by field; all 186 are on IRCC's high-wage occupations page.
Level 1 (31 codes): offer 100 points, experience bonus +70
Senior and corporate managers: 00011, 00012, 00013, 60010
Finance, HR and purchasing managers: 10010, 10011, 10012, 10020, 10021
Engineering, science and IT managers: 20010, 20011, 20012
Physicians and health: 31100, 31101, 31102, 31103 (veterinarians), 31302 (nurse practitioners), 31303
Law and education: 41100 (judges), 41101 (lawyers), 41200 (university professors)
Engineers: 21330 (mining), 21332 (petroleum)
Level 2 (89 codes): offer 70 points, experience bonus +40
Managers: 00014, 00015, 10019, 10022, 10029, 30010, 70010, 70012, 90010
Tech: 21211 (data scientists), 21220 (cybersecurity), 21221, 21222, 21223, 21230, 21231 (software engineers), 21232 (software developers)
Engineers: 21300 (civil), 21301 (mechanical), 21310 (electrical), 21311, 21320, 21321, 21322, 21390, 21399
Health: 31110 (dentists), 31120 (pharmacists), 31200, 31202, 31203, 31301 (registered nurses), 32111
Business and education: 11103, 11201 (management consultants), 41401, 41402, 41210, 41220, 41221 (teachers)
Trades and transport: 72103, 72202 (power system electricians), 72203, 72301, 72406, 72600 (pilots), 72601, 92100
Level 3 (66 codes): offer 50 points, experience bonus +20
Finance and HR: 11100 (accountants), 11101, 11102, 11109, 11200 (HR professionals), 12203
Tech, design and science: 21234 (web developers), 21200 (architects), 22310, 21101, 21110
Health and social: 31121, 32102 (paramedics), 32120, 32121, 32122, 41300 (social workers)
Managers: 60020 (retail and wholesale trade), 60031, 60040
Trades: 72201 (industrial electricians), 72302, 72401, 72404, 72500, 72010, 72013, 72014, 72020, 72021 (contractors and supervisors)
Common jobs that are not on the list
60030 restaurant managers, 62020 food service supervisors, 63200 cooks, 13100 administrative officers, 21233 web designers, 32101 licensed practical nurses, 72200 electricians and 72310 carpenters. Read the code, not the title: 72201 industrial electricians are Level 3, but 72200 is not listed. These jobs still earn regular experience points and still count for the Canadian Experience Class and FSW.
How the new points are calculated
IRCC scores you two ways and keeps the higher. Never both.
Route 1: Canadian work experience, plus a high-wage bonus
Canadian experience | Single | With spouse |
|---|---|---|
1 year | 40 | 35 |
2 years | 53 | 46 |
3 years | 64 | 56 |
4 years | 72 | 63 |
5 years or more | 80 | 70 |
Then, 12 months (1,560 hours) in listed occupations adds +70 if all 12 months are at Level 1, +40 at Level 1 or 2 combined, or +20 across any listed codes. The months can be part-time equivalent or spread over several jobs, but must be in Canada, paid, authorized, TEER 0 to 3 and within the last 10 years.
Route 2: a job offer in a high-wage occupation
A Level 1 offer gives 100, Level 2 gives 70 and Level 3 gives 50, with or without a spouse. The offer must be full-time, continuous and last at least one year after you become a permanent resident.
An offer replaces experience points; it never adds to them
Single, 3 years as a food service supervisor: 64. A Level 1 offer makes it 100, a gain of 36. With 12 months at Level 1, you already have 105 or more; no offer helps. Couples gain more from an offer, because their experience points are lower. Skill transferability points do not change.
Job offers without an LMIA: what officers will check instead
The offer can come from a new or existing employer. With the LMIA gone, the officer tests whether it is genuine: the employer is actively in business, needs the role, can pay it and follows employment and recruitment laws, and you are qualified and likely to take the job. These are the same questions I see in job offer genuineness refusals. A revoked offer stops counting; a false one is misrepresentation, with a five-year bar.
For FSW and FST eligibility, the offer does not need to be high-wage: any genuine TEER 0 to 3 offer still counts, even when it earns no CRS points.
Self-employed founders and C10 holders
The new factor is built on qualifying Canadian experience, which excludes self-employment. If you own or control the company you work for, officers usually treat that Canadian time as self-employment, which earns no points whatever your NOC, and an offer from your own company will be examined closely. A key employee with no ownership or control is different: 12 months in 00012 or 20012 adds +70. Planning a C10 work permit? Decide the permanent residence route before you file. More on founders in C10 vs C11 for founders.
What I would do now, before November 3
Experience points: do nothing. IRCC recalculates from the dates already in your profile. Check that each NOC matches your real duties; the code now carries points.
Job offer: add it under "Work history" before November 3. The form still asks for an LMIA, so IRCC's instruction is: positive LMIA "Yes", LMIA number 00000, issuance date 2026-01-01, expiry date 2029-01-01. Save a copy of that instruction with your file.
Evidence: gather the offer letter (pay, duties, hours) and the employer's business records now. Officers check them, as I explain in how IRCC verifies your claims.
Score: treat new CRS estimates as provisional. IRCC has not yet published the amended Ministerial Instructions, so recheck your score after November 3.
This article reflects the rules as of October 2026.
If you want me to review your profile, you can book an online consultation. I work virtually, in English and Turkish, on flat fees. If a route does not fit your facts, I will tell you.
The articles on this site are general information, not legal advice, and reading them doesn't create a lawyer-client relationship. Immigration rules change often, so always consult a qualified Canadian immigration lawyer about your specific situation.
