The short version
- Before November 3, 2026: job offers earned no CRS points — IRCC removed arranged-employment points (previously +200 for TEER 0, +50 for TEER 1–3, LMIA required) on March 25, 2025. Canadian work experience earned work-length points only.
- From November 3, 2026: job offer points are reintroduced, with no LMIA needed. Job offers earn 100/70/50 points through the new Labour Market Integration (LMI) factor, based on the occupation’s level. Canadian experience can add up to 70 high-wage points on top of existing work-length points.
- Offer and experience never stack — IRCC awards the higher. The work-length points are part of the experience side, so if the offer wins it replaces them. The whole LMI factor caps at 150 (no spouse) or 140 (with spouse).
Job offer points: before vs after
| Situation | Mar 25, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026 | From Nov 3, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Offer in a 2.0×+ wage occupation | 0 | +100 |
| Offer in a 1.5–2.0× wage occupation | 0 | +70 |
| Offer in a 1.3–1.5× wage occupation | 0 | +50 |
| Offer in a job that isn’t high-wage | 0 | 0 (still helps program eligibility) |
One important carry-over: for Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades eligibility, an offer in any TEER 0–3 occupation still counts — even if it isn’t high-wage. Eligibility and points are assessed separately.
Canadian work experience points: before vs after
Work-length points keep their existing values. What’s new is the high-wage add-on for 12+ months of experience in an eligible occupation:
| Years of Canadian experience | Work-length (single) | Work-length (spouse) | High-wage add-on (all groups) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 year | 40 | 35 | +70 / +40 / +20 by group |
| 2 years | 53 | 46 | +70 / +40 / +20 by group |
| 3 years | 64 | 56 | +70 / +40 / +20 by group |
| 4 years | 72 | 63 | +70 / +40 / +20 by group |
| 5+ years | 80 | 70 | +70 / +40 / +20 by group |
The add-on is +70 in a 2.0×+ occupation, +40 in 1.5–2.0×, and +20 in 1.3–1.5×. Experience must total at least 12 months (1,560 hours), can be combined across jobs, and concurrent hours cap at 30 hours/week.
Three worked examples
Example 1 — the offer loses
Single applicant, 3 years of Canadian experience as a software engineer (1.5–2.0× group), plus a qualifying job offer in the same field. Experience: 64 + 40 = 104 points. The offer: 70 points. IRCC awards the higher — 104. The offer adds nothing.
Example 2 — the offer wins
Applicant with a spouse, under 1 year of Canadian experience, but a qualifying offer in a 2.0×+ occupation. Experience: 0. The offer: 100 points. Since 100 beats 0, the offer is what counts.
Example 3 — the cap bites
Single applicant, 5+ years of experience in a 2.0×+ occupation: 80 + 70 = 150 — exactly the cap. Nothing is trimmed, but there’s no room for anything more from this factor.
Which occupations qualify?
IRCC’s list has 186 NOC codes: 31 at 2.0×+, 89 at 1.5–2.0×, and 66 at 1.3–1.5× the average median wage. Browse the full list with levels and points, or read how the LMI factor works.