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Canada’s Express Entry immigration selection system uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank and select individuals who are eligible to immigrate to Canada under three federal economic immigration programs.
When Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) performs an Express Entry draw from this pool of candidates, the top-ranked candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. These draws occur regularly, approximately once every two weeks. The Comprehensive Ranking System is a dynamic, competitive system — the more points you accumulate, the more likely it is that you will be invited to apply.
Before being assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System score, individuals must first be eligible under one of the following programs:
Candidates in the pool are assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System score out of 1,200.
For single applicants without a spouse or common-law partner, there are:
- Up to 500 points available for core human capital factors, including age, level of education, language ability, and Canadian work experience;
- Up to 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
- Up to 600 points available for additional factors (including a provincial nomination, a valid job offer, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability).
For candidates with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, there are:
- Up to 460 points available for core human capital factors of the principal applicant;
- Up to 40 points for the core human capital factors of the spouse or common-law partner;
- Up to 100 points available for skill transferability factors; and
- Up to 600 points available for additional factors.
Under the 2019-2021 Canada Immigration Levels Plan, the number of new permanent residents admitted through Express Entry over the coming years is set to increase.
- Your CRS score is not high enough? Check out our guide on how to improve your CRS score.
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