Higher earnings will matter more than Canadian work experience in the competition for Canadian permanent residence, under Ottawa’s proposed changes to Express Entry<\/p>\n
Further details on the proposed overhaul of the Express Entry system, Canada\u2019s 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\u2014such that candidates who only have foreign work experience will be given equal consideration to those with Canadian work experience.<\/p>\n
See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams and categories Key proposed changes include:<\/p>\n Merging all three programs into one stream with unified eligibility requirements; A sibling in Canada; Re-introducing job offer points as a new “High Wage Occupation” CRS factor; These details come from a slide deck IRCC shared with immigration lawyers during recent consultations, which has since been made public.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program<\/a> (FSTP).<\/p>\n These proposals haven’t been finalized. IRCC plans to hold public consultations in Spring 2026<\/a> before deciding on next steps.<\/p>\n New eligibility requirements for the merged program<\/p>\n Under the current system, each Express Entry program has its own eligibility criteria.<\/p>\n IRCC’s<\/a> proposal would replace these with a single set of requirements:<\/p>\n Education: All candidates would need at least a high school diploma or equivalent, verified through an Educational Credential Assessment<\/a> (ECA). Currently, education is only a minimum requirement for the FSWP.<\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n 4-5 for FSTP candidates; Work experience: Candidates would need one year of cumulative work experience in a TEER<\/a> 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 \u2014 it means candidates could combine shorter periods of work to meet the requirement.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 67-point FSWP grid: The selection grid used to screen FSWP candidates would be eliminated entirely.<\/p>\n IRCC says category-based selection would continue, maintaining flexibility for French-language draws and draws targeting occupational shortages.<\/p>\n
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\nProposing the removal or modification of several current Comprehensive Ranking System<\/a> (CRS) factors, including awarding points for:<\/p>\n
\nStudying in Canada;
\nFrench-language proficiency.<\/p>\n
\nAccepting one year of cumulative work experience (Canadian or foreign) in the last three years;
\nStandardizing language requirements to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6 for all candidates;
\nEliminating the 67-point grid used by the Federal Skilled Worker Program<\/a> (FSWP); and
\nRemoving job offers as a minimum eligibility requirement<\/p>\n
\n5-7 for CEC candidates (depending on primary occupation); and
\n7 for FSWP candidates;<\/p>\n