Express Entry: Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

The Comprehensive Ranking System ranks eligible candidates for immigration to Canada through Express Entry under the following factors:

• The core human capital factors;
• The skill transferability factors; and
• The additional factors relating to a provincial nomination, a qualifying offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability.

The candidates in the Express Entry pool can also take the steps to improve their profile and increase their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. 

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Points Breakdown 

There is a total number of 1,200 points available under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), for the candidates without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, there are:

• The maximum of 500 points available for core human capital factors;
• The maximum of 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
• The 600 points are available for additional factors like including a provincial nomination, an offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability.

For the candidates who are with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, there are:

• The maximum of 460 points available for core human capital factors of the principal applicant;
• The maximum of 40 points for the core human capital factors of the spouse or common-law partner;
• The maximum of 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
• The 600 points were available for additional factors like including a provincial nomination, an offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability.

In the year June 6, 2017, changes to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) include additional points awarded to candidates with French ability and to candidates with a sibling in Canada.

French ability

• The 15 additional points for French-speaking candidates who prove adequate intermediate (equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark 7) or better French ability, and English language test results of CLB 4 or lower, and/ or no English test results at all.
• The 30 additional points for French-speaking candidates who prove adequate intermediate or better French ability, and who also prove English language test result of CLB 5 or better.

Sibling in Canada

• The 15 additional points for candidates with a sibling who is living in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of at least 18 years of age. These points may also be awarded if the candidate’s spouse or common-law partner has a sibling who lives in Canada. The candidate or his or her spouse/common-law partner must share a mother and/or father with the sibling who lives in Canada. This relationship can be through blood, adoption, marriage, or common-law partnership.

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): Core Human Capital Factors

For the purposes of this table, “PA” which means principal applicant and “spouse” refers to the spouse or common-law partner.

Age

S.No	Age	With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 100)	Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 110)
1)	Under 18	0 Points	0 Points
2)	18	90 Points	99 Points
3)	19	95 Points	105 Points
4)	20-29	100 Points	110 Points
5)	30	95 Points	105 Points
6)	31	90 Points	99 Points
7)	32	85 Points	94 Points
8)	33	80 Points	88 Points
9)	34	75 Points	83 Points
10)	35	70 Points	77 Points
11)	36	65 Points	72 Points
12)	37	60 Points	66 Points
13)	38	55 Points	61 Points
14)	39	50 Points	55 Points
15)	40	45 Points	50 Points
16)	41	35 Points	39 Points
17)	42	25 Points	28 Points
18)	43	15 Points	17 Points
19)	44	5 Points	6 Points
20)	45 or older	0 Points	0 Points

 

Level of education

S.NO	Level of Education	With an accompanying spouse (max points available: 140 for PA, 10 for spouse)	Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 150)
1)	Less than Secondary (high) school	0 points	0 points
2)	Secondary school	28 for PA; 2 for a spouse	30 Points
3)	1-year post-secondary program	84 for PA; 6 for a spouse	90 Points
4)	2-year post-secondary program	91 for PA; 7 for a spouse	98 Points
5)	Post-secondary program of 3 or more years	112 for PA; 8 for a spouse	120 Points
6)	2 or more post-secondary programs, of which at least 1 was completed after a post-secondary program of 3 or more years	119 for PA; 9 for a spouse	128 Points
7)	Master’s or entry-to-practice professional degree	126 for PA; 10 for a spouse	135 Points
8)	Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.)	140 for PA; 10 for a spouse	150 Points

 

First Language Ability (English or French)

S.NO	Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)	With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 128 for PA; 20 for spouse)	Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 136)
1)	For each language ability	32 points for PA; 5 points for a spouse	34 points
2)	CLB 3 or lower	0 Points	0 Points
3)	CLB 4	6 for PA; 0 for a spouse	6 Points
4)	CLB 5	6 for PA; 1 for a spouse	6 Points
5)	CLB 6	8 for PA; 1 for a spouse	9 Points
6)	CLB 7	16 for PA; 3 for a spouse	17 Points
7)	CLB 8	22 for PA; 3 for a spouse	23 Points
8)	CLB 9	29 for PA; 5 for a spouse	31 Points
9)	CLB 10 or higher	32 for PA; 5 for a spouse	34 Points

*Points in the chart above are for each language ability: speaking, writing, reading, and listening, respectively.

Second Language Ability (English or French)

S.NO	Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)	With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 22)	Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 24)
1)	For each language ability	6 Points	6 Points
2)	CLB 4 or lower	0 Points	0 Points
3)	CLB 5 or 6	1 Points	1 Points
4)	CLB 7 or 8	3 Points	3 Points
5)	CLB 9 or higher	6 Points	6 Points

*Points in the chart above are for each language ability: speaking, writing, reading, and listening, respectively.

