20/10/2026
Canada’s Express Entry: High-Wage Occupations, CRS Points and the Three Wage Tiers
Canada’s Express Entry system is attracting attention following reported changes to how high-wage occupations are classified and how additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points may be awarded.
Under the proposed framework described in this report, occupations are classified according to their median wages in Canada, rather than the salary offered to an individual candidate. The system divides eligible occupations into three wage tiers, with different point values for qualifying Canadian work experience and job offers.
Important: The policy details and effective date in this article should be verified against official Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) guidance before publication. The information below reflects the material provided and is not an independent confirmation that the reported changes are in force.
1. How IRCC Defines a High-Wage Occupation
According to the reported framework, an occupation qualifies as high-wage when its median wage is at least 1.3 times the overall Canadian workforce’s median wage.
The classification is based on occupation-level data associated with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. The reported data sources include:
* Job Bank
* The Labour Force Survey
* The Census of Population
The assessment uses a three-year data window, reported as 2023–2025.
How occupations are classified
The reported methodology assigns each eligible NOC code to the highest wage tier it reached during any of the three measured years.
This approach is intended to provide greater stability for occupations whose median wages fluctuate from one year to another.
An important distinction: The classification applies to the occupation, not to an individual worker’s salary. Therefore, earning a particularly high salary does not automatically move a job into a higher tier if its NOC code does not qualify.
2. The Three High-Wage Tiers and Additional CRS Points
The reported framework divides 186 eligible occupations into three tiers, based on how their median wages compare with the national median wage.
Wage tier Occupation median wage Canadian work experience points Qualifying job offer points
Tier 1 At least 2 times the national median 70 100
Tier 2 At least 1.5 times but less than 2 times 40 70
Tier 3 At least 1.3 times but less than 1.5 times 20 50
Below threshold Less than 1.3 times 0 0
Under the rules described in the source material, candidates may qualify for additional points through eligible Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer.
The two categories of points are not cumulative under the reported framework. Candidates would receive whichever applicable amount is higher, rather than adding both amounts together.
Canadian work experience
The reported criteria require at least 12 months of qualifying Canadian work experience in one or more eligible high-wage occupations to receive the additional work-experience points.
Meeting the occupational wage threshold alone would not necessarily establish eligibility. Candidates would still need to satisfy the applicable IRCC requirements.
Qualifying job offers and LMIA requirements
The source material also reports that, beginning November 3, a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) would no longer be required for a qualifying job offer to earn these Express Entry CRS points.
This is a significant claim and should be checked against official IRCC announcements. Candidates should not assume that an LMIA is unnecessary for other immigration purposes or work permit requirements.
3. Tier 1: Occupations With Median Wages at Least Twice the National Median
Reported benefits: 70 additional points for eligible Canadian work experience or 100 points for a qualifying job offer.
This tier includes 31 NOC codes, with occupations concentrated in senior management, medicine, engineering management, law, and public protection leadership.
Physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, and senior public-sector managers are among the occupations represented.
NOC code Occupation
00011 Senior government managers and officials
00012 Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services
00013 Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
10010 Financial managers
10011 Human resources managers
10012 Purchasing managers
10020 Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
10021 Banking, credit and other investment managers
20010 Engineering managers
20011 Architecture and science managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21330 Mining engineers
21332 Petroleum engineers
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31103 Veterinarians
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
40010 Government managers – health and social policy development and program administration
40011 Government managers – economic analysis, policy development and program administration
40012 Government managers – education policy development and program administration
40019 Other managers in public administration
40040 Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services
40041 Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
41100 Judges
41101 Lawyers and Quebec notaries
41200 University professors and lecturers
60010 Corporate sales managers
80010 Managers in natural resources production and fishing
90011 Utilities managers
4. Tier 2: Occupations With Median Wages at Least 1.5 Times but Less Than Twice the National Median
Reported benefits: 40 additional points for eligible Canadian work experience or 70 points for a qualifying job offer.
This is the largest group in the reported classification, containing 89 NOC codes across professional occupations, healthcare, education, management, engineering, and skilled trades.
Examples include software developers, registered nurses, civil engineers, pharmacists, secondary school teachers, police officers, firefighters, and several specialized trades.
