The Comprehensive Ranking System ranks eligible candidates for immigration to Canada through Express Entry under the following components:
-
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.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool can also take steps to improve their profile and increase their CRS score.
Comprehensive Ranking System Points Breakdown
There is a total of 1,200 points available under the Comprehensive Ranking System.
- a maximum of 500 points available for core human capital factors;
- a maximum of 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
- 600 points available for additional factors (including a provincial nomination, an offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability).
- a maximum of 460 points available for core human capital factors of the principal applicant;
- a maximum of 40 points for the core human capital factors of the spouse or common-law partner;
- a maximum of 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
- 600 points available for additional factors (including a provincial nomination, an offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability).
June 6, 2017, changes to the Comprehensive Ranking System include additional points awarded to candidates with French ability and to candidates with a sibling in Canada.
French ability
- 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, or no English test results at all.
- 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
- 15 additional points for candidates with a sibling 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 in Canada. The candidate or his or her spouse/common-law partner must share a mother and/or father with the sibling in Canada. This relationship can be through blood, adoption, marriage, or common-law partnership.
Comprehensive Ranking System: Core Human Capital Factors
For the purposes of this table, "PA" refers to the principal applicant and "spouse" refers to the spouse or common-law partner.
Age
| Age (in years) | With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 100) | Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 110) |
|---|---|---|
| under 18 | 0 points | 0 points |
| 18 | 90 | 99 |
| 19 | 95 | 105 |
| 20-29 | 100 | 110 |
| 30 | 95 | 105 |
| 31 | 90 | 99 |
| 32 | 85 | 94 |
| 33 | 80 | 88 |
| 34 | 75 | 83 |
| 35 | 70 | 77 |
| 36 | 65 | 72 |
| 37 | 60 | 66 |
| 38 | 55 | 61 |
| 39 | 50 | 55 |
| 40 | 45 | 50 |
| 41 | 35 | 39 |
| 42 | 25 | 28 |
| 43 | 15 | 17 |
| 44 | 5 | 6 |
| 45 or older | 0 | 0 |
Level of education
| Level of education | With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 140 for PA, 10 for spouse) |
Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 150) |
|---|---|---|
| Less than secondary (high) school credential | 0 points | 0 points |
| Secondary school credential | 28 for PA; 2 for spouse | 30 |
| One-year post-secondary program | 84 for PA; 6 for spouse | 90 |
| Two-year post-secondary program | 91 for PA; 7 for spouse | 98 |
| Post-secondary program of 3 or more years | 112 for PA; 8 for spouse | 120 |
| Two or more post-secondary programs, of which at least one was completed after a post-secondary program of three or more years | 119 for PA; 9 for spouse | 128 |
| Master's or entry-to-practice professional degree | 126 for PA; 10 for spouse | 135 |
| Doctoral Degree (PhD) | 140 for PA; 10 for spouse | 150 |
First Language Ability (English or French)
| 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) |
|---|---|---|
| For each language ability | 32 points for PA; 5 points for spouse | 34 points |
| CLB 3 or lower | 0 | 0 |
| CLB 4 | 6 for PA; 0 for spouse | 6 |
| CLB 5 | 6 for PA; 1 for spouse | 6 |
| CLB 6 | 8 for PA; 1 for spouse | 9 |
| CLB 7 | 16 for PA; 3 for spouse | 17 |
| CLB 8 | 22 for PA; 3 for spouse | 23 |
| CLB 9 | 29 for PA; 5 for spouse | 31 |
| CLB 10 or higher | 32 for PA; 5 for spouse | 34 |
*Points in the chart above are for each language ability: speaking, writing, reading and listening, respectively.
Second Language Ability (English or French)
| Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) | With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 22) | Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 24) |
|---|---|---|
| For each language ability | 6 | 6 |
| CLB 4 or lower | 0 | 0 |
| CLB 5 or 6 | 1 | 1 |
| CLB 7 or 8 | 3 | 3 |
| CLB 9 or higher | 6 | 6 |
*Points in the chart above are for each language ability: speaking, writing, reading and listening, respectively.
