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Canada Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

If you are looking to become a permanent resident of Canada using the Express Entry system, you will be assessed using the Canada Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

For more information about the CRS, Express Entry and becoming a Canadian permanent resident, get in touch with one of our trusted legal experts on +1 844 290 6312 today.

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    What is the Canada Comprehensive Ranking System?

    The CRS is a points-based system that assesses and ranks individuals applying for the Express Entry route of immigration. This is intended solely for skilled workers seeking to gain Canadian permanent residence, and covers the following programs:

    The CRS comprises a series of questions assessing your eligibility for permanent residence. These include things such as age, education, work experience and skills. The CRS is graded out of 1,200 points, and is separated into four main sections:

    • Core / Human Capital Factors
    • Spouse or Common Law Partner Factors
    • Skill Transferability Factors
    • Additional Points

    After completing the CRS, you will be placed in the Express Entry pool. The Canadian government will then periodically reach out to those with the highest CRS points total from this pool and issue them with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. This process, known as the Express Entry Draw, happens approximately every two weeks.

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    How can I increase my CRS score?

    The Comprehensive Ranking System is a dynamic system that allows Express Entry candidates the chance to increase their chances of receiving an ITA even while in the Express Entry pool.

    There are many ways in which you can increase your CRS score. For example, successfully applying through the Provincial Nomination program before submitting an Express Entry application can afford you the maximum 600 points available in the Additional Points section of the CRS.

    Candidates who have further education qualifications can also earn additional points in the CRS, as does Canadian work experience and securing a job offer from a Canadian company.

    Language skills are also assessed in the CRS, specifically in the Skill Transferability Factors section. You can earn additional points by scoring highly on the Canadian Language Benchmark assessment and/or on the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadien (NCLN). Express Entry candidates who are certified to be proficient in both English and French will manage to receive the highest scores on the CRS.

    It may also be the case that your spouse or common-law partner may be able to score more highly on the CRS due to their qualifications, experience or skills. In that instance, it may be the case that they would make a better choice as the principal applicant for Express Entry. It is also possible for both partners to submit an application simultaneously while listing each other as an accompanying spouse, which may increase your chances of receiving an ITA.

    How are the points in the CRS awarded?

    Candidates are graded differently on the CRS depending on whether or not they have an accompanying spouse or common law partner emigrating with them.

    If the candidate’s spouse or common law partner is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or if they are not emigrating to Canada with the candidate, the candidate will be graded in the CRS as if they don’t have a spouse or partner.

    The table below summarises the maximum point total for each section:

    FactorsMaximum Points Available
    A. Core / Human Capital Factors460 (with spouse)
    500 (without spouse)
    B. Spouse or Common-Law Factors40
    C. Skill Transferability Factors100
    D. Additional Points600
    Maximum Total Points1200

    Below are the score breakdowns for every section of the CRS, including the maximum possible score candidates are able to attain in each section.

    A – Core / Human Capital Factors

    With a spouse or common law partner: maximum 460 points total for all factors.

    Without a spouse or common law partner: maximum 500 points total for all factors.

    Age

    AgeWith a spouse or common law partnerWithout a spouse or common law partner
    17 years of age or less00
    18 years of age9099
    19  years of age95105
    20 to 29  years of age100110
    30  years of age95105
    31 years of age9099
    32 years of age8594
    33 years of age8088
    34 years of age7583
    35 years of age7077
    36 years of age6572
    37 years of age6066
    38 years of age5561
    39 years of age5055
    40 years of age4550
    41 years of age3539
    42 years of age2528
    43 years of age1513
    44 years of age56
    45 years of age00
    Maximum100110

    Education

    Level of EducationWith a spouse or common-law partnerWithout a spouse or common-law partner
    Less than secondary school (high school)00
    Secondary diploma (high school graduation)2830
    One-year degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute8490
    Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute9198
    Bachelor’s degree OR a three or more year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute112120
    Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years119128
    Master’s degree, OR professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession (For “professional degree,” the degree program must have been in: medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy.)126135
    Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)140150
    Maximum140150

    First Official Language Proficiency

    You must have French or English language proficiency to get some points in this area. It is even more when you can speak, read, and write in both.

    Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per abilityWith a spouse or common-law partnerWithout a spouse or common-law partner
    Less than CLB 400
    CLB 4 or 566
    CLB 689
    CLB 71617
    CLB 82223
    CLB 92931
    CLB 10 or more3234
    Maximum128136

    Second Official Language Proficiency

    Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per abilityWith a spouse or common-law partnerWithout a spouse or common-law partner
    CLB 4 or less00
    CLB 5 or 611
    CLB 7 or 833
    CLB 9 or more66
    Maximum2224

    Canadian Work Experience

    Canadian work experienceWith a spouse or common-law partnerWithout a spouse or common-law partner
    None or less than a year00
    1 year3540
    2 years4653
    3 years5664
    4 years6372
    5 years or more7080
    Maximum7080

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    B – Spouse or Common Law Partner Factors (if applicable)

    These are factors that concern your spouse in terms of education, language ability and their work history. The maximum you can get in for A – Core / human capital + B – Spouse or common-law partner factors is 500 points

    Spouse’s or common law partner’s level of education

    Spouse’s or common law partner’s level of educationWith spouse or common-law partnerWithout spouse or common-law partner
    Less than secondary school (high school)0n/a
    Secondary school (high school graduation)2n/a
    One-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute6n/a
    Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical in school, or other institute7n/a
    Bachelor’s degree OR a three or more year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute8n/a
    Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years9n/a
    Master’s degree, or professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession (For “professional degree”, the degree program must have been in: medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy.)10n/a
    Doctoral level university degree (PhD)10n/a
    Maximum10n/a

    Spouse or Common Law Partner’s Official Language Abilities – First Official Language

    Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening)With spouse or common-law PartnerWithout spouse or common-law partner
    CLB 4 or less0n/a
    CLB 5 or 61n/a
    CLB 7 or 83n/a
    CLB 9 or more5n/a
    Maximum20n/a

    Spouse or common law partner’s Canadian work experience

    Spouse’s Canadian work experienceWith spouse or common-law partnerWithout spouse or common-law partner
    None or less than a year0n/a
    1 year5n/a
    2 years7n/a
    3 years8n/a
    4 years9n/a
    5 years or more10n/a
    Maximum10n/a

    C – Skill Transferability factors (Maximum 100 points)

    This section assesses if you have skills or qualifications that can be used in Canada.

    Education and language proficiency

    With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [CLB] 7 or higher) and a post-secondary degreePoints for CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, with one or more under CLB 9Points for CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities
    Secondary school (high school) credential or less00
    Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer1325
    Two or more post-secondary program credentials AND at least one of these credentials was issued on completion of a post-secondary program of three years or longer2550
    Maximum2550

    Education and Canadian Work Experience

    With Canadian work experience and a post-secondary degreePoints for education + 1 year of Canadian work experiencePoints for education + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience
    Secondary school (high school) credential or less00
    Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer1325
    Two or more post-secondary program credentials AND at least one of these credentials was issued on completion of a post-secondary program of three years or longer2550
    Maximum2550

    Foreign Work Experience – with CLB 7 or Higher

    Years of experiencePoints for foreign work experience + CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 9Points for foreign work experience + CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities
    No foreign work experience00
    1 or 2 years of foreign work experience1325
    3 years or more of foreign work experience2550
    Maximum2550

    Foreign work experience – With Canadian work experience

    Years of experiencePoints for foreign work experience + 1 year of Canadian work experiencePoints for foreign work experience + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience
    No foreign work experience00
    1 or 2 years of foreign work experience1325
    3 years or more of foreign work experience2550
    Maximum2550

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      D – Additional points (Maximum 600 points)

      These have to do with additional factors that can boost your scores.

      FactorPoints
      Brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada15
      Scored NCLC 7 or higher on all four French language skills and scored CLB 4 or lower in English (or didn’t take an English test)25
      Scored NCLC 7 or higher on all four French language skills and scored CLB 5 or higher on all four English skills50
      Post-secondary education in Canada – credential of one or two years15
      Post-secondary education in Canada – credential three years or longer30
      Arranged employment (already have a job offer in National Occupational Classification  – NOC – 00)200
      Arranged employment – job offer in any other NOC 0, A or B50
      Provincial or territorial nomination600
      Maximum600

      How Can Total Law Help?

      Ensuring that you score high enough on the CRS to receive an invitation to apply for Canada permanent residence is a crucial step in securing your permanent residency status in Canada.

      Total Law’s Canadian immigration lawyers are experts in the Comprehensive Ranking System and how the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) assess potential candidates. We have years’ worth of experience working with individuals looking to emigrate to Canada and helping them to maximise their chances of receiving an invitation for permanent residency.

      We can analyze your case and look into your qualifications and other factors that can boost your case, and provide professional advice on how to achieve them. Also, we can help you with entering the Express Entry System and doing all that is possible to boost your chances of success.

      For more information about how we can assist you and your application, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on +1 844 290 6312, or contact us through our form online.

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                  Frequently Asked Questions

                  The minimum score requirement to be eligible for the Express Entry system is 67. Beyond that, the thresholds for receiving an Invitation to Apply can vary between specific Express Entry draws, although the average cut-off point can generally range from around 400 to 600 points.

                  Candidates remain in the Express Entry pool for 12 months after submitting their application. If you’ve not yet received an Invitation to Apply by the end of the 12 months, you’re able to submit your application and re-enter the pool for another 12 months.

                  No one can predict what the CRS cut-off would be. Also, it can go from high to low and vice versa in a matter of weeks. So, it may be in your best interest to enter the pool regardless while still actively working to increase your CRS scores.