Starting November 3, 2026, a job offer can count in Express Entry without a Labour Market Impact Assessment. IRCC says an LMIA will no longer be required for program eligibility or for Comprehensive Ranking System points. Holding one will not add points or move a profile ahead of others.
The online system is not ready for that change. From November 3, a candidate with a qualifying offer and no LMIA still has to answer that a positive LMIA was issued. In the work-history section, IRCC’s temporary entries are:
- Was a positive LMIA issued? Yes.
- LMIA number: 00000.
- Issue date: January 1, 2026.
- Expiry date: January 1, 2029.
IRCC is using these entries only so the form can be completed. Anyone who already has an LMIA should keep their own number and dates. The department has not said the temporary entries can be used before November 3. Candidates whose offer is not yet in the profile are told to update it before that date.
Job-offer points return only for high-wage occupations. IRCC looks at the median wage of that occupation in Canada, not the person’s own pay. The occupation qualifies when that median is at least 1.3 times the Canadian benchmark.
A qualifying offer is worth:
- 100 points if the occupation’s median is at least twice the benchmark.
- 70 points if it is at least 1.5 times the benchmark, and under twice.
- 50 points if it is at least 1.3 times the benchmark, and under 1.5 times.
An offer outside that list gets no extra points. It can still support eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and some provincial streams. The offer can be for a current or a new job, and for a current or a new employer.
The new Labour Market Integration factor awards the higher of two scores: Canadian work experience, or the job offer. The higher score is the one that counts. The cap is 150 points for a candidate without a spouse or common-law partner, and 140 points for a candidate with one.
When the change takes effect, IRCC will recalculate existing profiles. That can take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds will pause until it is finished. An officer still has to accept that the offer is genuine before it can be used.
