Canada Removes CRS Bonus Points for LMIA Job Offers: What It Means for Express Entry Candidates.

 


📌 Table of Contents:

  1. What’s New in Express Entry?

  2. When Does This Change Take Effect?

  3. What Was the Old Rule?

  4. What’s the New Rule?

  5. How Does This Affect Your CRS Score?

  6. Example Scenario: Sunita vs. Soham

  7. Impact on Healthcare Workers & Physicians

  8. Wave Visas Immigration Can Help

  9. Final Thoughts

🔍 What’s New in Express Entry?

In a significant policy update, Canada has removed the 50 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points that were previously given to Express Entry candidates with Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-approved job offers.

This change has a big impact on thousands of skilled workers in the Express Entry pool—especially those depending on arranged employment for extra points.

📅 When Does This Change Take Effect?

The new rule is effective from March 25, 2025, and applies to all candidates currently in the Express Entry pool.

🔔 Important: If you’ve already received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) before this date, don’t worry—your application remains valid and is not affected.

🧾 What Was the Old Rule?

Previously, if you had a valid LMIA-approved job offer, you received an extra 50 CRS points under the Express Entry system. This significantly boosted your chances of receiving an ITA for Canadian permanent residency.

🚫 What’s the New Rule?

As of now, those 50 bonus CRS points for arranged employment have been removed. This means:

  • LMIA job offers no longer give you a CRS advantage

  • Everyone in the pool is evaluated more equally based on other factors like age, education, language, and experience

📉 How Does This Affect Your CRS Score?

Let’s break it down simply:

  • If you had 50 extra points from an LMIA job offer, those will be removed

  • Your new CRS score will now reflect your profile without any job offer bonus

  • You might now fall below the cutoff in future draws

⚖️ Example Scenario: Sunita vs. Soham

Let’s say we have two candidates in the Express Entry pool:

Before March 25, 2025:

  • Sunita: CRS Score = 540 (50 points from LMIA job offer)

  • Soham: CRS Score = 500 (No job offer)

After the rule change:

  • Sunita: CRS Score = 490

  • Soham: CRS Score = 500

If the next cutoff score is 495, Soham will get the ITA, and Sunita will not.

🩺 Impact on Healthcare Workers & Physicians

This update also removes Section 29(4), which previously allowed:

  • Physicians with job offers (even under 1 year) from provincial health organizations to qualify for arranged employment points

That pathway is now no longer available, impacting many international medical professionals.

🤝 Wave Visas Immigration Can Help

If your score dropped due to this update—don’t panic.

At Wave Visas Immigration, we specialize in helping skilled professionals like you:

  • Re-strategize your Express Entry profile

  • Explore PNP (Provincial Nominee Programs) for bonus points

  • Improve CRS with language training, credential evaluations, and job market insights

  • Discover alternative immigration streams

Let us help you boost your chances of receiving an ITA—even in this changing immigration landscape.

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