Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) criteria

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) criteria

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is a points-based framework used by Canada’s Express Entry system to evaluate and rank candidates seeking permanent residency. It assesses various factors to determine a candidate’s potential to contribute economically to Canada. Here’s an overview of the CRS components:

As of March 25, 2025, IRCC has removed points previously awarded for job offers from the CRS calculation. This change affects all current and future Express Entry candidates. However, if having a valid job offer is part of your eligibility criteria for certain programs, this requirement remains unchanged.
Core/Human Capital Factors
Spouse or Common-Law Partner Factors
Skill Transferability Factors
Additional Points

A. Core/Human Capital Factors

Core/Human Capital Factors play an important role in determining your CRS score under the Canada Express Entry system. These factors assess personal characteristics that influence your ability to integrate into the Canadian labor market and contribute to the economy. To improve your Express Entry points, focus on enhancing the following:

Age : Applicants aged 20–29 receive the highest points. After age 30, points gradually decrease.
Education : Higher levels of education, such as a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD, yield more points. Consider getting an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to claim these points.
Language Proficiency : Strong skills in English (IELTS/CELPIP) or French (TEF Canada) can significantly boost your score. Aim for CLB 9 or above.
Canadian Work Experience : If you’ve worked in Canada in a skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, 3), you can earn more CRS points.
Spouse or Common-law Partner (if applicable) : If your spouse has strong language skills, Canadian experience, or education, it can add to your total CRS score.

**You’ll be assessed as a single applicant if your spouse or partner is not accompanying you to Canada.**

FactorsPoints with a spouse or common-law partnerPoints without a spouse or common-law partner
Age 100110
Level of Education140150
Official languages proficiency 150160
Canadian work experience7080

** With a spouse or common-law partner: Maximum 460 points total **
** Without a spouse or common-law partner: Maximum 500 points total **

Age FactorsWith a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 100 points)		Without a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 110 points)
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 age1517
44 years of age56
45 years of age or more00

** Education factors **

Level of EducationWith a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 140 points)		Without a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 150 points)
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 126135
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)140150

** Official languages proficiency – first official language & Maximum points for each ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening) **
** 32 with a spouse or common-law partner; 34 without a spouse or common-law partner **

Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per abilityWith a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 128 points)		Without a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 136 points)
Less than CLB 400
CLB 4 or 5630
CLB 6890
CLB 71698
CLB 822120
CLB 929128
CLB 10 or more32135

** Official languages proficiency – Second official language & Maximum points for each ability ( reading, writing, speaking and listening ) **
** 6 with a spouse or common-law partner (up to a combined maximum of 22 points) ; 6 without a spouse or common-law partner (up to a combined maximum of 24 points) **

Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per abilityWith a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 22 points)		Without a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 24 points)
CLB 4 or less00
CLB 5 or 611
CLB 7 or 833
CLB 9 or more66

** Canadian work experience **

Canadian work experienceWith a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 70 points)		Without a spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 80 points)
None or less than a year00
1 Year3540
2 Year4653
3 Year5664
4 Year6372
5 years or more7080

B. Spouse or Common-Law Partner Factors

If you are applying for Canada immigration through Express Entry with a spouse or common-law partner, their credentials can boost your CRS score by up to 40 points. This section evaluates your partner’s potential to contribute to the Canadian workforce.

Spouse’s Education : Assessed using an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), similar to the main applicant.
Spouse or Common-Law Partner Factors
Language Proficiency : Based on IELTS, CELPIP, or TEF results. Higher CLB levels lead to more points.
Canadian Work Experience : Skilled work experience in Canada can add more points to your profile.

** Spouse or common law partner factors**

FactorsPoints (Maximum 40 points)
Level of education 10
Official language proficiency 20
Canadian work experience10

** Spouse or common law partner education level**

Spouse’s or common-law partner’s level of educationWith spouse or common-law partner
(Maximum 10 points)
Less than secondary school (high school)0
Secondary diploma (high school graduation)2
One-year degree, diploma or certificate from  a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute6
Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute7
Bachelor’s degree OR  a three or more year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute8
Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years9
Master’s degree, OR professional degree 10
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)10

** Spouse’s or common-law partner’s official languages proficiency – first official language **

Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening)Maximum 20 points for section
Maximum 5 points per ability
CLB 4 or less0
CLB 5 or 61
CLB 7 or 83
CLB 9 or more5

** Spouse’s or common-law partner’s Canadian work experience **

Spouse’s Canadian work experienceMaximum 10 points
None or less than a year0
1 Year5
2 Year7
3 Year8
4 Year9
5 years or more10

C. Skill Transferability factors

If you’re planning to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, Skill Transferability Factors help increase your CRS score by evaluating how well your education, work experience, and language proficiency complement each other. This section can add up to 100 points to your Express Entry profile, improving your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in Canada.

