How can I improve my Express Entry CRS score?

Good scores at the languages tests are key to your success

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Canada’s Express Entry immigration system is very competitive. Only the highest-ranked candidates are issued an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence, based on the Comprehensive Ranking System score assigned to them when they enter the pool of candidates.

Candidates have then 90 days to submit their completed application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes the majority of applications within six months.

This page will clearly lay out the ways in which candidates already in the pool can increase their CRS score and ranking, thereby increasing their chances of being invited to apply.

Language proficiency

Language tests are high points earners. You will see significant rise in your CRS points with higher language scores. So it is wise to practice and give your best for the language tests.

Beside the fact that you will get more CRS language points with a better Canadian Language Benchmark, CLB (for example, for your first language and if you are single, when you improve your score from CLB 7 to 8 in each ability, you will get 6 x 4 = 24 more points), there are other additional points. You could get 100 additional points from skill transferability factors, almost guaranteeing you to be drawn from the pool. For candidates in the Federal Skilled Workers program (that do not have Canadian work experience), scoring a CLB 9 in all four language abilities is what could make you stand out:

• ​​If you have at least CLB 9 in all four abilities, and a Master's degree (which theoretically had to obtain a Bachelors first that is usually 4 years long), you will get an additional 50 points. This is why it is extremely important to assess all your credentials with an ECA and not just your highest degree (check here for the ECA page), it will not cost you more money if you do it in one take.
• If you have at least CLB 9 in all four abilities, and 3 years of non-Canadian work experience, you will get an additional 50 points.

 If you speak French, you can get 30 additional points:

• You could get 30 additional points if you have CLB 7 in French and CLB 5 in English (in all abilities).
• You could get 15 additional points if have CLB 7 in French and less than CLB 5 in English, or no English test results at all.

Education

For For the Canada Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program, you can earn up to 230 additional points if you provide educational credentials:

• You can earn 15 or 30 points if your credential is Canadian. 15 points if one or two years long and 30 points if three or more years long.
• You can earn up to 150 points if you have a non-Canadian credential and provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). The number of points depend on your highest level of education.
• You can earn up to 50 additional points if you combine your education with Canadian work experience or with your language proficiency.

Non-Canadian work experience

If you are working outside Canada but have less than three years of full-time work experience, just keep working. While non-Canadian work experience won’t bring points under the human capital factors, it is rewarded in the skills transferability combinations. 

If you have CLB 9 on all language abilities, and 2 years and 9 months of non-Canadian work experience, you just wait 3 more months, and you will add 25 additional points to your CRS score (you go from 25 points to 50 points). 

Spouse/Partner Points

You need to be very strategic when choosing who will be the principal applicant in the couple. We would recommend that each person in the couple calculates its score and see which combination gets the couple the maximum points. 

If for example, the spouse is 27 years old, and the principal applicant has 35 years, it might be more beneficial for the spouse to be the principal applicant as he/she will get maximum points for age.  

Job Offer

If you succeed in finding a job offer that valid according to IRCC, you will be rewarded with a 50 or 200 points bump in your CRS score:

• 200 points if the job offer is under NOC 00 (Senior Management), or
• 50 points for any other NOC 0, A or B.

Provincial Nominee Programs

If you want a 600-point addition to your CRS score, it’s time to learn about the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

If interested, you will need to apply for a province or territory, which takes more time, energy and money. For Ontario for example, you might need to wait for at least 2 months to get your Nomination, and  pay $1,500. However, if you feel like there is no possibility for you to get to the CRS cutoff, this might be your only way to get an Invitation to Apply. 

​Check out which PNPs are currently open here.

Follow our 10-step guide here to become a permanent resident under Express Entry.

Check out the latest Express Entry draws here.