Express Entry High-Wage Points: Who Gains and What Happens to Cut-offs
By Megan · Scores and immigration · Published · 8 min read
On November 3, 2026, Express Entry adds points for Canadian work experience and job offers in high-wage occupations. Two questions come up straight away: are there really that many high earners in Canada without permanent residence, and will this push up the cut-offs in category-based draws? This post answers both using IRCC's announcement, its high-wage occupation list, its draw history and its latest pool data. IRCC has not published how many candidates will qualify, so where we look ahead, we say so. Figures were checked on October 16, 2026.
What changes in Express Entry on November 3, 2026?
The Canadian work experience factor becomes a Labour Market Integration factor worth up to 150 CRS points (140 with a spouse or partner). On top of the usual points for years of Canadian work, 12 months or more in a high-wage occupation adds 70, 40 or 20 points. A qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation, now with no LMIA needed, earns 100, 70 or 50 points instead, whichever route gives you more.
| Occupation's median wage | Added to Canadian work points (12+ months) | Qualifying job offer |
|---|---|---|
| At least 2× the average median wage | +70 | 100 |
| 1.5× to under 2× | +40 | 70 |
| 1.3× to under 1.5× | +20 | 50 |
| Under 1.3× (not on the list) | 0 | 0 |
IRCC will recalculate every profile when the change takes effect. That can take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds pause in the meantime. Work experience and job offer points are not added together: you get the higher of the two.
Do you have to earn a high salary to get the new points?
No. "High-wage" describes the occupation, not your pay cheque. IRCC rates each NOC unit group by the median wage of everyone in Canada who does that job. If your NOC is on the list, you qualify at its tier even if you earn less than the median, for example as a junior developer or a newly registered nurse.
This matters for the question in the title. The new points do not only reward a small group of executives on large salaries. IRCC's list has 186 occupations: 31 at the 2× tier, 89 at 1.5× and 66 at 1.3×. Many are jobs that temporary workers and international graduates in Canada actually hold.
| Tier | Examples (NOC) |
|---|---|
| 2× (+70) | Computer and information systems managers (20012), financial managers (10010), family physicians (31102), nurse practitioners (31302), lawyers (41101), university professors (41200) |
| 1.5× (+40) | Software engineers (21231), software developers and programmers (21232), data scientists (21211), cybersecurity specialists (21220), civil and mechanical engineers (21300, 21301), registered nurses (31301), pharmacists (31120), secondary and elementary teachers (41220, 41221) |
| 1.3× (+20) | Accountants and auditors (11100), financial analysts (11101), human resources professionals (11200), web developers (21234), medical laboratory technologists (32120), industrial electricians (72201), retail and wholesale trade managers (60020) |
Are there really many high-wage workers in Canada without PR?
Probably more than the phrase "high-wage" suggests, but nobody outside IRCC knows the exact number. IRCC has not said how many profiles in the pool will gain points. What the public data does show is that the pool is large, and that a big group of candidates sits just below recent cut-offs, where 20 to 70 points decide who gets invited.
| CRS score range | Candidates |
|---|---|
| 601–1,200 | 749 |
| 501–600 | 21,638 |
| 491–500 | 12,136 |
| 481–490 | 12,184 |
| 471–480 | 16,220 |
| 461–470 | 16,221 |
| 451–460 | 14,851 |
| 401–450 | 63,528 |
| 351–400 | 47,167 |
| 301–350 | 17,123 |
| 0–300 | 7,639 |
| Total | 229,456 |
Canadian Experience Class draws in 2026 have closed between 507 and 523. Just under that line, 71,612 candidates score between 451 and 500. Anyone in that group with 12 months in a 1.5× job gains 40 points, so a 485 becomes a 525, above every 2026 CEC cut-off so far. We can't tell from the public data how many of them are in high-wage jobs, but software, engineering, nursing, finance and accounting are common jobs among in-Canada candidates, so it is unlikely to be a small number.
Many temporary workers will not gain anything, though. Common TEER 2 and 3 jobs such as cooks (63200), food service supervisors (62020), administrative assistants (13110), transport truck drivers (73300), carpenters (72310), welders (72106), plumbers (72300) and construction electricians (72200) are not on the list. Their scores stay the same while others rise, so they lose ground.
Will the new points raise CEC draw cut-offs?
Likely yes, unless IRCC makes draws bigger. CEC rounds rank in-Canada candidates by CRS, and the people who gain the most points (12+ months of Canadian work in a listed job) are exactly CEC candidates. If thousands of them move from the 480s and 490s into the 520s, the score of the last person invited goes up with them. This is our reading of the data, not an IRCC forecast.
