By Victor Ing,
Special to The Post

Canada's  Express Entry (EE) system marked its 11th anniversary in January 2026. The EE system has been a major success for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), serving as the cornerstone of its Canadian economic immigration program for over a decade. According to the 2025 Annual Report to Parliament, IRCC granted permanent residency (PR) to 92,735 highly skilled economic immigrants and their family members through EE in 2024—roughly 33% of all economic immigration that year. Despite its success, the EE system is showing signs of aging. In April 2026, IRCC launched a public consultation to review the system and propose improvements. In this blog I provide a summary of the major proposed changes.

What is Express Entry?

Launched on January 1, 2015, EE is an online intake system that manages PR applications across three major federal immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Candidates who meet the basic criteria for any of these federal programs are ranked under EE by a points system designed to predict long-term economic success in Canada. Points are primarily awarded for "human capital" factors: age, education, language proficiency in English and/or French, and Canadian work experience.

The EE system has been highly successful and has largely delivered on its promise to bring highly skilled immigrants to Canada: EE immigrants consistently see better economic outcomes—earning more and working more frequently in fields matching their education—than those entering through other streams like the Family Class.

Before the introduction of the EE system, anyone meeting minimum program criteria could apply for PR, and applications were processed strictly in the order received, giving IRCC no control over the quality of the applications they received. The introduction of EE allowed IRCC to invite only top-ranking candidates, based on criteria they designed and could easily change. In short, IRCC previously had to process all applications received, but under the EE system they only have to process the applications received from candidates they invite.

IRCC gained even tighter control in 2023 with the introduction of category-based draws, targeting candidates with strong French proficiency and work experience in priority sectors. These changes have allowed IRCC to effectively control the levers of immigration.

Why is Change Necessary?

While EE has run for over a decade, its core ranking system has remained virtually untouched. Recent government data shows that several current scoring factors are poor indicators of long-term success, while some unmeasured factors are highly predictive. Furthermore, the rise of category-based draws has made some older EE features redundant. Therefore, IRCC proposed changes in April 2026 with the goal of realigning its scoring methodology with modern data.

The Major Proposed Changes

1. Merging the Economic Classes

IRCC is exploring merging the CEC, FSW, and FSTP classes into a single program for high-skilled workers. Since candidates often qualify for multiple programs anyway, this would reduce confusion and duplication. Additionally, the minimum entry criteria established by these programs no longer align with an intake system designed to select top talent for immigration.

2. Overhauling the Express Entry Points Grid

In April 2026, IRCC revealed which of its current scoring factors are strong and weak predictors of long-term economic success. Consequently, IRCC plans to adjust how points are distributed in the future to account for this data.

Weak Predictors (Points likely to be reduced or removed):

• Spousal education, language skills, and Canadian work experience
• Having a sibling who is a Canadian citizen or PR
• Completing an education in Canada

Strong Predictors (Core factors unlikely to change):

• Age and education level
• Canadian work experience and language proficiency

3. Reassessing French-Language Points

Since July 2023, targeted Francophone category draws have grown dramatically such that it is now competing with the CEC for relevancy. In the first half of 2026 alone, IRCC issued 30,500 invitations under the French language proficiency category compared to 37,250 for the CEC stream. IRCC has committed to making this a priority category until 2029.

Since French proficiency is now heavily prioritized through these dedicated draws, IRCC proposes removing or reducing bonus points granted to strong French speakers, which were first introduced back in 2017.

4. Simplifying Scoring Based on Marital Status

The current system ranks single and coupled applicants differently, and couples face confusing rules—such as being ranked as single if their spousal partner is already a Canadian citizen or PR. This setup often penalizes married or common-law applicants if their partner lacks high education, language proficiency, or Canadian work experience. IRCC is exploring the option to eliminate these differences in scoring.

5. Introducing Wage-Based Scoring

According to IRCC, a temporary resident’s earnings strongly predict their future economic success in Canada, and yet the current system does not rank applicants based upon wages. IRCC proposes introducing bonus points for candidates with Canadian experience or job offers in high-paying occupations, which are yet to be defined.

To prevent fraud (such as fake job offers and pay stubs), IRCC will assess the typical wage of the occupation rather than an individual's personal earnings. However, this may incentivize candidates to strategically classify their roles into these designated high-paying categories instead. Be prepared to back up your claims with verifiable evidence from your employer.

The Upshot

Big changes are coming to the EE system. Major structural changes like merging the three economic streams managed by EE will require legislative amendments and will take time, but adjusting the points grid can happen quickly. These updates will be a game-changer for some candidates who currently struggle to compete for coveted invitations under the EE system because of the high point thresholds. In particular, older and highly skilled professionals who lose points because of their age but possess high earning potential stand to benefit the most from IRCC’s proposed scoring changes. If you fall into this camp, keep a close eye on these developments to reassess your PR strategy. Now is the time to revisit your EE profile and determine whether these changes could benefit you.

Victor Ing is a lawyer of Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre. He provides a full range of immigration services. For more information go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected].