A qualifying Express Entry job offer now faces nine separate IRCC checks after changes that took effect on November 3, 2026.
The reforms removed the Labour Market Impact Assessment requirement for qualifying job offers used for Express Entry eligibility and CRS scoring, as set out in IRCC’s changes to Express Entry.
They also introduced a high-wage occupation system that can award 50, 70 or 100 CRS points.
The change does not mean every job offer will receive points.
IRCC officers must still decide whether the offer is genuine, whether it meets the relevant program rules and whether its occupation appears in the applicable high-wage list.
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Five formal genuineness checks
IRCC’s Ministerial Instructions set out five factors officers must consider when assessing whether an offer is genuine.
The assessment applies even when there is no LMIA.
1. The employer is actively operating
The employer must be actively engaged in the business connected to the offer.
Officers may examine business registration records, licences, tax filings, leases, payroll information and other evidence showing that the company has a real operating presence.
IRCC says a new employer or a newly created position is not automatically disqualified.
However, an employer that exists only on paper could have difficulty satisfying this requirement.
2. The position meets a genuine staffing need
The offer must reflect a reasonable employment need rather than an arrangement created mainly to help a candidate obtain permanent residence.
Officers may compare the position with the employer’s business activities, size, revenue, organizational structure, previous hiring and other roles within the company.
A job that appears unrelated to the employer’s operations may face additional scrutiny.
3. The employer can honour the terms
The employer must be able to reasonably provide the wages, duties, hours and other conditions described in the offer.
Financial statements, payroll records, tax documents or bank information may be requested where an officer needs to assess whether the business can support the promised employment.
IRCC does not publish a fixed revenue-to-salary formula, so the evidence will depend on the circumstances of the offer.
4. The candidate is qualified and likely to accept
The applicant must have the qualifications and ability to perform the work and must be likely to accept and carry out the employment.
That requires a credible connection between the person’s education, work history, licences and professional experience and the duties listed under the claimed National Occupational Classification code.
5. The employer has followed employment laws
IRCC can consider the employer’s past compliance with applicable federal and provincial employment and recruitment laws.
Past wage, workplace safety or recruitment violations may therefore become relevant to the genuineness assessment.
A separate temporary public policy for certain Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants has its own employer-compliance conditions.
Four additional Express Entry job offer checks
6. The offer is recent and written
The offer must be recent, in writing and detailed enough to show the pay, deductions, duties, hours and other employment conditions.
It cannot be issued by an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada.
A verbal promise or an outdated letter may not satisfy the requirement.
IRCC’s job offer requirements include instructions for the online profile system, which has not fully caught up with the LMIA change.
Until the system is updated, candidates with a qualifying offer without an LMIA are instructed to select “yes” for the positive-LMIA question and enter LMIA number 00000, with an issuance date of January 1, 2026, and an expiry date of January 1, 2029.
7. The job is full-time and continuous
A qualifying offer generally must provide paid, full-time work of at least 30 hours per week and continue for at least one year from the date the permanent resident visa is issued.
Seasonal, casual, on-call and part-time positions generally do not meet this requirement.
A special temporary policy applies to certain physicians providing publicly funded medical services.
8. The NOC, employer and program rules are correct
The occupation must be classified under the correct NOC 2021 code, based on the actual duties rather than the job title.
For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, a valid offer generally falls within TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 and is made by one employer.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program has separate rules, including permitted trade groups and the possibility of offers from up to two employers.
A mismatch between the claimed NOC and the duties performed can affect both program eligibility and the credibility of the application.
9. The occupation is on the high-wage list for CRS points
Job-offer CRS points are now tied to the occupation’s national median wage classification, not simply the salary offered to the individual candidate.
| High-wage occupation level | CRS points |
|---|---|
| At least twice the Canadian workforce median wage | 100 |
| At least 1.5 times the median wage | 70 |
| At least 1.3 times the median wage | 50 |
An offer can be genuine and still receive zero job-offer CRS points if its NOC is not on the high-wage occupation list.
The offer may nevertheless help satisfy Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades eligibility if it meets those programs’ separate requirements.
What the LMIA change means
The removal of the LMIA changes the verification process, but it does not remove scrutiny.
IRCC now applies a direct assessment to the employer, the position, the applicant and the supporting documents.
Candidates should therefore keep evidence showing the employer’s operations, the business need, the financial capacity to pay and the applicant’s qualifications.
The new job-offer rules also do not eliminate LMIA requirements for temporary work permits.
A worker who needs authorization under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program may still require an LMIA unless another exemption applies.
What happens if an offer is revoked
A revoked job offer no longer qualifies under the Express Entry rules.
Candidates in the pool should update their profiles.
A person who has received an invitation but has not yet applied should recalculate the CRS score and determine whether the revised score still meets the invitation round’s cutoff.
Applicants who have already submitted a permanent residence application should report a material change to IRCC through the appropriate process.
Failing to disclose a relevant change can create refusal or misrepresentation risks.
The practical lesson is that removing the LMIA does not make an arranged job offer automatic.
A well-documented offer in an eligible occupation may support both program eligibility and CRS ranking, while an artificial or poorly supported offer can fail at several points in the assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Express Entry job offer still need an LMIA after November 3, 2026?
No. IRCC no longer requires an LMIA for a qualifying job offer used for Express Entry eligibility or CRS points, although the offer must still meet the applicable rules and pass a genuineness assessment.
How many CRS points can a high-wage job offer provide?
A qualifying offer can provide 50, 70 or 100 CRS points, depending on the occupation’s national median-wage level on IRCC’s high-wage occupation list.
Can a job offer outside the high-wage list still help an application?
Yes. It may support Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades eligibility if it satisfies the program requirements, but it will generally provide zero job-offer CRS points.
What information must be included in the written offer?
The offer should identify the employer and job, and set out the pay, deductions, duties, hours and other employment conditions. It must generally cover continuous, full-time work for at least one year from the date the permanent resident visa is issued.
Does the LMIA change affect temporary work permits?
No. The Express Entry change concerns permanent residence eligibility and CRS scoring. Temporary work authorization under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program remains governed by separate rules.
Fact-Checked: The November 3, 2026 effective date and the January 1, 2026 and January 1, 2029 profile dates were verified against official IRCC guidance. The qualifying-offer duration was corrected to reflect the official wording requiring continuous employment for at least one year from the date the permanent resident visa is issued. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/changes.html?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block))
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal or immigration advice; applicants should review IRCC guidance or consult a qualified immigration professional.