In 2026 so far, CEC rounds have issued 57,750 invitations at cut-offs of 507 to 523. The most recent, on October 15, invited 2,500 candidates at 519. Expect the first CEC rounds after the two-week recalculation pause to tell us how far scores moved.
How will the high-wage points affect category-based draws?
Category draws still choose by CRS within each category, so what counts is how many people in a category gain points. Where nearly everyone gains, the cut-off number rises but the same kind of candidate is invited. Where only some gain, those candidates move ahead and the others fall back. The points do not change who is eligible for a category.
| Category | 2026 invitations | Cut-off range | Likely effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| French-language proficiency | 55,500 | 382–435 | Mixed: not occupation-based, so only French speakers in listed jobs gain |
| Healthcare and social services | 11,500 | 467–475 | Cut-off likely to rise: registered nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists gain, other healthcare jobs do not |
| Trades | 6,500 | 476–477 | Smaller effect: most trades are not listed and none are at 2× |
| Senior managers with Canadian work experience | 1,000 | 389–429 | Cut-off likely to rise: every senior manager NOC is on the list (2× or 1.5×) |
| Physicians with Canadian work experience | 891 | 169–223 | Cut-off number likely to jump by up to 70, but order barely changes: family doctors and specialists are all at 2× |
| Transport | 300 | 470 | Mixed: pilots and air traffic controllers are listed, truck drivers are not |
| Skilled military recruits | 4 | 368 | Very few invitations, hard to say |
Healthcare shows the effect most clearly. A registered nurse with a year of Canadian work gains 40 points. A licensed practical nurse (32101) or a nurse aide (33102) in the same category gains nothing, because those occupations are not on the list. If the draw size stays the same, the cut-off rises and more of the invitations go to the listed jobs.
There is also an effect pulling the other way. Candidates who gain points may now be invited in a CEC draw before the next category round, which leaves fewer of them in the category pool. How these two effects balance depends on draw sizes, which IRCC sets round by round.
What does the change mean for candidates outside Canada?
Job offer points are back, and an LMIA is no longer needed for a qualifying offer. A candidate abroad with no Canadian work can earn 100, 70 or 50 points from a genuine full-time offer of at least one year in a listed occupation. Before this change there were no job offer points at all, because IRCC removed them in March 2025.
IRCC says officers will check that every offer is genuine: the employer must be actively in business, able to pay and in line with employment law, and the offer must fit its needs. Offers sold for a fee are fraud and can lead to a refusal and a ban. Don't pay anyone for a job offer.
What should you do before November 3?
Check your NOC against IRCC's high-wage list, make sure your profile's work history and NOC codes are accurate, and update your profile if you have a qualifying job offer. Then work out your new score so you know whether you are likely to be above or below the cut-offs after the change.
- Confirm the NOC for each job from your duties, not your job title. The duties in your reference letter decide it.
- Count months by tier: IRCC adds up months at a tier or higher, so 8 months at 2× plus 4 at 1.5× earns the 1.5× points.
- If you are close to 12 months in a listed job, those last months may now be worth 20 to 70 points.
- If your job is not on the list, the new rules will not help you, and the candidates around you may move ahead. Plan for other points.
Is CLB 9 still worth it after the change?
Yes, and for many candidates it matters more. If your occupation is not on the list, language is the biggest factor you can still improve, and cut-offs may rise around you. Without a spouse, going from CLB 7 to CLB 9 in all four skills adds 56 core points under IRCC's grid at the time of writing, more than the 1.5× high-wage bonus.
Language points don't depend on your job, your employer or a list that IRCC re-rates from wage data. You can earn them with a few months of focused practice. Plan to have your CELPIP result ready before the first draws after the change.
Frequently asked questions
Does my own salary have to be 1.3 times the median wage?
No. IRCC uses the median wage of your NOC across Canada. If your occupation is on the list, it qualifies at its tier whatever you earn.
Can I get both the high-wage work points and the job offer points?
No. IRCC gives you the higher of the two routes, up to 150 points (140 with a spouse or partner).
Will there be Express Entry draws right after November 3?
IRCC says profiles will be recalculated over up to two weeks and invitation rounds pause during that time, then resume.
Will the high-wage list change?
It can. IRCC rates occupations from the last three years of wage data, so check the list again before you rely on a tier.
Keep reading
CELPass is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with Paragon Testing Enterprises. CELPIP is a trademark of Paragon Testing Enterprises. Check the official CELPIP website and IRCC for current test rules and requirements.