The Comprehensive Ranking System is a points-based system that is used to evaluate and score a candidate.
The CRS will assess the candidates based on skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other factors.
If you have a job offer or you were nominated by one of the provinces or territories of Canada under their provincial nominee programs, you will receive additional points.
The job offer needs to be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment and it is the employer's job to ensure this.
Comprehensive Ranking System formula:
A score out of 1,200 will be given based on the Comprehensive Ranking System formula which has 4 parts:
- Skills and experience factors
- Spouse or common-law partner factors (language skills and education)
- Skills transferability (including education and work)
- Additional points (with a valid job offer, with a nomination from a province or territory)
Express Entry – Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria
Summary of points per factor:
A. Core / human capital factors
Factors | Points per factor With a spouse or common-law partner | Points per factor Without a spouse or common-law partner |
Age | 100 | 110 |
Level of education | 140 | 150 |
Official languages proficiency | 150 | 160 |
Canadian work experience | 70 | 80 |
Factors | Points per factor (Maximum 40 points) |
Level of education | 10 |
Official languages proficiency | 20 |
Canadian Work Experience | 10 |
A. Core/human capital + Spouse or common-law partner factors = Maximum 500 points (with OR without a spouse or common-law partner)
C. Skill Transferability factors (Maximum 100 points)
Eduaction | Points per factor (Maximum 50 points) |
With good/strong official languages proficiency and a post-secondary degree | 50 |
With Canadian work experience and a post-secondary degree | 50 |
Foreign work experience | Points per factor (Maximum 50 points) |
With good/strong official languages proficiency and a post-secondary degree | 50 |
With Canadian work experience and a post-secondary degree | 50 |
Certificate of qualification (for people in trade occupations) | Points per factor (Maximum 50 points) |
With good/strong official languages proficiency and a post-secondary degree | 50 |
A. Core/human capital + B. Spouse or common-law partner + C. Transferability factors = Maximum 600 points
D. Additional points (Maximum 600 points)
Factors | Points per factor (Maximum 600 points) |
Arranged employment (positive Labour Market Impact Assessment required) | 600 |
PN nomination | 600 |
A. Core/human capital + B. Spouse or common-law partner factors + C. Transferability factors + D. Additional points = Grand total – Maximum 1,200 points
Points breakdown (Sections):
CRS – A. Core / human capital factors
- With a spouse or common-law partner: Maximum 460 points total for all factors.
- Without a spouse or common-law partner: Maximum 500 points total for all factors.
Age | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 100 points) | Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 110 points) |
17 years of age or less | 0 | 0 |
18 years of age | 90 | 99 |
19 years of age | 95 | 105 |
20 to 29 years of age | 100 | 110 |
30 years of age | 95 | 105 |
31 years of age | 90 | 99 |
32 years of age | 85 | 94 |
33 years of age | 80 | 88 |
34 years of age | 75 | 83 |
35 years of age | 70 | 77 |
36 years of age | 65 | 72 |
37 years of age | 60 | 66 |
38 years of age | 55 | 61 |
39 years of age | 50 | 55 |
40 years of age | 45 | 50 |
41 years of age | 35 | 39 |
42 years of age | 25 | 28 |
43 years of age | 15 | 17 |
44 years of age | 5 | 6 |
45 years of age or more | 0 | 0 |
Level of Education | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 140 points) | Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 150 points) |
Less than secondary school (high school) | 0 | 0 |
Secondary diploma (high school graduation) | 28 | 30 |
One-year degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute | 84 | 90 |
Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute | 91 | 98 |
Bachelor's degree OR a three or more year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute | 112 | 120 |
Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years | 119 | 128 |
Master's degree, OR professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession (For “professional degree,” the degree program must have been in: medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy.) | 126 | 135 |
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.) | 140 | 150 |
Official languages proficiency - first official language
Maximum points for each ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening):
- 32 with a spouse or common-law partner
- 34 without a spouse or common-law partner
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per ability | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 128 points) | Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 136 points) |
Less than CLB 4 | 0 | 0 |
CLB 4 or 5 | 6 | 6 |
CLB 6 | 8 | 9 |
CLB 7 | 16 | 17 |
CLB 8 | 22 | 23 |
CLB 9 | 29 | 31 |
