Comprehensive Ranking System for Express Entry explained

Under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System, people around the world who are interested in immigrating to Canada are assigned points for a range of factors.

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 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:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Canadian Experience Class

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 2024-2026 Canada Immigration Levels Plan, the number of new permanent residents admitted through Express Entry over the coming years will increase year-over-year, from around 90,000 in 2024, to 110,770 in 2025. The Comprehensive Ranking System is the mechanism used by Canada’s immigration authorities to decided which skilled workers will be invited to apply for Canada immigration.

Find out your CRS score and more

Your CRS score (sometimes referred to as an Express Entry score) may only be awarded after you enter the Express Entry pool — and you can only enter the pool if you’re eligible for at least one of the federal economic immigration programs managed under Express Entry.

The Moving2Canada Express Entry CRS Calculator lets you check your eligibility for Express Entry and potential CRS points total at the same time, without you handing over personal contact information. No other Express Entry Calculator lets you do all of this.

Comprehensive Ranking System points factors

• Age
• Level of education
• First language ability
• Second language ability
• Canadian work experience

Age

Single candidates may be awarded up to 110 points for age for their Comprehensive Ranking System score. Candidates with a spouse or partner may receive up to 100 points.

Level of education

Up to 150 points are available for level of education under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System.

First Official Languages Proficiency Ability (English or French)

Comprehensive Ranking System points in this chart are for each language proficiency ability: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Therefore, a single candidate may receive up to 136 points (34×4); a candidate with an accompanying spouse or partner may receive up to 148 points (32×4 plus 5×4).

Points for language are awarded only if a candidate completes an approved language test. The points are based on the Canadian Language Benchmark level (CLBs).

Moving2Canada readers can take advantage of a seven-day free trial of online language tutorials. Simply select to Learn English or Learn French and complete the online form.

Second Official Languages Proficiency Ability (English or French)

Points in this chart are for each language ability: speaking, writing, reading and listening.

Up to 24 points are available for a single candidate’s second language ability. Candidates with a spouse/partner “max out” their points for second language ability at 22 points, even if they get results of CLB 9 or higher in all abilities. The spouse/partner is only assessed under his or her first language.

Canadian Work Experience in the Comprehensive Ranking System

Up to 100 points are available for Canadian work experience, making it a key part of the Comprehensive Ranking System for Express Entry. For Canadian work experience to count towards for CRS points, it must have been completed in the last 10 years. This is different to the Canadian work experience requirements of the Canadian Experience Class.   

Also known as combination factors, these points are awarded when a candidate performs well in two areas.

A candidate can only be awarded up to 100 points for skills transferability, even if they qualify for more or all points across all the related factors. Moreover, there are subtotal maximums of 50 points for skills transferability factors involving post secondary (high school) Education, as well as for Foreign work experience. In other words:

• you can’t get more than 100 points overall for skills transferability;
• you can’t get more than 50 points for factors relating to post secondary (high school) Education;
• you can’t get more than 50 points for factors relating to Foreign work experience; and
• 50 points may be awarded for a certificate of qualification in a trade, but the 100-point overall maximum still applies.

No points are available for the skill transferability of a candidate’s spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.

Skills transferability factors for Education

Post Secondary Education and Canadian Work Experience

Post Secondary Education and Language Proficiency Ability

Skills transferability factors for foreign Work Experience

Non-Canadian Work Experience and Official Languages Ability

Canadian and non-Canadian Work Experience

Certificate of Qualification in a Trade and Official Language Ability

The maximum available number of CRS points for these additional factors for any one candidate is 600 additional points.

*Until November, 2016 it was the case that a positive LMIA had to accompany this job offer in order for Comprehensive Ranking System points to be awarded. However, in addition to LMIA-based offers, it is now possible for certain foreign workers in Canada to obtain Comprehensive Ranking System points without a LMIA, but with a valid work permit.

The following table shows which foreign workers in Canada may be able to obtain points for a job offer without a LMIA but with a valid work permit..

** Candidates with a sibling in Canada may be awarded 15 points if the sibling is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and at least 18 years of age. Up to 15 points only may be awarded for this factor; candidates with more than one sibling in Canada will be awarded 15 points in total, not 15 points per sibling. 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.

How important is the CRS score?

The CRS score is one of the most important elements of your Express Entry profile. Your CRS score indicates how strong your profile is in relations to others in the pool. Generally speaking, the higher your CRS score, the more likely you are to receive an invitation to apply (ITA). There are however some instances where your CRS is not the only consideration. Take for instance PNP’s or category- based Express Entry draws. In both cases, your CRS score is not the only thing take into consideration. In these cases, your work experience also plays a pivotal role.

What is the minimum CRS score needed to enter the pool?

There is no minimum CRS required to enter the Express Entry pool. Anyone who is eligible to enter the pool, can enter. To stand a chance at being selected however, you will want to make sure you score as high as you can score. Each Express Entry draw has a CRS cut off. To receive an invitation, your CRS needs to be above the cut off for that draw. So, whilst you can enter the pool with a  CRS of 250, you will want to increase this to get an ITA.

What is a CRS cut off?

If you follow Express Entry draws, you will notice in each draw there is something called a CRS cut off. The CRS cut off is the minimum CRS score accepted for that particular draw. For instance, if an applicant has a CRS score of 470 and the CRS cut off for the latest draw is 469, any applicant scoring 470 will receive an ITA in that draw.

What is the CRS tie- breaking rule?

The CRS tie breaking rule complements the CRS cut off to determine which applicants in the pool should receive an ITA. Take our example above, where the CRS cut off for the latest draw was 469. What happens if there are many applicants in the pool with this CRS score. This is where the tie-breaking rule becomes important. The tie-breaking rule determines the time and date cut an applicant must have entered the pool to receive the ITA. This means it is more advantageous to enter the pool as soon as you become eligible irrespective of your CRS score. You can always update your profile and increase your CRS later on.

How is the CRS cut off determined?

In each draw, IRCC first determine how many applicants they would like to issue ITA’s to. They then invite that many applicants, starting from the highest ranking applicant and moving down the list in order of highest to lowest ranking applicant. If they wanted to invite 3500 applicants in one draw, the CRS cut off and tie breaking rule becomes the CRS score for the 3500th profile selected and the tie breaking rule will be the time and date that applicant entered the pool.

What score is required to receive a Provincial Nominee Program nomination?

There is not set CRS score needed to receive a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination. While the CRS score is important, PNP’s often look at other information when deciding who to nominate, like work experience, family connections to the province or previous work experience/ education within the province. It is also very much dependent on the  province. The province of Ontario is very competitive therefore they tend to select applicants with a CRS of above 470. In comparison, a province like Alberta for instance is known to select applicants with a CRS as low as 300.

Does a PNP nomination increase your CRS score?

Yes, a Provincial Nominee Program nomination from an Express Entry aligned program will increase your CRS score by 600 points. If an applicant has received a PNP nomination from a non- Express Entry aligned program, they will not get 600 points for their Express Entry profile however they can apply for Canadian permanent residence a different way, not using the Express Entry system. Either way, a PNP nomination is great!

What CRS score should an applicant aim for?

The CRS cut off changes with each draw therefore it is hard to say what CRS score an applicant should aim for. Generally, an applicant should aim to get the most CRS points available to them, and then explore avenues to increase that CRS score. Remember, the higher an applicant scores, the higher the chance that they will be selected.

We’ve created a resource that explains this in detail. Visit our How to Improve Your CRS Score page for more.