What's changed

IRCC opened the public consultation on April 23, 2026, accepting feedback through May 24, 2026, on a proposal to merge Express Entry's three current streams — the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) — into one consolidated stream titled the Federal High-Skilled Class. Eligibility under the unified class would require a high school diploma or recognised equivalent verified through an Educational Credential Assessment, Canadian Language Benchmark 6 across all four language abilities, and one cumulative year of work experience in TEER 0–3 occupations within the preceding three years, with Canadian and foreign experience treated equivalently. A job offer would not be a minimum eligibility requirement.

The consultation also proposes a Comprehensive Ranking System recalibration. Factors that IRCC characterises as stronger predictors of economic success — language proficiency, pre-arrival temporary resident earnings in Canada, Canadian work experience, education, and age — would carry greater weight. Factors identified as weaker predictors, including French-proficiency bonus points, points for studying in Canada, sibling-in-Canada points, and spousal-attribute points, would be reduced or removed. Job-offer points, withdrawn from the CRS in March 2025, would be reintroduced but limited to job offers in high-wage occupations. A new High-Wage Occupation factor would award additional points across three earnings tiers — 1.3x, 1.5x, and 2x the national median wage — based on occupational earnings rather than individual salary.

Who's affected

The proposed reform applies to candidates seeking permanent residence under federal high-skilled economic immigration programs. Provincial Nominee Program candidates currently using Express Entry to claim federal nomination points would also be affected — IRCC has indicated the 600-point provincial-nominee bonus is under review as part of the recalibration. Employers in high-wage occupations such as physicians, professors, engineers, and financial analysts would gain a stronger CRS lever for sponsored candidates, while applicants currently relying on French-proficiency, study-in-Canada, or spousal-attribute points would see reduced contributions from those factors.

The reform also affects international graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions, who currently benefit from study-in-Canada CRS points; under the proposal those points would be reduced or removed in favour of stronger weight on language proficiency and pre-arrival earnings. Mixed-citizenship couples relying on spousal-attribute points would also see contributions from those factors decline.

Where it stands

The consultation closed on May 24, 2026. On October 15, 2026, IRCC published its final report, drawing on about 17,500 survey responses, 1,021 information-session attendees, 109 roundtable participants and 42 written submissions. Survey respondents were divided on the merger: 41% favoured combining the three programs and 46% favoured keeping them separate. The report states that proposed regulatory changes will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

On October 16, 2026, IRCC announced the first Comprehensive Ranking System change drawn from the reform. From November 3, 2026, candidates with eligible Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation receive additional points, and a labour market impact assessment is no longer required for a qualifying job offer. IRCC states that recalculating existing profiles may take up to two weeks and that invitation rounds pause during that period.

As of October 22, 2026, IRCC has not announced a date for publishing the proposed merger into a single Federal High-Skilled Class in the Canada Gazette, Part I.