The effect of removing job offer points in Express Entry

On December 23, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced an important change to the Express Entry system that will take effect on March 25, 2025. This measure is designed to reduce fraud and discourage the illegal buying and selling of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) and job offers used to artificially boost Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores.

What’s Changing?

Currently, candidates with valid job offers can earn:

200 CRS points for senior management positions (NOC 00), or

50 CRS points for other skilled job offers.

As of March 25, 2025, these points will no longer be awarded. Profiles that previously included a qualifying job offer will automatically have those points removed, and new candidates will no longer be able to claim them.

This change applies to:

All existing and future candidates in the Express Entry pool.

All categories of skilled job offers under the CRS.

If you have an active Invitation to Apply (ITA), this change does not affect your current round of invitation.

Will This Lower the CRS Cut-off Scores?

In short, very likely, yes. By removing these additional points, the overall CRS scores of many candidates will decrease. This could result in lower cut-off scores in future Express Entry draws, allowing more candidates without job offers to receive invitations. However, the exact impact will depend on how many current candidates are affected and how IRCC adjusts draw sizes or categories in response.

Final Thoughts

This change signals a shift toward prioritizing core human capital factors—like education, work experience, and language skills—over arranged employment. It also reinforces IRCC’s focus on program integrity and fairness in the selection process.

At ImmiSight, we blend AI-powered tools with expert analysis to help you navigate changes like these with clarity and confidence.

Questions? Email us anytime at info@immisight.com 

We can refer you to an immigration professional.