BREAKING: Permanent residence selection to favour higher earnings, job offers over Canadian experience, as part of proposed Express Entry reforms

Higher earnings will matter more than Canadian work experience in the competition for Canadian permanent residence, under Ottawa's proposed changes to Express Entry

Further details on the proposed overhaul of the Express Entry system, Canada’s flagship immigration system for skilled workers, include awarding points for higher earning workers (as part of a wider overhaul of selection criteria), and standardizing work experience eligibility—such that candidates who only have foreign work experience will be given equal consideration to those with Canadian work experience.

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Key proposed changes include:

Merging all three programs into one stream with unified eligibility requirements, which would include:
- Standardizing work experience eligibility to one year of cumulative work experience (Canadian or foreign) in the last three years;
- Standardizing language requirements to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6 for all candidates;
Proposing an overhaul of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) factors, including the removal or modification of several scoring criteria, such as:
- Having a sibling in Canada;
- Obtaining a Canadian post-secondary credential;
- Having French-language proficiency.
Re-introducing job offer points as a new "High Wage Occupation" CRS factor; and
Eliminating the 67-point grid used by the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

These details come from a slide deck IRCC shared with immigration lawyers during recent consultations, which has since been made public.

The proposed changes build on what IRCC signaled earlier this week in its Forward Regulatory Plan: 2026-2028, which revealed the department's intention to retire the FSWP, Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

These proposals haven't been finalized. IRCC plans to hold public consultations in Spring 2026 before deciding on next steps.

New eligibility requirements for the merged program

Under the current system, each Express Entry program has its own eligibility criteria.

IRCC's proposal would replace these with a single set of requirements:

Education: All candidates would need at least a high school diploma or equivalent, verified through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Currently, education is only a minimum requirement for the FSWP.

Language: All candidates would need CLB 6 (or NCLC 6 for French) across all four language abilities, regardless of occupation type. Under the current system, minimum language requirements range from CLB/NCLC:

4-5 for FSTP candidates;
5-7 for CEC candidates (depending on primary occupation); and
7 for FSWP candidates;

Work experience: Candidates would need one year of cumulative work experience in a TEER 0 to 3 occupation, earned within the past three years. This experience can be Canadian or foreign. The shift from "continuous" to "cumulative" is notable — it means candidates could combine shorter periods of work to meet the requirement.

Job offer: A job offer would no longer be a minimum eligibility requirement. Currently, FSTP candidates must have either a valid job offer or a certificate of qualification.

67-point FSWP grid: The selection grid used to screen FSWP candidates would be eliminated entirely.

IRCC says category-based selection would continue, maintaining flexibility for French-language draws and draws targeting occupational shortages.

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How the CRS would change

The slide deck also outlines proposed changes to how candidates would be ranked in the Express Entry pool:

Canadian work experience: Currently worth up to 80 points, this factor would be restructured to also incorporate the new High Wage Occupation factor and job offers for high-wage occupations (see below for further details).

High Wage Occupation factor: This is the most significant addition. Candidates with Canadian work experience or a job offer in occupations earning above the national median wage would receive extra CRS points. IRCC proposes three tiers based on how much an occupation earns above the median:

1.3 times (e.g. financial analysts);
1.5 times (e.g. engineers and teachers); and
2 times (e.g. physicians and professors).

The list of qualifying occupations would be updated regularly.

Job offer points: Removed from the CRS in March 2025, job offer points would return — but only for candidates in high-wage occupations, as detailed above. Notably, IRCC says it would base these points on occupational earnings — meaning the typical salary for a given occupation — rather than a candidate's individual earnings. The department says this approach reduces integrity risks.

Skills transferability: Currently worth up to 100 points, this factor would see enhanced recognition for trade qualifications. Foreign work experience points would be retained.

Enhanced Canadian licensure recognition: Holders of a Certificate of Qualification in a Red Seal-designated trade would get better recognition under the new system. IRCC is also exploring recognition for other regulated professions and considering points for trade apprenticeship work.

Factors proposed for removal or modification

According to IRCC, the following scoring factors under the CRS are "weaker predictors of an applicant's economic outcomes." As such the department is considering the following factors for removal or modification:

French proficiency bonus: Currently 25 to 50 points;
Studies in Canada: Currently 15 to 30 points;
Sibling in Canada: Currently 15 points; and
Spousal points: Currently up to 40 points.

Provincial/territorial nominations (currently worth 600 points) are also among the scoring factors that IRCC will consider for modification or removal, despite being strong predictors of economic success. This is likely due to the fact that the federal government already runs specific immigration draws that select for candidates who declare a provincial nomination in their profiles—essentially creating a redundancy in selection processes by also awarding these candidates additional points.

How likely are these changes to take effect?

These proposals are at an early stage. IRCC first signaled the changes in its forward regulatory plan on April 1, 2026, and consultations with stakeholders and the public are planned for Spring 2026.

No timeline for implementation has been announced.

That said, IRCC has followed through on other initiatives listed in its forward regulatory plan. The plan's proposal to update outdated fee regulations has already resulted in permanent residence fee increases taking effect on April 30, 2026, and citizenship fee increases that took effect on March 31, 2026.

The scope of these Express Entry changes is far larger than fee updates, however. Merging three programs and overhauling the CRS would require significant regulatory amendments. The fact that IRCC is sharing detailed proposals with immigration lawyers and seeking stakeholder input suggests the department is serious about moving forward — but the scale of the reform means implementation could take considerable time.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams and categories