🇨🇦 Express Entry High-Wage Occupation Checker
Check if your NOC is one of IRCC's 186 high-wage occupations for Express Entry from 3 November 2026, its tier, and the CRS points: +20 to +70 for experience, +50 to +100 for a job offer.
How the high-wage points work
From 3 November 2026, Canadian work experience and job offers are scored together in a new Labour Market Integration factor worth up to 150 points (140 with a spouse). You get work-length points (up to 80, or 70 with a spouse) plus a bonus if at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of that experience was in a high-wage occupation; or job offer points if your offer is in a high-wage occupation. The higher of the two counts.
| Occupation's median wage | Experience bonus | Job offer points | Occupations |
|---|---|---|---|
| At least 2× the average | +70 | +100 | 31 |
| 1.5× to under 2× | +40 | +70 | 89 |
| 1.3× to under 1.5× | +20 | +50 | 66 |
| Not on the list | 0 | 0 | Every other NOC |
Worked example. A single software engineer (NOC 21231, 1.5× tier) with 3 years of Canadian experience gets 64 work-length points + 40 bonus = 104. With a job offer instead and no Canadian experience, they would get 70. With both, the experience route (104) counts.
The full high-wage list (186 occupations)
Tap a row to check that occupation above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a high-wage occupation in Express Entry?
An occupation (NOC code) whose national median wage is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the Canadian workforce, based on Job Bank, Labour Force Survey and Census data for 2023–2025. It depends on the occupation, not on your own salary.
How many CRS points does a high-wage occupation give?
From 3 November 2026: a bonus of 20, 40 or 70 points on top of your Canadian work-experience points if you have at least 12 months in a high-wage occupation, or 50, 70 or 100 points for a valid job offer in one. You get whichever route scores higher, up to 150 (140 if you have a spouse or partner coming with you).
Do I still need an LMIA for job offer points?
No. From 3 November 2026 a job offer no longer needs an LMIA to earn CRS points, and an LMIA adds no extra points. The offer must be full-time, in a TEER 0–3 occupation on the high-wage list, and last at least one year after you become a permanent resident.
Are software engineers on the high-wage list?
Yes. Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231), software developers (21232) and data scientists (21211) are in the 1.5× tier, worth a 40-point experience bonus or 70 points for a job offer. Web developers (21234) are in the 1.3× tier.
What if the list changes after I get an ITA?
IRCC uses the tier in effect on the date of your Invitation to Apply.
Sources
Figures on this page were checked against these sources on 31 October 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official site before you apply.