What Wage Should Your Express Entry Job Offer Pay Under the New Rules?

For years, one rule settled the salary question for any job offer backed by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): the employer had to pay at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the area where the work takes place. In practice, that meant the median wage published on Job Bank for that occupation and location, or the wage the employer already pays its own staff in the same role, whichever is higher. An offer below that line simply could not get an LMIA.

From November 3, 2026, Express Entry job offers no longer need an LMIA to earn Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. That removes the LMIA wage test from the process. IRCC has not replaced it with a published wage floor of its own. So employers and candidates are now asking a very practical question: what salary should the job offer pay? The median wage? More? Less? This post explains what the rules say, what they do not say, and what we recommend.

How the LMIA Wage Rule Worked

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) required employers to offer at least the prevailing wage. The prevailing wage is generally the higher of:

• the median hourly wage on Job Bank for the occupation in the work location, and
• the wage the employer already pays its current employees doing the same job, at the same location, with similar skills and experience.

If Job Bank has no local figure, ESDC generally looks to the provincial or territorial median, and then the national median. ESDC also counts only guaranteed base pay, not tips, bonuses, or commissions. Two important points follow from this rule. First, it is local, not national: the same occupation can have different medians in Toronto, Surrey, and rural Saskatchewan. Second, it is a floor, not a target. Employers could always pay more.

This wage test was one of the main protections built into the LMIA. It helped ensure that hiring foreign workers did not drive down wages for Canadians and that offers reflected real market conditions.

What Changes on November 3, 2026

IRCC’s job offer guidance now says that, from November 3, 2026, an LMIA is no longer required for a job offer to qualify, that holding an LMIA will not add CRS points, and that officers will assess whether job offers are genuine. IRCC’s backgrounder lists the factors officers will consider, including whether the offer reflects the employer’s reasonable employment needs and whether the employer can reasonably meet the terms of the offer.

What IRCC has not said is just as important. It has not published a minimum salary for qualifying job offers. It has not said that offers must meet the prevailing wage. And it has not said that officers will compare offered wages with Job Bank data. Until IRCC issues more detailed instructions, there is no published wage floor beyond the general legal requirements.

The Minimum Legal Requirements

Even without an LMIA, a job offer must still meet basic legal standards:

• Employment standards: The wage must at least meet the minimum wage and other employment standards in the province or territory where the work takes place.
• A paid, full-time position: A qualifying offer must generally be for paid, full-time, continuous work for at least one year after the candidate becomes a permanent resident.
• A written offer with clear terms: IRCC requires the offer to set out the job details, including pay and deductions, duties, and conditions such as hours of work.
• Compliance with recruitment laws: Officers will consider whether the employer complies with federal and provincial employment and recruitment laws.

These rules set the legal minimum. They do not answer whether a low but legal wage will satisfy an officer that the offer is genuine.

Why the Wage Still Matters

Without an LMIA, the officer is now the only check on whether a job offer is real. Wages are one of the clearest signals available. Consider three questions an officer is likely to ask:

1. Does the wage fit the occupation? Every occupation on the high-wage list is there because people in it earn well above the national average. An offer for a listed occupation at a wage far below its normal range can suggest that the job is really a different, lower-paid role.
2. Does the wage reflect a real need? Employers who genuinely need skilled people usually have to pay market rates to attract them. An unusually low wage can suggest that the role is not truly needed, or that the offer exists mainly to generate points.
3. Can the employer pay it? The officer will consider whether the employer can reasonably meet the offer’s terms. A high wage from a business that clearly cannot afford it raises the opposite concern.

In other words, the wage does not decide points, but it shapes how believable the job offer is. And now that job offers can be worth up to 100 CRS points, officers have good reason to look closely.

Three Wage Scenarios

Below the Median: Legal, but Higher Risk

An offer below the Job Bank median is not automatically invalid. Medians describe the middle of a range, and some genuine employers, especially smaller businesses or those in lower-cost regions, pay below them. But the further below the median an offer sits, the more an officer may question whether the job truly belongs in the claimed occupation and whether the offer is genuine. If you go below the median, be ready to explain why, with evidence such as the business’s size, location, or pay structure for comparable staff.

At or Near the Median: The Safest Benchmark

An offer at or around the Job Bank median for the occupation and region is easy to justify. It matches the benchmark ESDC used for years, it reflects the local market, and it shows the employer is paying a fair rate for a skilled role. For most employers, this is the most defensible starting point.

Above the Median: Strong, if Affordable

An offer above the median can strengthen an application, particularly for senior or specialized roles. But it must be realistic. The employer’s financial records should show that it can sustain the wage for at least one year after the candidate becomes a permanent resident. A salary that looks out of proportion to the business’s size or revenue can raise its own questions.

Our Recommendation

Until IRCC publishes specific wage guidance, we recommend that employers and candidates treat the Job Bank median wage for the occupation and region as a practical minimum benchmark for Express Entry job offers. It is not a legal requirement under the new rules, but it is the clearest, most objective way to show that an offer reflects the real labour market.

We also recommend that the offered wage be consistent with what the employer pays existing staff in the same role. An offer that pays a future permanent resident far less than current employees doing the same work could raise concerns, and may also create issues under employment laws.

How to Set and Support the Wage

1. Look up the occupation on Job Bank. Find the wage data for the NOC code and the region where the work takes place.
2. Compare with existing staff. Check what the business pays employees in the same or similar roles.
3. Set a wage you can defend. Aim for at least the local median unless there is a clear, documented reason to go lower.
4. Use guaranteed base pay. Put the base wage in the offer letter. If commissions or bonuses form part of compensation, describe them separately and do not rely on them to reach the benchmark.
5. Show affordability. Keep financial statements, tax filings, and payroll records ready to show the employer can pay.
6. Keep the wage consistent. The offer letter, any employment contract, and the candidate’s profile should all show the same terms.

At Can X Global Solutions, we have prepared LMIA applications and advised employers on prevailing wages for more than 10 years, for clients and workers from over 30 countries. The LMIA may be gone from Express Entry, but the discipline behind it still protects employers and candidates alike.

Frequently Asked Questions

Set the Right Wage From the Start

A fair, well-supported wage is one of the simplest ways to show that a job offer is real. Partner with Can X Global Solutions to build job offers that hold up to review. We’ve helped clients from 30+ countries make Canada home.