Canada Express Entry Immigration

The process follows a clear sequence:

• You confirm you are eligible for at least one of the three federal programs.
• You submit an online Express Entry profile (an expression of interest) in your secure IRCC account.
• You are placed in the Express Entry pool and given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
• IRCC holds regular rounds of invitations and invites the highest-ranked candidates.
• If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence.

The Three Federal Programs

Express Entry manages three economic immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) – for skilled workers with foreign work experience. See our guide to Federal Skilled Worker eligible occupations.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) – for qualified tradespeople with experience in specific skilled trades.
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – for people who already have skilled Canadian work experience.

Eligibility for each program depends on factors such as age, education, work experience and language ability. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams that are linked to Express Entry can also lead to an invitation, and a provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points.

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

The CRS is the points system used to rank candidates in the pool. Under the grid in effect until November 2, 2026, scores are out of 1,200, with points awarded for core human-capital factors (age, education, language ability and Canadian work experience), skill transferability, and additional factors such as a provincial nomination (600 points), French-language ability, Canadian study and a sibling in Canada.

Job-offer points have had a turbulent history. IRCC removed the additional CRS points for a valid job offer on March 25, 2025. From November 3, 2026, job-offer points return in a new form – but only for offers in designated high-wage occupations, and an LMIA is no longer needed (see the next section). You can estimate your score with our CRS Score Calculator and see the current breakdown in the Express Entry CRS grid.

Express Entry Changes Taking Effect November 3, 2026

Announced on October 16, 2026 by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, the changes refocus Express Entry on candidates with strong Canadian labour-market connections and in-demand, high-wage skills.

A new Labour Market Integration factor

The CRS gains a new Labour Market Integration factor. It awards points for either Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation – whichever gives you more points. The two are never combined. The factor is worth up to 150 points for a candidate without a spouse or partner, or 140 points with an accompanying spouse or partner.

Twelve months of experience means 1,560 hours. It can be non-continuous, part-time equivalent, or combined across jobs (concurrent jobs are capped at 30 hours a week). Skills-transferability points are unchanged and still use your existing length of Canadian work experience.

What counts as a “high-wage occupation”?

A high-wage occupation is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) code whose median wage, across everyone working in that occupation in Canada, is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. It is based on the occupation – not on your individual salary. IRCC groups these occupations into three levels (1.3x, 1.5x and 2x) and publishes the high-wage occupation list, drawing on Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data from the previous three years. Examples IRCC cites include engineers and electricians, with occupations spanning health care, skilled trades, engineering, technology and education.

No LMIA needed for job offers

• From November 3, 2026, a job offer does not need to be supported by an LMIA to earn CRS points or to meet FSWP or FSTP eligibility. Having an LMIA gives no extra points or priority.
• The offer must still be valid under Express Entry rules – generally full-time, non-seasonal and for at least one year after you become a permanent resident (special rules apply to trades and physicians). It can be for an existing or new position, with an existing or new employer.
• A temporary public policy exempts candidates invited on or after November 3, 2026 from the LMIA or LMIA-exemption requirement for qualifying job offers used to establish FSWP and FSTP eligibility, provided they meet the policy’s conditions.
• For FSWP and FSTP eligibility, a qualifying offer can be in any eligible TEER 0 to 3 job – not only a high-wage occupation. Eligibility and CRS points are assessed separately, so an offer can help you qualify for a program but still earn 0 CRS points.
• Officers will still assess whether an offer is genuine – including whether the employer is actively engaged in business, the offer reflects reasonable needs, the employer can meet its terms and complies with employment and recruitment laws, and whether you are qualified and likely to accept. A revoked offer no longer qualifies.

What candidates already in the pool should do

• Pool scores will be recalculated automatically. However, if you want job-offer points, you must update your profile before November 3, 2026.
• Until IRCC’s online system is updated, a candidate with a job offer that has no LMIA must still answer “Yes” to “Was a positive LMIA issued?” and enter LMIA number 00000, issue date 2026-01-01 and expiry date 2029-01-01, as instructed on IRCC’s changes page.
• Recalculation may take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds are paused during that time. CRS cut-offs after draws resume will not be directly comparable with earlier 2026 cut-offs.
• More points do not guarantee an invitation. Contrary to some speculation, IRCC did not announce a merger of the FSWP, CEC and FSTP, or a new category for U.S. H-1B visa holders.

Category-Based Selection Draws in 2026

Since 2023, IRCC has run category-based rounds that invite candidates with experience in priority occupations or strong French-language skills, often at a lower CRS score than general rounds. In December 2025 IRCC introduced a category for physicians with Canadian work experience, and in February 2026 it confirmed its new and renewed categories for the year. For 2026 there are ten active categories:

• French-language proficiency
• Healthcare and social services occupations
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
• Trade occupations
• Education occupations
• Transport occupations
• Physicians with Canadian work experience
• Senior managers with Canadian work experience
• Researchers with Canadian work experience
• Skilled military recruits

Occupation-based categories generally require at least 12 months of qualifying work experience in the past three years.

Recent Draw Trends

In 2026, IRCC has shifted heavily toward category-based and in-Canada (CEC and PNP) Express Entry draws to reduce the temporary-resident population and address labour needs. Cut-off scores vary widely by draw type – French-language rounds have been far lower than general rounds, Canadian Experience Class rounds have sat around 500, and Provincial Nominee Program rounds run much higher because of the 600-point nomination bonus.

The last draws before the November 2026 scoring changes were a Canadian Experience Class round on October 15, 2026 (2,500 invitations, minimum CRS 519) and a French-language round on October 16, 2026 (5,000 invitations, minimum CRS 435). Rounds are then paused for up to about two weeks while scores are recalculated. Because the timing, size and CRS cut-off of each draw are set by IRCC and not announced in advance, candidates should focus on maximising their own score rather than trying to predict individual draws.

Fees and Processing Times

The main federal government fees for a principal applicant are the $990 processing fee plus the $600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF), totalling $1,590. The same $1,590 applies to an accompanying spouse or partner, plus $270 per dependent child. You should also budget for language tests, an Educational Credential Assessment, medical exams, police certificates and proof of settlement funds (not required if you are eligible under the CEC or have a valid job offer and are authorized to work in Canada). See our Government of Canada immigration fee schedule. IRCC aims to process complete applications within six months, though times vary – see our page on Canada immigration processing times for current estimates.

How to Apply

To enter Express Entry: confirm your program eligibility, take an approved language test, obtain an ECA if you studied outside Canada, gather your documents, and create your profile online. If you have a qualifying job offer, make sure it is entered in your profile – and if you are already in the pool, update your profile before November 3, 2026 to have job-offer points counted. Keep your profile accurate and up to date while you wait, and be ready to respond quickly if you receive an invitation. For a broader look at your options, see our overview of the many ways to immigrate to Canada.