Canada Plans A New High-Wage Factor For Express Entry

Canada plans a new high-wage factor for Express Entry, i.e., Canada is planning changes to its Express Entry system. Under the proposal, candidates working in higher-paying jobs may get extra priority for permanent residence.

A new “high-wage occupation factor” may be added to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). This change would give more points to candidates working in jobs that pay more than the national average wage.

Under this proposal, extra CRS points would be given to candidates in jobs that pay 2 times, 1.5 times, or 1.3 times the national median wage.

These points would be based on a candidate’s Canadian work experience or a valid job offer in Canada.

Possible Occupations Under The High-Wage Factor

The final list of jobs will be based on data from Statistics Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada’s Job Bank.

At this time, no official list has been released. The proposal is still under review.

The following list is for example purposes only. It is not final and may change once IRCC releases its official list.

Tier	Occupation	NOC Code
2x national median wage	Specialists in surgery	31101
	General practitioners and family physicians	31102
	Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine	31100
	Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services	00012
	Government managers – education policy development and program administration	40012
	Government managers – economic analysis, policy development and program administration	40011
	Senior government managers and officials	00011
	Petroleum engineers	21332
	Computer and information systems managers	20012
	Architecture and science managers	20011
1.5x national median wage	Government managers – economic analysis, policy development and program administration	40012
	Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training	40020
	Software engineers and designers	20041
	School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education	40021
	Mining engineers	20036
	Cybersecurity specialists	21122
	Electrical and electronics engineers	20032
	Managers in transportation	70020
	Secondary school teachers	41220
	Software engineers and designers	21231
1.3x national median wage	Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations	72011
	Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing	93100
	Systems testing technicians	20046
	Business development officers and market researchers and analysts	41402
	Financial and investment analysts	11101
	Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers	72111
	Ironworkers	72105
	Crane operators	72500
	Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers	11103
	Land surveyors	21203

What Is The High-Wage Occupation Factor?

The proposed high-wage occupation factor is a new way to give extra CRS points to certain candidates.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to give these points to candidates who have Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-paying occupation.

In this case, “high-wage” means jobs that usually pay more than the national average wage in Canada.

This system will not look at how much a person earns individually. Instead, it will look at the average pay for the job itself.

This means that two people in the same job will be treated the same, even if their personal salaries differ.

IRCC has said this method will help keep the system fair and simple.

Wage Levels Under The Proposal

IRCC has suggested three levels based on how much a job pays compared to the national median wage:

• 2 times the national median wage (for example, doctors and professors)
• 1.5 times the national median wage (for example, engineers, teachers, and transport managers)
• 1.3 times the national median wage (for example, financial analysts and skilled trades workers)

According to IRCC, a full list of jobs will be shared on its website once the plan is final. The list may also be updated regularly, possibly every year.

Return Of Job Offer Points

This proposal may also bring back CRS points for job offers.

However, these points will only apply to job offers in high-wage occupations.

IRCC is still working on the exact definition of a valid job offer. It is expected to follow current rules.

This means the job must be full-time and may require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or meet an exemption.

Why Focus On High-Paying Jobs?

IRCC is using data to support this change.

The department has found that immigrants who had higher earnings before arriving in Canada tend to do better after they arrive.

They are more likely to find jobs and earn higher wages.

For example, data shows that immigrants who arrived with a job offer in senior management roles earned about three times more per week than those who arrived without a job offer.

Because of this, IRCC wants to give more chances to candidates who already have strong earning potential.

What About Other Candidates?

Candidates who do not work in high-wage jobs will still be able to apply through Express Entry.

They can still receive invitations based on other factors.

These include age, education, language skills, and work experience.

This means the system will still remain open to a wide range of applicants.

Current Status Of The Proposal

The proposed changes are not final yet.

IRCC is currently collecting feedback from the public. This consultation is open until May 24, 2026.

The feedback will help the department decide how to move forward.

Any final changes will be officially published in the Canada Gazette.

Most changes to Express Entry are expected to take effect within 12 to 18 months.

However, IRCC has suggested that the high-wage occupation factor may be introduced earlier than other changes.

At this time, no exact dates have been confirmed.

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