On March 13, 2026, IRCC published its 2026–27 Departmental Plan — a budget and policy planning document that most applicants and consultants ignore. I read it carefully. Buried in the Express Entry section was this line: IRCC intends to reintroduce CRS points for job offers.

This is significant. Job offer points were removed on March 25, 2025 after a wave of LMIA fraud — employers selling fake Labour Market Impact Assessment letters to Express Entry candidates for $20,000 to $75,000 each. Removing the points eliminated the financial incentive overnight. IRCC acted decisively. I supported it.

But now they want to bring them back. And I have questions.

What the Departmental Plan Actually Says

The 2026–27 Departmental Plan states IRCC's intention to reintroduce CRS points for qualifying job offers. That is the full extent of the announcement. There is no implementation date, no confirmed point values, no eligibility criteria, and no detail on how the fraud prevention problem would be solved differently this time. It is an intention, not a policy.

What Job Offer Points Looked Like Before March 2025

Under the previous system, a qualifying job offer added either 50 or 200 CRS points:

At 200 points, a job offer was effectively an Express Entry cheat code — adding nearly a third of a competitive CRS score instantly. At 50 points, it was meaningful but not decisive. The fraud concentrated around the 200-point tier.

My Honest Assessment: What IRCC Still Hasn't Answered

If job offer points return, several critical questions remain unanswered. First, what fraud prevention mechanism replaces the old system? The LMIA fraud problem did not disappear — the incentive did. Reintroducing point values without a structural change to how LMIAs are verified risks recreating the same market. Second, will the point values be the same? 200 points for a TEER 0/1 role is a very large number. It would again allow a job offer alone to leapfrog candidates who have spent years building genuine human capital factors. Third, what counts as "high wage"? The Departmental Plan hints at limiting points to high-wage positions. Under the TFW Program, high-wage means at or above the provincial median hourly wage — which ranges from $30/hour in Maritime provinces to $48/hour in the Northwest Territories.

What This Means for Candidates Right Now

Nothing has changed yet. As of today, job offers add zero CRS points. The FSW 67-point grid still includes an arranged employment factor (10 points) — that was never removed. But CRS points for job offers: gone since March 25, 2025, and not yet back.

If you are waiting for job offer points before building your Express Entry strategy, that is a mistake. The announcement has no timeline. Optimize what you control today:

My Actual Take

I am skeptical but open. The original removal of job offer points was the right call — it shut down a fraud market that was corrupting the integrity of the Express Entry pool. If IRCC brings them back, they need to solve the structural problem first, not just reintroduce the incentive. A system where a point value can be purchased — even indirectly through LMIA fraud — undermines the merit-based foundation of the entire system.

If they design it carefully — high-wage threshold, enhanced LMIA verification, lower point values — it could work. If they restore the old system as it was, the fraud market returns within months.

Watch this space. I will update this article the moment IRCC publishes implementation details. For now, build your profile around factors you control completely. Use the Eligibility Assessment to see where you stand today. For a personalized strategy, book a consultation with IMMERGITY.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will job offer points return to Express Entry in 2026?

IRCC has announced the intention to reintroduce job offer points as part of its 2026–27 Departmental Plan, published March 13, 2026. However, no implementation date, specific point values, or final eligibility criteria have been confirmed yet. As of today, job offers add zero CRS points.

How many CRS points did job offers give before they were removed?

Under the previous system (before March 25, 2025), a qualifying job offer added either 50 or 200 CRS points depending on the NOC TEER level. LMIA-backed offers at TEER 0 or TEER 1 received 200 points. TEER 2 or 3 offers received 50 points.

Why did IRCC remove job offer points from Express Entry?

IRCC removed job offer points in March 2025 to combat LMIA fraud — employers were selling fake LMIA letters to Express Entry candidates for $20,000 to $75,000. Removing the points eliminated the financial incentive for the fraud market.

What does high-wage mean for Express Entry job offers?

Based on the TFW Program definition, a high-wage position pays at or above the median hourly wage for the province — ranging from approximately $30/hour in Maritime provinces to $48/hour in the Northwest Territories. Ontario sits at $36.00/hour; BC at $36.60/hour.

What should I do while waiting for job offer points to return?

Optimize what you control today. Improve your language score to CLB 9 (up to +82 CRS points) using the CLB Converter, check your full eligibility at the Eligibility Assessment, and explore provincial nominations at the PNP Program Finder — provincial nominations add +600 CRS points and are fully operational now.