Canadian Work Experience

S.NO	Number of years	With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 70 for PA; 10 for spouse)	Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 80)
1)	Less than 1	0 points	0 points
2)	1 year	35 for PA; 5 for a spouse	40 Points
3)	2 years	46 for PA; 7 for a spouse	53 Points
4)	3 years	56 for PA; 8 for a spouse	64 Points
5)	4 years	63 for PA; 9 for a spouse	72 Points
6)	5 years or more	70 for PA; 10 for a spouse	80 Points

 

Comprehensive Ranking System: Skill Transferability Factors

The maximum of 100 points is awarded for a candidate’s skill transferability factors. There are 5 combinations of such skill transferability, with a maximum of 50 points which are awarded for each combination.

Even if the candidate scores more than 100 points in total, only 100 points will be awarded under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The Candidates with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner are awarded points for skill transferability in exactly the same way but there are no points available for the skill transferability of a candidate’s spouse either common-law partner.

For the purpose of this table is to define, “CLB” refers to Canadian Language Benchmark.

 

Education and Canadian Work Experience

Education	1 year of Canadian work experience	2 or more than 2 years of Canadian work experience
No post-secondary education	0 Points	0 Points
The Post-secondary education of 1 year or a longer	13 Points	25 Points
2 or more post-secondary credentials, the first of which was 3 or more years in duration	25 Points	50 Points
The university-level credential at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is must be required.	25 Points	50 Points
The university-level credential at the doctoral level	25 Points	50 Points

 

Education and Language Ability

Education	CLB 7 or more on all language abilities, with at least one of these CLB 8	CLB 9 or more for all language abilities
No post-secondary education	0 Points	0 Points
Post-secondary education of one (1) year or longer than	13 Points	25 Points
2 or more post-secondary credentials, the first of which was 3 or more years in the duration	25 Points	50 Points
The university-level credential at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). In NOC matrix the Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is must be required	25 Points	50 Points
The university-level credential at the doctoral level	25 Points	50 Points

 

Language Ability and The Non-Canadian Work Experience

The Non-Canadian Work Experience	CLB 7 or more on all language abilities, with at least one of these CLB 8	CLB 9 or more for all language abilities
The non-Canadian work experience	0 Points	0 Points
The 1 or 2 years of non-Canadian work experience	13 Points	25 Points
3 or more years of non-Canadian work experience	25 Points	50 Points

 

A Canadian and non-Canadian Work Experience

Experience	One (1)  year of Canadian work experience	Two (2) or more years of Canadian work experience
1.      No non-Canadian work experience	0 Points	0 Points
2.      1 or 2 years of non-Canadian work experience	13 Points	25 Points
3.      3 or more years of non-Canadian work experience	25 Points	50 Points

 

The Certificate of Qualification in a Trade and Language Ability

The Certificate of Qualification	CLB 5 or more on all language abilities, with at least one CLB 5 or 6	CLB 7 or more on all language abilities
The Certificate of qualification in a trade occupation issued by a province	25 Points	50 Points

 

Comprehensive Ranking System: Additional Points

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination certificate	Points
For an enhanced nomination certificate from the Canadian province (except Quebec)	600 points
A qualifying offer of arranged employment	Points
For the qualifying job offer of arranged employment from a Canadian employer and If the offer is in an occupation which contained in Major Group 00 Senior Management Occupations	200 points
For a qualifying job offer of arranged employment from a Canadian employer and If the offer is any other qualifying offer of arranged employment	50 points
Canadian study experience	Points
If the candidate has an eligible credential from a 1 year or 2year post-secondary program in Canada	15 points
If the candidate has either i.e. The eligible credential from a post-secondary program of 3byears or more, or The eligible credential from a university-level program at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required, or The eligible credential from a university-level program at the doctoral level	30 points
French language ability	Points
If the candidate proves adequate intermediate which is (equivalent to CLB 7) or better French ability, and English ability of CLB 4 or lower (or no English language test result)	15 points
If the candidate proves adequate intermediate which is (equivalent to CLB 7) or better French ability, and English ability of CLB 5 or better	30 points
Sibling in Canada	Points
If the candidate or the accompanying spouse or common-law partner, who has a sibling in Canada and  is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of at least 18 years of age as required The candidate or his or her spouse’s common-law partner must share a mother and/or father with the sibling in Canada. This relationship can be through the blood, adoption, marriage, or common-law partnership	15 points

 

The points are only assigned for Canadian study experience if, for the purpose of obtaining the credential, the candidate has to:

• The candidate who studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
• The candidate was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
• The candidate was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.

The maximum of 15 points may be awarded for a sibling in Canada, regardless of how many siblings the candidate (and his or her spouse/common-law partner, if applicable) has in Canada.

The maximum number of points for these additional factors for anyone candidate is up to 600 points. So, if a candidate has completed the Canadian post-secondary study program from Canada and obtains an enhanced nomination certificate from a Canadian province, then he or she will be awarded 600 points for these additional factors (rather than 615 or 630 points).

Improve your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score

The highest-ranked candidates from the Express Entry pool are often guaranteed an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. So, the individuals who are interested in immigration to Canada are encouraged to take every opportunity to increase their chances of receiving an invitation to apply (ITA). For more information, please visit our dedicated page to know more about how to improve your CRS score.