Why Removing Express Entry Job Offer Points Could be a Mistake?

On December 17, 2025, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Mark Miller, made a statement:

“We are implementing further measures that will reinforce program integrity and reduce potential LMIA fraud, such as removing additional points that candidates receive under Express Entry for having a job offer… This measure is expected to remove the incentive for candidates to purchase an LMIA, resulting in increased fairness and integrity in the system.”

Three months later, on March 25, 2025, IRCC followed through on this promise and removed arranged employment points for Express Entry applicants. But here’s the problem: the Job Offer points are now gone not only for those who hold LMIAs (the root of the issue) but also for those working on LMIA-exempt work permits.

Why were the Job Offer points so important?

After the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down and IRCC shifted its focus to in-Canada applicants, the competition for an ITA became brutal. Candidates had to contend with tens of thousands of former international students who held a significant advantage: being in Canada with a Canadian degree and Canadian skilled work experience.

Express Entry candidates with valid Job Offers previously received an additional 50 or 200 CRS points, depending on the TEER level of their proposed job. A TEER 0 job offer in a major group 00 (executive and top-tier management roles) earned 200 CRS points, while other skilled TEER levels earned 50 points.

In the fiercely competitive Express Entry pool, where every CRS point could make or break an ITA, this Job Offer boost was a lifeline. It was especially crucial for candidates with lower human capital scores—those without Canadian education or work experience, or who were losing points due to age. In short, Job Offer points became the golden ticket to permanent residency in Canada.

The types of Job Offers: LMIA or LMIA-exempt?

Only specific Job Offers would allow one to claim arranged employment points. To earn these points, candidates needed to:

• Have a Job Offer from an employer who obtained a named LMIA, specifying the candidate’s name and position.

• Work in Canada on an LMIA-based employer-specific work permit, have a Job Offer from the same employer, and confirm continued employment for at least one year after becoming a permanent resident.

• Hold an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit (like an ICT WP or C10 WP), work for the same employer for at least one year, and have a Job Offer confirming employment for at least one year after gaining PR.

The problem with LMIAs and Arranged Employment points

Finding an employer willing to navigate the LMIA process, paying $1000 CAD in fees and completing rigorous recruitment, was never easy. Worse, the process’s complexity and the high demand for Job Offers created a breeding ground for fraud.

Too often, employers would team up with immigration practitioners to sell Job Offers and LMIAs. We’ve seen cases where foreign nationals paid $20,000 CAD or more (the record being $70,000 CAD) for a Job Offer. The scam was straightforward:

1. Employers would claim no Canadian citizens or permanent residents applied or come up with fake reasons why candidates didn’t meet the job criteria.

2. After manipulating the recruitment outcomes, they’d submit the LMIA application.

3. Once approved, they’d find someone willing to pay a hefty fee for the opportunity to work in Canada and gain those crucial extra CRS points.

This scheme thrived. Employers exploited workers by charging enormous sums and often underpaying them compared to what was declared in the Job Offer. We’ve heard far too many stories of employers inflating salaries to qualify for high-wage LMIAs, then demanding workers pay back part of their salary in cash.

Meanwhile, genuine candidates continued to struggle to find legitimate employment. With the LMIA process being so challenging and time-consuming, honest employers who followed the rules were often at a disadvantage compared to those willing to bend or break them.

So, why were the Arranged Employment points removed?

Let’s circle back to Minister Miller’s December statement:

“We are implementing further measures that will reinforce program integrity and reduce potential LMIA fraud… This measure is expected to remove the incentive for candidates to purchase an LMIA, resulting in increased fairness and integrity in the system.”

The reasoning here is clear: rampant LMIA fraud and the desire to level the playing field for everyone. The message between the lines, however, hints at something else — the Government couldn’t find a solution to the problem other than axing the entire incentive structure. If you can’t fix it (or enforce it), just kill it.

Collateral Damage and Impact on the Canadian Economy

Fine, we get it — the Job Offer points were removed to increase fairness and reduce fraud. But why were they also removed for those on LMIA-exempt work permits, like intracompany transferees (ICTs) or holders of C10 Significant Benefit work permits? Was fraud involved there too?

Those hit hardest by this decision are senior C-suite executives, skilled managers, and specialized professionals, those who are over the age of 30 and already lose points for age. These are precisely the people Canada needs to effectively navigate economic challenges and maintain competitiveness amid global market pressures and tariff war with the U.S.

In the rush to address LMIA fraud, the government seems to have missed the mark. By cutting out Job Offer points for everyone, they’ve inadvertently targeted some of the most valuable talent Canada needs right now. Instead of solving the problem at its core, they’ve taken a broad-brush approach, sacrificing legitimate Job Offers and skilled talent in the process.

Conclusion: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The removal of Express Entry Job Offer points wasn’t without reason, and there’s a valid argument to be made for it. The good? It’s an attempt to clean up a broken system plagued by fraud, sending a clear message that gaming the immigration system won’t be tolerated. The bad? The decision is overly simplistic and fails to differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent Job Offers, hitting honest workers and businesses just as hard as those who were gaming the system. And the ugly? Canada’s economy and global competitiveness are now at risk, as the very talent we should be attracting gets swept up in the collateral damage.

In the end, while the goal of increased integrity is commendable, the lack of nuance in this decision has created a new set of challenges — challenges that may leave Canada paying a high price in talent and leadership.