Canada | New Express Entry points added for high-wage work experience, qualifying job offers

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that beginning Nov. 3, Express Entry candidates may receive additional points under a new Labor Market Integration factor for qualifying Canadian work experience or job offers in high-wage occupations.

Key takeaways:
The new Labor Market Integration factor will award additional points to candidates with at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in a designated high-wage occupation or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation.

The existing Express Entry points calculation will remain unchanged, but eligible candidates could receive up to 140 additional points if married or in a common-law partnership and up to 150 points if single. The number of additional points will be based on the candidate’s National Occupational Classification rather than the individual’s actual salary.

IRCC will begin automatically recalculating existing Express Entry profiles beginning Nov. 3.

Additional information: The government has not yet published the new Ministerial Instructions defining what constitutes a “qualifying job offer.” Selection thresholds could shift after existing profiles are recalculated, but the government announcement does not establish what future Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff scores will be.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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