Canadian Work Experience
| Number of years | With an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 70 for PA; 10 for spouse) | Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points available: 80) |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 | 0 points | 0 points |
| 1 year | 35 for PA; 5 for spouse | 40 |
| 2 years | 46 for PA; 7 for spouse | 53 |
| 3 years | 56 for PA; 8 for spouse | 64 |
| 4 years | 63 for PA; 9 for spouse | 72 |
| 5 years or more | 70 for PA; 10 for spouse | 80 |
Comprehensive Ranking System: Skill Transferability Factors
A maximum of 100 points are awarded for a candidate's skill transferability factors. There are five combinations of such skill transferability, with a maximum of 50 points awarded for each combination. Even if a candidate scores more than 100 points in total, only 100 points will be awarded under the Comprehensive Ranking System. Candidates with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner are awarded points for skill transferability in exactly the same way. There are no points available for the skill transferability of a candidate's spouse or common-law partner.
For the purposes of this table, "CLB" refers to Canadian Language Benchmark.
Education and Canadian Work Experience
| Education | 1 year of Canadian work experience | 2 or more years of Canadian work experience |
|---|---|---|
| No post-secondary education | 0 | 0 |
| Post-secondary education of 1 year or longer | 13 | 25 |
| Two or more post-secondary credentials, the first of which was 3 or more years in duration | 25 | 50 |
| 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 required | 25 | 50 |
| A university-level credential at the doctoral level | 25 | 50 |
Education and Language Ability
| Education | CLB 7 or higher on all language abilities, with at least one of these CLB 8 | CLB 9 or higher for all language abilities |
|---|---|---|
| No post-secondary education | 0 | 0 |
| Post-secondary education of 1 year or longer | 13 | 25 |
| Two or more post-secondary credentials, the first of which was 3 or more years in duration |
25 | 50 |
| 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 required | 25 | 50 |
| A university-level credential at the doctoral level | 25 | 50 |
Language Ability and Non-Canadian Work Experience
| Non-Canadian Work Experience | CLB 7 or higher on all language abilities, with at least one of these CLB 8 | CLB 9 or higher for all language abilities |
|---|---|---|
| No non-Canadian work experience | 0 | 0 |
| 1 or 2 years of non-Canadian work experience | 13 | 25 |
| 3 or more years of non-Canadian work experience | 25 | 50 |
Canadian and non-Canadian Work Experience
| Experience | 1 year of Canadian work experience | 2 or more years of Canadian work experience |
|---|---|---|
| No non-Canadian work experience | 0 | 0 |
| 1 or 2 years of non-Canadian work experience | 13 | 25 |
| 3 or more years of non-Canadian work experience | 25 | 50 |
Certificate of Qualification in a Trade and Language Ability
| Certificate of Qualification | CLB 5 or higher on all language abilities, with at least one CLB 5 or 6 | CLB 7 or higher on all language abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of qualification in a trade occupation issued by a province | 25 | 50 |
Comprehensive Ranking System: Additional Points
| Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination certificate | Points |
|---|---|
| For an enhanced nomination certificate from a Canadian province (except Quebec) | 600 points |
| Qualifying offer of arranged employment | Points |
| For a qualifying job offer of arranged employment from a Canadian employer if the offer is in an occupation contained in Major Group 00 Senior Management Occupations | 200 points |
| For a qualifying job offer of arranged employment from a Canadian employer 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 one-year or two-year post-secondary program in Canada | 15 points |
If the candidate has either:
|
30 points |
| French language ability | Points |
| If the candidate proves adequate intermediate (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 (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/common-law partner, has a sibling in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of at least 18 years of age
|
15 points |
Points are only assigned for Canadian study experience if, for the purpose of obtaining the credential, the candidate:
- studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
- was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
- was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.
A 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 available number of points for these additional factors for any one candidate is 600 points. Therefore, if a candidate has completed a Canadian post-secondary study program and obtains an enhanced nomination certificate from a Canadian province, 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 in the Express Entry pool are often guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Therefore, individuals interested in immigration to Canada are encouraged to take every opportunity to increase their chances of receiving an invitation to apply. For more information, visit our dedicated page to learn how to improve your CRS score.