What is the Labour Market Integration (LMI) factor?
The Labour Market Integration factor is a new way IRCC awards Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, effective November 3, 2026. It rewards two things IRCC wants to see: a genuine job offer in a high-wage occupation, or at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in one. Job offer points and the high-wage experience add-on only count when the occupation is on IRCC’s list of 186 high-wage occupations; experience in any other skilled (TEER 0–3) job still earns work-length points.
“High-wage” is decided per occupation, not per person: IRCC compares the median wage of everyone working in that NOC with the median wage of the overall Canadian workforce. Occupations land in one of three groups:
- 2.0× and above the average median wage — 31 occupations (top group)
- 1.5× to below 2.0× — 89 occupations (medium group)
- 1.3× to below 1.5× — 66 occupations (base group)
The assignments are based on 2023–2025 data from Job Bank, the Labour Force Survey and the Census of Population.
How many CRS points is each group worth?
| IRCC level | Qualifying job offer | High-wage experience |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0× and above | +100 | +70 |
| 1.5× to below 2.0× | +70 | +40 |
| 1.3× to below 1.5× | +50 | +20 |
Experience points stack on top of the existing work-length points for Canadian experience (1–5+ years). Those are worth 40/53/64/72/80 points without an accompanying spouse, or 35/46/56/63/70 with one. So a single applicant with 3 years of experience in a 2.0× occupation earns 64 + 70 = 134 points.
The cap: 150 (or 140) points, and no stacking
Two rules keep the factor in check:
- Offer and experience points don’t stack. IRCC compares what you’d get from each and awards the option that gives you more CRS points. Work-length points belong to the experience side, so if the offer wins, it replaces them.
- There’s a hard cap. The whole Labour Market Integration factor is worth at most 150 points (without a spouse) or 140 points (with a spouse).
Does my own salary change my points?
No. IRCC sets the level from the typical pay of everyone in the occupation, not your personal salary. A highly paid individual in an occupation whose median is 1.4× the average median wage still gets the base group — and a modest earner in a 2.0× occupation still gets the top group. A pay raise never moves an occupation’s group.
What happens to LMIA-backed job offers?
From November 3, 2026, a qualifying Express Entry job offer no longer requires an LMIA — and the old 50/200-point arrangement for LMIA-backed offers is gone. Offers are instead worth 100/70/50 points through this factor, depending on the occupation’s level. Officers still verify that the employer is active, able to employ you, and that the offer is genuine. Until IRCC’s systems update, profiles may still be asked to enter a placeholder LMIA number (for example, 00000).
What happens to existing profiles?
Profiles already in the pool are rescored automatically under the new rules. IRCC says rescoring may take up to two weeks, and invitation rounds pause during the transition. You don’t need to submit anything new to be rescored.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need 12 months of experience, or can less count?
At least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian experience is required for the high-wage experience points. It can be non-continuous, full-time or part-time, and combined across jobs — but concurrent hours only count up to 30 hours per week.
Does the occupation of my experience matter, or just the length?
Both. Any skilled (TEER 0–3) Canadian experience earns work-length points. The high-wage add-on needs at least 12 months in occupations on the list, and the group (2.0×+, 1.5–2.0×, 1.3–1.5×) comes from IRCC’s list for that NOC.
Where can I see the full list of 186 occupations?
IRCC publishes it on canada.ca, and we mirror it in a searchable table: see the complete 186 high-wage occupations list.
Is there a quick way to estimate my points?
Yes — the high-wage CRS calculator walks you through your occupation, experience, job offer and current score in four steps and applies IRCC’s rules for you.