These points reward applicants whose combination of skills shows strong potential for success in the Canadian job market. For example, having a strong education is great, but if you also have high IELTS scores or Canadian work experience, your chances of getting selected go up. These factors can add up to 100 extra CRS points, making a real difference in how soon you receive your Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in Canada.

Education with Language Proficiency : If you have a post-secondary degree and high scores in English or French (CLB 7 or above), you can gain extra CRS points.
Education with Canadian Work Experience : Candidates with education credentials and at least 1 year of skilled work in Canada earn additional points.
Foreign Work Experience with Language Proficiency : International work experience paired with strong language test results (CLB 9+) increases your score.
Canadian Work Experience : Skilled work experience in Canada can add more points to your profile.

** Skill Transferability : Education**

EducationPoints (Maximum 50 points)
With good/strong official languages proficiency and a post-secondary degree50
With Canadian work experience and a post-secondary degree50

** Skill Transferability : Foreign work experience**

Foreign work experiencePoints (Maximum 50 points)
With good/strong official languages proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark [CLB] level 7 or higher) and foreign work experience50
With Canadian work experience and foreign work experience50

** Skill Transferability : With valid trade certificate**

Certificate of qualification (for people in trade occupations)Points (Maximum 50 points)
With good/strong official languages proficiency and a certificate of qualification50

Points breakdown of Skill transferability factors

** For skill transferability factors : Maximum of 100 points **

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 9 (Maximum 25 points)Points for CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points)
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
A 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 required2550
A university-level credential at the doctoral level2550
With Canadian work experience and a post-secondary degreePoints for education + 1 year of Canadian work experience
(Maximum 25 points)		Points for education + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience
(Maximum 50 points)
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
A 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 required2550
A university-level credential at the doctoral level2550

** Foreign work experience With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [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 9 (Maximum 25 points)Points for foreign work experience + CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points)
No foreign work experience00
1 or 2 years of foreign work experience1325
3 years or more of foreign work experience2550

** Foreign work experience with Canadian work experience **

Years of experiencePoints for foreign work experience + 1 year of Canadian work experience
(Maximum 25 points)		Points for foreign work experience + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience
(Maximum 50 points)
No foreign work experience00
1 or 2 years of foreign work experience1325
3 years or more of foreign work experience2550

** With a valid certificate of qualification **

Certificate of qualification (trade occupations) – With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [CLB] 5 or higher)Points for certificate of qualification + CLB 5 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 7
(Maximum 25 points)		Points for certificate of qualification + CLB 7 or more on all four first official language abilities
(Maximum 50 points)
With a valid certificate of qualification2550

D. Additional points

Think of these as bonus points extra rewards that can supercharge your CRS score and give you a better shot at getting that all important Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in Canada. These points aren’t based on your core qualifications like age or education. Instead, they’re given for special advantages you might have like a provincial nomination, a Canadian degree, or French language skills. Some of these can add up to 600 points to your profile, which is often more than enough to secure a spot in the next draw.

Provincial Nomination (PNP) : If a Canadian province nominates you, you instantly get 600 points almost guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
Canadian Education : If you completed a post secondary program in Canada, you’ll receive additional points.
French Language Proficiency: Strong results in French language tests (TEF Canada) can earn you up to 50 extra points even if French isn’t your first language.
Siblings in Canada : If you or your spouse / common-law partner has a sibling living in Canada as a citizen or permanent resident, you get extra points.
FactorMaximum points per factor
Brother or sister living in Canada (18 years or older, citizen or permanent resident)15
French language skills50
Post secondary education in Canada30
Provincial or territorial nomination600
Breakdown of additional pointsMaximum 600 points
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
Provincial or territorial nomination600
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