Express Entry candidates no longer earn additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points because of valid work offers that require Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) authorization.
The new policy within Ministerial Instructions became effective as of March 25, 2025.
Continuous work offers previously granted 50 or 200 additional points to Express Entry candidates through the Comprehensive Ranking System which substantially increased their position in obtaining an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
The new update reduces the CRS points for all Express Entry candidates with existing arranged employment points.
Both PR application holders in progress and candidates who have obtained ITAs remain unaffected by this change.
IRCC announced through their press release on December 23 2025 that the withdrawal of additional points stands as a short-term procedure yet failed to indicate when this adjustment will end.
The Ministerial Instructions published on March 25, 2025 maintained all guidelines about qualifying arranged employment offers yet took away the portion which granted points for these offers.
The CRS webpage of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that it might take several days for scores to update correctly which demands affected candidates to delay contacting the department unless their scores persist in showing incorrectly for a span of over one week.
The article describes a recent development in Canadian immigration. The article will get updated with emerging detailed information.
How will this change impact Express Entry candidates?
Candidates with valid job offers experience their CRS scores reduce to match the exact value of their granted points for the offer (50 or 200).
Through the Express Entry system valid job offer holders will obtain lower scores that decrease their eligibility for ITAs.
Those without valid job offers receive better opportunities to obtain the ITA because other candidate scores become lower in comparison to their unchanged rating.
An example
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) pathway to permanent residence has qualified Williams and Sarita as two fictional Express Entry candidates.
The candidates scored different points in the CRS before the update came into effect.
Williams: 540 (with 50 additional points due to a job offer).
Sarita: 500.
Williams maintained an advantage surpassing Sarita because of his scores. The recent CRS point alteration deprived Williams from keeping his 50 bonus points. The two applicants now stand at these points values:
Williams: 490.
Sarita: 500.
The CEC draw will grant an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to Sarita because she holds 500 CRS points but will deny Williams with his 490 points.
Change to qualifying arranged employment for physicians
The modifications introduced by IRCC excluded this section from the Ministerial Instructions that broaden eligibility criteria for physician arranged employment.
The section 29 (4) of the new directive enabled physicians to qualify their offer of employment when made through provincial governments or their appointed healthcare organizations or agencies.
How does Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System work?
CRS is a points-based system that assesses eligible candidates and ranks them in the Express Entry pool.
This applies to candidates applying under
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or
The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Candidates are assigned a score out of 1200 based on a variety of factors, including
Age;
Education;
Language proficiency; and
Work experience.
Other factors through which candidates can score additional points include
French language skills;
Post-secondary education in Canada;
Having a sibling living in Canada as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; and
Having a provincial or territorial nomination.
The government holds frequent draws, and the highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply for PR.
Why did Canada remove LMIA-based job offer CRS points from Express Entry?
The former Immigration Minister Marc Miller introduced plans regarding CRS points modification on December 17, 2024.
During his initial announcement Miller acknowledged that this move would end the illegal behavior of candidate LMIA purchases in Canadian immigration processes.
The Canadian government has declared that this move will improve immigration system integrity and fight against fraud activities while decreasing fraudulent behavior.
The federal authority began tightening regulations against immigration fraud during recent months.
IRCC introduced new anti-fraud tactics through proposed regulations that established funding for victims of illegal immigration consultants during early 2023.
IRCC Update: Canada removes bonus CRS points for arranged employment from Express Entry
Express Entry candidates no longer earn additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points because of valid work offers that require Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) authorization.
The new policy within Ministerial Instructions became effective as of March 25, 2025.
Continuous work offers previously granted 50 or 200 additional points to Express Entry candidates through the Comprehensive Ranking System which substantially increased their position in obtaining an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
The new update reduces the CRS points for all Express Entry candidates with existing arranged employment points.
Both PR application holders in progress and candidates who have obtained ITAs remain unaffected by this change.
IRCC announced through their press release on December 23 2025 that the withdrawal of additional points stands as a short-term procedure yet failed to indicate when this adjustment will end.
The Ministerial Instructions published on March 25, 2025 maintained all guidelines about qualifying arranged employment offers yet took away the portion which granted points for these offers.
The CRS webpage of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that it might take several days for scores to update correctly which demands affected candidates to delay contacting the department unless their scores persist in showing incorrectly for a span of over one week.
The article describes a recent development in Canadian immigration. The article will get updated with emerging detailed information.
How will this change impact Express Entry candidates?
Candidates with valid job offers experience their CRS scores reduce to match the exact value of their granted points for the offer (50 or 200).
Through the Express Entry system valid job offer holders will obtain lower scores that decrease their eligibility for ITAs.
Those without valid job offers receive better opportunities to obtain the ITA because other candidate scores become lower in comparison to their unchanged rating.
An example
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) pathway to permanent residence has qualified Williams and Sarita as two fictional Express Entry candidates.
The candidates scored different points in the CRS before the update came into effect.
Williams: 540 (with 50 additional points due to a job offer).
Sarita: 500.
Williams maintained an advantage surpassing Sarita because of his scores. The recent CRS point alteration deprived Williams from keeping his 50 bonus points. The two applicants now stand at these points values:
Williams: 490.
Sarita: 500.
The CEC draw will grant an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to Sarita because she holds 500 CRS points but will deny Williams with his 490 points.
Change to qualifying arranged employment for physicians
The modifications introduced by IRCC excluded this section from the Ministerial Instructions that broaden eligibility criteria for physician arranged employment.
The section 29 (4) of the new directive enabled physicians to qualify their offer of employment when made through provincial governments or their appointed healthcare organizations or agencies.
How does Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System work?
CRS is a points-based system that assesses eligible candidates and ranks them in the Express Entry pool.
This applies to candidates applying under
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or
The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Candidates are assigned a score out of 1200 based on a variety of factors, including
Age;
Education;
Language proficiency; and
Work experience.
Other factors through which candidates can score additional points include
French language skills;
Post-secondary education in Canada;
Having a sibling living in Canada as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; and
Having a provincial or territorial nomination.
The government holds frequent draws, and the highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply for PR.
Why did Canada remove LMIA-based job offer CRS points from Express Entry?
The former Immigration Minister Marc Miller introduced plans regarding CRS points modification on December 17, 2024.
During his initial announcement Miller acknowledged that this move would end the illegal behavior of candidate LMIA purchases in Canadian immigration processes.
The Canadian government has declared that this move will improve immigration system integrity and fight against fraud activities while decreasing fraudulent behavior.
The federal authority began tightening regulations against immigration fraud during recent months.
IRCC introduced new anti-fraud tactics through proposed regulations that established funding for victims of illegal immigration consultants during early 2023.
Author: lokeshwar Bandral
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