As Emigration Hits a Record, Canada Tilts Express Entry Points Toward High-Wage Jobs

People are leaving, and the government is competing for talent. Statistics Canada figures show the number of people who left Canada last year hit an all-time high; almost at the same moment, the immigration department announced that Express Entry scoring would tilt sharply toward high-wage occupations. Put the two together, then re-examine the viral claim that 'Canadians immigrating to the US surged 142%', and Canada's full talent picture comes into focus.

The outflow side

Statistics Canada data (Table 17-10-0040-01) show 120,640 people left Canada in 2025, the highest total since records began in 1952, above even the brain-drain peak of the 1960s; net emigration, after subtracting returning emigrants, also set a record at 65,706. Note that this is total outflow to all countries worldwide, not departures to the United States alone.

On the US side, The New York Times, analyzing State Department data on October 18, reported that the United States issued about 26,000 immigrant visas worldwide in February 2026, roughly half the monthly average of about 52,000 before Donald Trump returned to office. Issuance fell in most of the world; Canada was one of only about 10 countries where it rose.

What the '142% surge' actually measures

The widely shared 142% comes from that same State Department dataset: immigrant visas issued to Canadians in February 2026 ran 142% above the 2023-2024 monthly average. But a single month amplifies swings — over the longer window from October 2025 to February 2026, Canadian immigrant visas were up 33% year over year, a very different scale.

The definition is the key point: 'immigrant visas' are only the green-card-class visas issued at US consulates. Most Canadians who move to the US for work travel on work visas or adjust their status from inside the United States, and none of them appear in this count. With a small monthly base, percentages swell quickly. Reading 142% as 'the total number of Canadians immigrating to the US surged 142%' is not accurate.

The National Post reported the trend on October 23, quoting a warning from the civic group Build Canada, which notes that 34% of immigrants with PhDs leave Canada within 25 years. Build Canada argues that higher US wages and lower taxes are among the reasons talent heads south — the group's own attribution and position, reported here without endorsement.

Ottawa's answer: points tilted to high-wage jobs

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced in Kitchener, Ontario, on October 16 that from November 3, the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) will add a Labour Market Integration Factor, putting the new bonus points squarely on high-wage occupations.

A total of 186 occupations qualify. The tiers are set not by the applicant's own salary but by the occupation's national median wage: occupations at 1.3 times, 1.5 times and 2 times the national median form the three tiers. A qualifying job offer earns 50, 70 or 100 points by tier.

Through the experience route, at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation adds a further 20, 40 or 70 points by tier, on top of the existing years-based points (which cap at 80 points for five years). The new factor is capped at 150 points overall, or 140 with an accompanying spouse; the offer route and the experience route do not stack — the higher one counts.

There is also a regulatory loosening: from November 3, a qualifying job offer will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to earn the new points. The background is that job-offer points were removed entirely on March 25, 2025, and are now restored only for high-wage occupations. This site reported the reform in detail on the day of the announcement and the day after; IRCC's published terms govern.

What happens next

The new rules take effect on November 3. Profiles already in the Express Entry pool will have their scores recalculated automatically under the new system, and the department says invitation rounds may pause for up to two weeks during the recalculation. Read against the outflow data, the signal is clear: under brain-drain pressure, Canada is tilting its immigrant selection toward 'high-wage and likely to stay'.