NOC code Occupation
00014 Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services
00015 Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities
10019 Other administrative services managers
10022 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
10029 Other business services managers
10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
11103 Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers
11201 Professional occupations in business management consulting
21100 Physicists and astronomers
21102 Geoscientists and oceanographers
21103 Meteorologists and climatologists
21109 Other professional occupations in physical sciences
21111 Forestry professionals
21120 Public and environmental health and safety professionals
21202 Urban and land use planners
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231 Software engineers and designers
21232 Software developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21321 Industrial and manufacturing engineers
21322 Metallurgical and materials engineers
21331 Geological engineers
21390 Aerospace engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22231 Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers
22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
30010 Managers in health care
31110 Dentists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120 Pharmacists
31200 Psychologists
31202 Physiotherapists
31203 Occupational therapists
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
40020 Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training
40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
40030 Managers in social, community and correctional services
40042 Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces
41210 College and other vocational instructors
41220 Secondary school teachers
41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
41310 Police investigators and other investigative occupations
41311 Probation and parole officers
41320 Educational counsellors
41401 Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts
41402 Business development officers and market researchers and analysts
41404 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41407 Program officers unique to government
42100 Police officers (except commissioned)
42101 Firefighters
50010 Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers
50011 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51100 Librarians
70010 Construction managers
70012 Facility operation and maintenance managers
70020 Managers in transportation
70021 Postal and courier services managers
72011 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
72012 Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
72023 Supervisors, railway transport operations
72103 Boilermakers
72202 Power system electricians
72203 Electrical power line and cable workers
72301 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
72406 Elevator constructors and mechanics
72600 Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
72601 Air traffic controllers and related occupations
72604 Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
73310 Railway and yard locomotive engineers
82020 Supervisors, mining and quarrying
82021 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services
83101 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
90010 Manufacturing managers
92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
92100 Power engineers and power systems operators
93100 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
93101 Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing
5. Tier 3: Occupations With Median Wages at Least 1.3 Times but Less Than 1.5 Times the National Median
Reported benefits: 20 additional points for eligible Canadian work experience or 50 points for a qualifying job offer.
This tier contains 66 NOC codes, covering a range of professional, technical, healthcare, construction, and skilled-trades occupations.
Examples include financial auditors and accountants, architects, social workers, web developers, paramedics, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, crane operators, and industrial electricians.
NOC code Occupation
00010 Legislators
11100 Financial auditors and accountants
11101 Financial and investment analysts
11102 Financial advisors
11109 Other financial officers
11200 Human resources professionals
12201 Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
12203 Assessors, business valuators and appraisers
21101 Chemists
21110 Biologists and related scientists
21112 Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
21200 Architects
21201 Landscape architects
21203 Land surveyors
21234 Web developers and programmers
22214 Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology
22232 Occupational health and safety specialists
22233 Construction inspectors
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22313 Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
32102 Paramedical occupations
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
41300 Social workers
41400 Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41403 Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41405 Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
41409 Other professional occupations in social science
43201 Correctional service officers
43203 Border services, customs, and immigration officers
50012 Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
51101 Conservators and curators
51102 Archivists
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52112 Broadcast technicians
60020 Retail and wholesale trade managers
60031 Accommodation service managers
60040 Managers in customer and personal services
72010 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
72013 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
72014 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
72020 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
72021 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
72102 Sheet metal workers
72105 Ironworkers
72201 Industrial electricians
72302 Gas fitters
72320 Bricklayers
72321 Insulators
72401 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
72403 Railway carmen/women
72404 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
72500 Crane operators
72602 Deck officers, water transport
72603 Engineer officers, water transport
73311 Railway conductors and brakemen/women
82010 Supervisors, logging and forestry
83100 Underground production and development miners
83120 Fishing masters and officers
92010 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
93102 Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators
6. What These Reported Changes Could Mean for Express Entry Candidates
If implemented as described, the framework could make occupation-level wage classification an important consideration for eligible candidates.
Potential implications include:
1. Candidates with eligible Canadian work experience could receive additional CRS points if their occupation meets the applicable criteria.
2. Candidates with qualifying job offers could potentially receive a different number of additional points depending on their occupation’s wage tier.
3. Candidates in specialized professions and skilled trades may wish to check their NOC codes against the relevant official classification.
4. Candidates should not rely on job titles alone. Their actual duties and the applicable NOC classification must be assessed.
5. Eligibility requirements still matter. Being employed in a listed occupation does not automatically guarantee additional CRS points or an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
7. Where Candidates Should Verify the Information
Before making immigration decisions, consult the official Canadian government resources:
* Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
* Express Entry
* National Occupational Classification (NOC)
* Government of Canada’s Job Bank
Candidates should confirm the current CRS rules, the applicable occupation list, the precise eligibility conditions, and any effective dates before relying on the reported changes.
Conclusion
The reported high-wage occupation framework divides eligible jobs into three tiers, with different additional CRS point values for Canadian work experience and qualifying job offers.
However, the occupation list is only one part of the assessment. Candidates must also meet the applicable Express Entry requirements and verify the current rules through official government sources.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal or immigration advice. The policy changes, wage thresholds, occupation classifications, point allocations, and implementation date described here should be independently verified before publication or use in an immigration application.
