Mastering the Canada PR & CRS Points System: A Complete Guide to Increasing Your Express Entry Score

The Express Entry system is Canada’s largest economic immigration program. It operates as an online platform where those interested in Canadian immigration can register their interest by entering the express entry pool, and then waiting to see if Canada invites them to apply for Permanent Residence during an Express Entry draw.

Express Entry functions by means of a points system, whereby certain aspects of each individual applicant are scored according to a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and then invitations are issued either on the basis of the applicant being bilingual, having work experience in specific occupations, or because the applicant has scored enough CRS points to be within the range that IRCC has invited.

During the end of 2023 and throughout 2024, record numbers of individuals entered the Express Entry pool, and for that reason, the CRS points required to receive an invitation in a general draw skyrocketed into the 500s. Many who studied in Canada with the understanding that they would have enough CRS points to gain Permanent Residence through Express Entry faced the reality that their CRS points were actually lower that what was required to receive an invitation to apply for Permanent Residence.

A common question that we hear in consultation is, “How can I improve my Express Entry points?” There are three general categories of CRS scoring factors – cannot be changed, difficult to change, and easier to change. Let’s list them out below:

CRS scoring factors that cannot be changed:

Age factor

The Express Entry system provides the highest CRS score for age to those between 21 - 19. By the time you turn 30, you will lose points each year on your birthday; and by the time you turn 45 you have exactly zero points for age. Why is Canada discriminating on the basis of age? It's simple - Canadian immigration policy is designed to import taxpayers while minimizing the amount of government funded healthcare that new immigrants will require. Those aged 30 or less have the longest amount of time to pay taxes, and will generally not use much in the way of health care resources for many decades. For that reason, younger express entry applicants are given priority by the Canadian government.

CRS scoring factors that are difficult to change:

Level of Education

Obtaining additional post secondary education is one way to increase your CRS points score, but it requires a course of at least 1 year in duration to make any difference at all. If you already have a degree of at least 3 years, completing a new program of at least 1 year will make you eligible for education points for 2 or more credentials, as well as bonus points for the skills transferability factors.

Secondary language scores

Learning French as a second language is currently the biggest trend in Canadian immigration, as IRCC continues to target French speaking and bilingual English - French speakers with Express Entry. A French language proficiency score of CLB 7 in all four language aspects means that you will be eligible for the French draws through Express Entry. The points required for those draws has been more than 100 points lower than the regular draws. Learning French to a CLB 7 in all aspects takes about 2 years for really smart people who are studying part time while working full time.

Canadian Work Experience

CRS points are awarded to applicants for each year of skilled work experience inside of Canada. The largest gain happens after the first full year of skilled work experience in Canada, with either 35 or 40 points awarded. Smaller amounts are added for each additional year, between 8-13 points depending on how many years you have worked and whether you are single or married / common law. If you are old enough that you lose points for age each year on your birthday, it becomes almost a zero sum gain because most of the points you gain for the additional year of Canadian work experience end up disappearing on your birthday.

Qualification Certificate

The 50 CRS points for a Qualification Certificate in a trade occupation are some of the most difficult PR points to understand. First of all, the qualification certificate must be for one of the NOC codes listed by IRCC in the processing manual for Express Entry. The certificate must also be issued by a competent Canadian authority, which means an entity that has been legally designated to regulate the certificate of qualification by virtue of federal, provincial or territorial legislation or regulations.

To break it down into simpler terms - the occupation that needs the certificate must be on IRCC's list, and there has to be some legislation at either the federal or provincial level that says that organization regulates that certification.

Arranged Employment

Arranged employment is a category that causes a lot of confusion. Many think that a simple offer of employment from a Canadian employer will result in an additional 50 CRS points, but that's not the case. The reality is that you need a job offer that is either accompanied by an LMIA, or an employer specific LMIA exempt work permit plus 12 months of work with the employer. This category is set to undergo significant changes in 2025 as IRCC plans to temporarily suspend the additional 50 points for most categories of arranged employment. 

