Understanding the Comprehensive Ranking System

If you’re thinking about immigrating to Canada through an Express Entry program, understanding the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) can be a huge advantage.

In 2023, Canada issued 110,266 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Permanent Residence (PR) through its Express Entry system, between its first and last draw of the year. According to its Immigration Levels Plan 2024-26, it planned on admitting 110,000 more permanent residents through Express Entry in 2024.

To receive an ITA through Express Entry, you need a high Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The CRS is an online scoring system created by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to help the department select the economic immigration candidates who are the most likely to fill urgent needs in Canada’s labour force.

That means that your chances of receiving an ITA rely heavily on your CRS score. The higher the score, the better – and faster – your chances of immigrating to Canada through Express Entry.

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is a points-based system used by the Canadian government to assess and rank candidates who apply through the Express Entry program for permanent residency in Canada. The CRS is designed to select skilled immigrants with the best chances of succeeding in the Canadian economy. It evaluates candidates based on several key factors, assigning them a score out of 1200.

How the CRS works:

1. Core Human Capital Factors (maximum 460 or 500 points, depending on marital status):
2. Spouse or Common-law Partner Factors (maximum 40 points if applicable):
3. Skills Transferability Factors (maximum 100 points):
4. Additional Factors (maximum 600 points):

How CRS is used in Express Entry:

• Periodically, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds Express Entry draws and invites candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residency.
• The CRS cutoff score changes with each draw, depending on factors like the number of candidates in the pool and the government's immigration targets.

Improving your CRS score through things like retaking language tests, obtaining a job offer, or securing a provincial nomination can greatly increase your chances of receiving an invitation to apply.

Would you like more information on how to improve a CRS score or specific details about any of these factors?

Can anyone get a CRS score?

To get a CRS score, a candidate needs to be eligible for at least one of the following Express Entry programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP); or
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

How does Canada use CRS to determine who gets PR?

IRCC periodically holds Express Entry draws and invites candidates with the top-ranking CRS scores to apply for PR.

All candidates in the Express Entry pool with scores equal to or higher than the CRS cutoff score receive ITAs. If there is a CRS score tie for candidates, the date of application is used as a tiebreaker.

The CRS awards points for a variety of factors, including

• Skills;
• Education;
• Language ability;
• Work experience;
• Age;
• Family ties to Canada;
• Arranged employment; and
• Other factors.

The sum of all the points a candidate receives for these factors is their CRS score. This score can be as high as 1,200.

How does the CRS calculate someone’s score?

The CRS breaks down a candidate’s score according to four sections.

Core Human Capital

This section distributes points based on four factors:

• Age;
• Level of education;
• Official language proficiency for French or English; and
• Canadian work experience.

The maximum number of points that can be awarded to a candidate depends on whether they are being assessed individually or along with a spouse.

If a candidate is being assessed individually, they can score up to 500 points for human capital factors.

But if they are being assessed with a spouse or common-law partner, they can score up to 460 points for human capital factors (with an additional 40 potential points allocated to spousal human capital factors).

The additional 40 potential points, for those being assessed with a spouse, depend on the spouse’s qualifications and skills.

Points are distributed according to the following criteria:

• Spouse's educational qualifications;
• Spouse’s Canadian work experience; and
• Spouse’s language proficiency.

Whether a candidate is being assessed with or without a spouse, the maximum number of points that can be earned under these two sections is 500.

Skills transferability

Candidates also receive points based on a combination of factors. That is, how their different qualifications and skills intersect and combine.

They can score points for the following combinations:

• Foreign work experience + Canadian work experience: up to 50 points.
• Foreign work experience + good official language proficiency: up to 50 points.
• Post-secondary credential + good language proficiency: up to 50 points.
• Post-secondary credential + Canadian work experience: up to 50 points.

Candidates can earn a maximum of 100 points in total for skills transferability.

Additional points

The last section awards points based in various other factors such as:

• having a sibling in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident;
• French language skills, in line with the government’s target to increase the number of French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec;
• post-secondary education in Canada (studying within Canada can earn a candidate extra point);
• arranged employment (the number of points awarded here depends on the National Occupation Classification category that the job belongs to); and
• provincial nominations: a provincial or territorial nomination can earn a candidate an additional 600 points, almost guaranteeing them an ITA during the upcoming draws.

Candidates can earn up to 600 points in total for additional factors.

How high does my score need to be?

In 2023, IRCC started conducting category-based selection draws to address labour market shortages in the country. CRS cut-off scores for these categories tend to be lower than those of general or program-specific draws.

For example, the lowest cut-off score for all the draws in 2023 was 354 for those in agriculture and agri-food occupations on September 28, 2023. Meanwhile, the lowest cut-off score for general draws in the same year was 481, on March 29, 2023.

In 2024, the lowest cut-off score for all draws at the time of publishing was 338 in the French language proficiency category draw on March 26. The lowest cut-off for general draws is 524, on March 25.

If you’re looking to calculate your score, the government of Canada lists the number of points a candidate can receive based on their skills and qualifications on the website.

You can add points according to the criteria yourself or use a CRS points calculator to get a clearer idea of your CRS score.

Is it possible to improve my CRS score?

There are some factors in your CRS score that are outside your control (like your age).

However, other factors can be improved to maximize your CRS score:

Language abilities

English and French language skills are some of the most important factors within the CRS.

Being highly proficient in both can get you up to 310 points when combined with other factors.

If you are looking to improve your CRS score, you could try working on your language skills and then retaking the language test. Note that if you score lower when taking the second test, that is the score that will be used to calculate your overall CRS score.

Education

Higher levels of education result in more CRS points.

For example, you can get 135 points if you have a master’s degree, but that goes up to 150 points if you have a PhD.

In addition, the CRS values Canadian education, and you automatically receive 30 points under “additional points” if you’ve done a three-year or more post-secondary education in Canada, or 15 points for a post-secondary education that’s one or two years long.

Candidates with foreign degrees must get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to verify that their qualification is equivalent to a Canadian credential.

Work experience

You can increase your CRS score by obtaining additional work experience.

For this, you need to have performed duties in your job that are considered skilled under Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC). Next, calculate how much time you spent at the job.

Candidates with Canadian work experience can earn up to 70 points in the Core Human Capital section alone, and gain additional points in the Skills Transferability section, depending on other factors like their education and language proficiency.

Arranged employment

Those with arranged employment Major Group 00 of the National Occupation Classification (NOC) may obtain 200 CRS points. This is usually for senior management roles.

Arranged employment in NOC TEER 1, 2, or 3 or any TEER 0 other than Major group 00 can attain 50 additional CRS points.

Considering spouse or common-law partner’s qualifications

Those with a spouse or common-law partner can look into if they would get more points if their partner were the primary applicant.

For example, a partner might be a better primary applicant if they work in in-demand occupations or have a greater score due to factors like age, educational qualifications, or French language proficiency.

What if I don’t qualify for Express Entry?

There are other options to immigrate to Canada. This includes:

Base PNP programs: These allows provinces and territories to nominate candidates outside the Express Entry system. Candidates need to first satisfy the criteria for a PNP stream. If they are successful in getting a provincial nomination, they may then apply to IRCC for PR.

Canada also has immigration pathways outside economic immigration. This includes:

• Family and spousal sponsorship; and
• Refugee or humanitarian programs.