Someone offered you a job in Canada. Before you plan the move, one question comes first: is what you are holding a valid job offer for Canada in the sense IRCC uses those words?
For a lot of people the answer is no, and they find out months later. The gap is not usually bad faith. It is that «job offer» means something looser in conversation than it does in an immigration file.
What makes a job offer valid for Canada?
A written offer from a single employer, for continuous full-time paid work of at least one year, in a skilled occupation — and in most cases backed by a positive LMIA.
IRCC sets out what a valid job offer looks like for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. It must:
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Be in writing | A conversation or a verbal promise is not a document an officer can assess |
| Come from one employer | Not several part-time arrangements added together |
| Be continuous, paid and full-time | At least 30 hours a week, and not seasonal |
| Last at least one year | Counted from the moment you become a permanent resident |
| Be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 | The occupation category matters, not the job title on the letter |
| State the details | Pay, deductions, duties and working conditions, including hours |
| Usually be backed by an LMIA | A positive Labour Market Impact Assessment obtained by the employer |
One more thing the same page says plainly, and it surprises people: a work permit is not a job offer, even an open work permit. Holding permission to work in Canada and holding an offer of employment are two different things.
What does not count as a job offer?
IRCC does not publish a list of invalid examples — so use the requirements above in reverse.
This matters, because a lot of advice online lists things that «don’t count» without saying where that comes from. The official position is the other way around: here is what a valid offer has, and anything missing one of those elements is not one.
That gives you a test you can apply to your own letter. Is it in writing? Is it from one employer? Is it full time and continuous? Does it name your pay and your duties? Does it run at least a year? If any answer is no, you do not yet have what IRCC is asking for.
There is a second test, and it applies to the employer rather than to the letter. When the employer applies for an LMIA, Service Canada assesses whether the offer is genuine. The employer must:
- be providing a good or a service in Canada
- be offering employment consistent with the reasonable needs of the business
- be able to fulfill the terms of the offer, including the wages
- have no compliance issues
If any one of those fails, the LMIA is refused, and an offer that cannot survive that review is not a basis for anything.
Does the employer have to advertise the job first?
Yes, when an LMIA is required — and the advertising period got longer.
Before an employer can apply for an LMIA, they have to try to hire in Canada first, and Job Bank is part of how that is proven.
- Low-wage positions: the job must be posted on Job Bank for at least 8 consecutive weeks within the three months before the application, plus two additional recruitment methods. This used to be four weeks.
- High-wage positions: at least 4 consecutive weeks on Job Bank, plus at least two other methods, one of them national in reach.
At least one recruitment activity has to stay active until Service Canada issues its decision.
This is useful to you as the candidate for a reason that is not obvious: if an employer tells you they will «sort out the paperwork next week», the timeline they are describing does not exist. The recruitment period alone runs for two months in the low-wage stream.
When is an LMIA needed, and when is it not?
Most employers need one. The exceptions are real but specific.
IRCC puts it simply: most employers need an LMIA before they can hire a temporary foreign worker. You do not need one if the worker already holds an open work permit, or if an LMIA exemption applies under the International Mobility Program.
Those exemptions include international trade agreements such as CUSMA, GATS and CETA, intra-company transfers, significant benefit to Canada, francophone mobility, reciprocal arrangements, permits for spouses and dependants, and the Post-Graduation Work Permit.
If someone has told you your case is exempt, it is worth asking which exemption, by name. A category that cannot be named usually does not apply.
Do job offers still give you points in Express Entry?
No. IRCC removed job offer points from the Comprehensive Ranking System on March 25, 2025.
This is the part where most of what you will read online is out of date. In IRCC’s own words: as of that date, job offer points were removed from the CRS for current and future candidates in the pool. That includes both the 200 points that applied to Major Group 00 occupations and the 50 points for any other skilled occupation.
The measure was presented as temporary. IRCC has not announced when, or whether, those points return — and we are not going to guess for you.
What did not change: if a valid job offer is part of a program’s eligibility criteria rather than its score, that requirement still stands. IRCC says so directly.
So is a job offer still worth having?
Yes, and here is the distinction almost nobody draws.
Two different point systems are involved, and they are easy to confuse because both are official and both come from IRCC.
| Comprehensive Ranking System | Federal Skilled Worker six factors | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Ranks candidates already in the Express Entry pool | Decides whether you qualify as a Federal Skilled Worker at all |
| Total | Variable, used for draw cut-offs | 100 points, pass mark 67 |
| Job offer today | No points since March 25, 2025 | Up to 10 points, for a valid offer of at least one year |
So a job offer no longer improves your ranking, but it can still help you meet the eligibility threshold. And for some programs — certain Provincial Nominee streams among them — it remains a requirement rather than a bonus.
The practical effect of the 2025 change is narrower than the headlines suggested. What disappeared was a shortcut. What remains is that an offer still matters in the places where it was always doing real work.
What to check before you count on an offer
Work through it in this order.
- Is it in writing, with pay, duties and hours named? If not, ask for that before anything else.
- Is the occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3? Check the classification, not the job title.
- Does the employer know they need an LMIA — and have they started? The recruitment period alone is weeks long.
- If someone claims an exemption, which one? By name.
- Are you relying on CRS points that no longer exist? If your plan was built before March 2025, it needs revisiting.
Where we come in
Immigration Pros works with candidates on the part of this that decides the outcome:
- Reading the offer you actually have against what IRCC requires
- Telling you whether the LMIA route applies, or whether a named exemption does
- Rebuilding a plan that was based on the CRS points removed in 2025
- Preparing the file so the employer’s side and yours line up
If you are not sure whether what you have counts, start with a free assessment and we will tell you where you actually stand before you make a decision around it.