Provincial Nomination Certificate

While a Provincial Nomination Certificate will give you an additional 600 points in your Express Entry profile, it's important to remember that not all PNP streams are tied to Express Entry. In order to gain the extra 600 points, you need to first qualify for an Express Entry based provincial nominee program, then receive approval for a Provincial nomination certificate, and finally accept the nomination certificate in your Express Entry profile. At that point, IRCC will add the 600 points into your Express Entry PR score, and you will be eligible to receive an invitation during the next PNP draw. 

Sibling in Canada

To gain CRS points for a sibling in Canada, that sibling must be a Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen, and actually be residing inside of Canada. The sibling can be related to either you or your spouse or common law partner. If you don't have a sibling living in Canada, perhaps you will want to find a spouse who does?

CRS scoring factors that are easier to change:

Primary language scores

Sometimes the easiest way to improve your CRS score is to take a new language exam for your primary language. There are significant bonus points available if you can score a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 9 or higher in all four categories on your primary language proficiency exam. Studying to improve your scores for a language that you are already comfortable using sometimes makes more sense than trying to learn a new language completely from zero.



Taking a different language test can also help to improve your primary language proficiency scores. Most applicants worldwide are familiar with the IELTS English language test, however those applicants who are more familiar with a Canadian accent may find that their language test results are higher when taking the CELPIP test, which uses a Canadian accent for the listening portion of the exam.

Foreign Work Experience

Foreign work experience is an aspect of the CRS scoring system that is often overlooked by young people who are already in Canada. Many of those with a post graduate work permit or an IEC work permit did not work in their home countries before moving to Canada. If you have worked in Canada and already receive points for Canadian work experience, but you came to Canada without any overseas work experience, one of the most significant things you can do is to leave Canada when your current work permit expires and start working overseas, in a skilled role, as soon as possible.

Depending on your language scores and how long you worked in Canada, you can gain anywhere from 26 to 50 additional CRS points by obtaining at least 1 year of overseas work experience. This is often enough to put a young person over the top of the minimum CRS score required to obtain an invitation. You then return to Canada once your PR application has been approved, and you become a Permanent Resident at the airport. This is a much better strategy than changing your status to a visitor and just waiting around in Canada after your work permit expires.

Occupation

IRCC is prioritizing certain occupations for immigration to Canada, and in most cases, you need only 6 months of work experience in one of the designated occupations in order to qualify for an occupation specific selection draw. These occupation specific draws generally have a lower minimum CRS score than the general Express Entry draws. Keep in mind that you will still need to meet the basic requirements to enter the Express Entry Pool, so you need more than 6 months of skilled work experience in total to qualify. If you already meet the requirements to be one of the Express Entry candidates, but don't meet the minimum comprehensive ranking system score (CRS) needed to receive an invitation in one of the general draws, changing your job to one of those on the priority list may help you to get an invitation to apply once you have worked in the new occupation for 6 months.

Marital or Civil Status

The Comprehensive ranking system has a different points grid for single applicants versus those who are married or have a common law partner. Depending on the language, education and Canadian work experience points of your spouse or common law partner, you may find that it's to your advantage to declare in your Express Entry profile that your partner is not going to accompany you to Canada so that your Express Entry profile can be scored as a single applicant. In the event that you are invited as a single applicant, you still need to include the information and documents for your spouse or common law partner, but they will not receive a visa to become a Permanent Resident of Canada when your application is finalized. Once you become a Permanent Resident, you will then have to submit a separate application to sponsor your spouse or common law partner for a Permanent resident visa. This approach is not recommended if both you and your spouse or common law partner are residing in Canada together - as it's not really genuine in that situation to say that your partner is non-accompanying.

Improving Canada PR Points

With Express Entry receiving the largest number of Permanent Residence allocations each year from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a great deal of time and energy is invested by Express Entry Candidates into improving their comprehensive ranking system score (CRS) to the level at which an invitation for Permanent Residence may be possible. It's easy to spend a lot of time and money chasing maximum points in the Express Entry pool. A meeting with an expert is the best way to understand the most realistic options to achieve your maximum points for Canada PR. The cost to obtain professional advice is less expensive than guessing on your options, and repeatedly taking expensive language tests that may or may not actually help your specific situation.

The Way Immigration has been working with Express Entry ever since the program was introduced in 2015. Contact our office today to schedule an immigration consultation to review your situation and create a realistic plan to collect all of those additional points that can help to boost your Express Entry profile into the realm of the highest ranking candidates.