CLB 10 or more | 32 | 34 |
Official languages proficiency - second official language
Maximum points for each ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening):
- 6 with a spouse or common-law partner (up to a combined maximum of 22 points)
- 6 without a spouse or common-law partner (up to a combined maximum of 24 points)
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per ability | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 22 points) | Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 24 points) |
CLB 4 or less | 0 | 0 |
CLB 5 or 6 | 1 | 1 |
CLB 7 or 8 | 3 | 3 |
CLB 9 or more | 6 | 6 |
Canadian work experience | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 70 points) | Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 80 points) |
None or less than a year | 0 | 0 |
1 year | 35 | 40 |
2 years | 46 | 53 |
3 years | 56 | 64 |
4 years | 63 | 72 |
5 years or more | 70 | 80 |
Subtotal: A. Core / human capital factors
- With a spouse or common-law partner – Maximum 460 points
- Without a spouse or common-law partner – Maximum 500 points
CRS – B. Spouse or common-law partner factors (if applicable)
Spouse’s or common-law partner’s level of education | With a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 10 points) |
Less than secondary school (high school) | 0 |
Secondary school (high school graduation) | 2 |
One-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute | 6 |
Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical in school, or other institute | 7 |
Bachelor's degree OR a three or more year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute | 8 |
Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years | 9 |
Master's degree, or professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession (For “professional degree”, the degree program must have been in: medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy.) | 10 |
Doctoral level university degree (PhD) | 10 |
Spouse's or common-law partner's official languages proficiency - first official language
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level per ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening) | Maximum 20 points for section Maximum 5 points per ability |
CLB 4 or less | 0 |
CLB 5 or 6 | 1 |
CLB 7 or 8 | 3 |
CLB 9 or more | 5 |
Spouse's Canadian work experience | Maximum 10 points |
No or less than a year | 0 |
1 year | 5 |
2 years | 7 |
3 years | 8 |
4 years | 9 |
5 years or more | 10 |
Subtotal : A. Core / human capital + B. Spouse or common-law partner factors = Maximum 500 points
CRS – C. Skill transferability factors (Maximum 100 points for this section)
Education
With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [CLB] 7 or higher) and a post-secondary degree | Points for CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, with one or more under CLB 9 (Maximum 25 points) | Points for CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points) |
Secondary school (high school) credential or less (CLB levels 1 & 2) | 0 | 0 |
Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer (CLB levels 3,4 & 5) | 13 | 25 |
Two or more post-secondary program credentials AND at least one of these credentials was issued on completion of a post-secondary program of three years or longer (CLB levels 6,7 & 8) | 25 | 50 |
Foreign work experience – With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [CLB] 7 or higher)
Years of experience | Points for foreign work experience + CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 9 (Maximum 25 points) | Points for foreign work experience + CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points) |
No foreign work experience | 0 | 0 |
1 or 2 years of foreign work experience | 13 | 25 |
3 years or more of foreign work experience | 25 | 50 |
Years of experience | Points for foreign work experience + CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 9 (Maximum 25 points) | Points for foreign work experience + CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points) |
No foreign work experience | 0 | 0 |
1 or 2 years of foreign work experience | 13 | 25 |
3 years or more of foreign work experience | 25 | 50 |
Certificate of qualification (trade occupations) – With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark Level [CLB] 5 or higher) | Points for certificate of qualification + CLB 5 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 7 (Maximum 25 points) | Points for certificate of qualification + CLB 7 or more on all four first official language abilities (Maximum 50 points) |
With a certificate of qualification | 25 | 50 |
Subtotal: A. Core / human capital + B. Spouse or common-law partner + C. Skill transferability factors - Maximum 600 points
Additional points | Maximum 600 points |
Arranged employment (positive Labour Market Impact Assessment required) | 600 |
Provincial or territorial nomination | 600 |
Grand total: A. Core / human capital + B. Spouse or common-law partner + C. Skill transferability factors + D. Additional points = Maximum 1,200 points.