If you have an Express Entry profile, or you are working toward one, you have probably heard that the system is about to change. That is true, but not yet. In 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) consulted on the biggest rethink of Express Entry since it launched in 2015. None of it has been implemented, and the details could still move. Here is what has been proposed, where it stands, and what is worth doing in the meantime.
One program instead of three
Today, candidates enter the pool through one of three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, each with its own eligibility rules. IRCC has proposed replacing all three with a single program. Under the proposal, every candidate would need:
- a Canadian high school diploma or foreign equivalent
- intermediate language ability (CLB 6) in reading, writing, speaking and listening
- one year of skilled work experience (TEER 0 to 3), in Canada or elsewhere, within the past three years
Some people who qualify today under one program would not meet these baselines, and some who do not qualify today would. If you are close to either line, it is worth checking where you would land.
A different way of ranking candidates
As part of the consultation, IRCC grouped the current Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) factors by how well they predict how newcomers do in the job market after landing:
- Strongest predictors: strong language skills, and high earnings as a temporary resident in Canada
- Moderate predictors: Canadian work experience, a Canadian job offer, university education and younger age
- Weaker predictors: points for a spouse’s education, language and Canadian work experience, points for a sibling in Canada, French bonus points and points for education in Canada
IRCC has proposed updating the CRS to reflect that evidence. It has not published a new points grid, but the direction is clear: the factors in the weaker group could be reduced or removed, and the stronger ones could count for more.
The high-wage occupation factor
The centrepiece of the proposal is a new set of points for candidates with Canadian work experience, or a job offer, in a high-wage occupation. A high-wage occupation is one whose median wage is higher than the median wage of all Canadians. The proposals discussed so far use three tiers, at roughly 1.3, 1.5 and 2 times the national median.
Two details are easy to miss:
- It is based on your occupation, not your pay. Everyone with experience in the same occupation would be treated the same, whatever they personally earn. A raise would not change your tier. Your occupation classification would.
- Job offer points would come back, but only for high-wage occupations. Job offer points were removed in March 2025 to reduce fraud. IRCC’s reasoning is that high-wage jobs are easier to verify.
Where things stand
The public consultation closed on May 24, 2026. Changes to the programs themselves require regulatory amendments published in the Canada Gazette, and officials have described the full package as 12 to 18 months away. Changes to the CRS can be made more quickly, through ministerial instructions, and officials have indicated the high-wage factor could arrive before the rest.
Until a change is published, Express Entry runs under the current rules. Draws, including category-based draws, are continuing, and nothing about existing profiles has changed.
Who could gain, and who could lose
There is no final formula, so this is a reading of the direction rather than a prediction.
Candidates likely to benefit include those working in, or holding job offers in, occupations with high median wages, and those with strong language scores.
Candidates who could lose ground include those whose scores lean on spousal points, sibling points, French bonus points or Canadian education points, and those whose main strength is Canadian work experience in an occupation with a lower median wage.
French-language category draws are a separate tool from French bonus points. The consultation did not propose ending category-based selection, which IRCC continues to review separately.
What to do now
- Work on your language scores. Language is the strongest predictor under any version of the system.
- Keep your Educational Credential Assessment current. The proposed baseline would require one for education completed outside Canada.
- Know your NOC code and where it sits. Make sure the duties you actually perform match the occupation you claim. Under a wage-based system, the occupation code carries even more weight, and a mismatch can raise misrepresentation concerns.
- Do not wait if you are competitive now. If you can be invited under the current rules, there is little reason to gamble on where a new formula lands.
- Do not give up points you have today on the assumption they will disappear. Until the Gazette notice is published, the current grid is the one that counts.
Our posts on how to raise your CRS score, the Express Entry categories and moving from a PGWP to permanent residence cover the current system.
How we can help
At Kabir & Alam, we review Express Entry profiles against both the current rules and the proposed changes, and we help candidates decide whether to act now or position for what is coming. Read more about our permanent residence practice or book a consultation with us.
This post is general information about Canadian immigration law and is not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Speak with a lawyer about your situation before making decisions.