IRCC removes CRS bonus points for job offers granted on the basis of an LMIA

Candidates Express Entry will no longer receive additional points in the The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for job offers granted on the basis of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Previously, candidates could receive an extra 50 or 200 CRS points if they held a job offer that was valid and LMIA-based.

Those extra 50 points were sometimes the deciding factor in whether a candidate received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Marc Miller announced the change on Tuesday, 17 December 2024 in a television interview.

As at the end of December 2024, the Government of Canada’s online points calculator was still adding 50 points for a valid LMIA-based job offer.

The removal of CRS points for the job-offer factor is expected to take effect in the spring of 2025. However, there is still no official date on which the directive will apply.

Read the Government’s official announcement here.