Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Grid

Ruben Smith

6 min read

Updated On Aug 14, 2024

Human Capital/ Core factors
Spouse or common-law partner factors (If Applicable)
Skill Transferability Factors

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The Canadian government has developed a merit-based point system to rank all the candidates who have applied for immigration. This system, known as the Comprehensive Ranking System, accredits a score to each candidate in the Express Entry Program pool. The score assigned to each candidate is called the CRS score.

The CRS score is calculated on the basis of mostly six aspects under four major categories.

The table or diagram that shows the detailed breakdown of the CRS points for the ranking under the Express Entry Program is the Comprehensive Ranking System Grid.

Tips to Increase CRS Points

Let us have a look at the CRS Grid so that we can have an idea of our CRS score before applying to the Express Entry Program for permanent residence.

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Human Capital/ Core factors

Under the first major factor, an applicant can achieve a maximum mark score of 500 (if he is single) or 460 (if the applicant is accompanied by the spouse or common-law partner). The four sub-divisions under this factor are age, education, language proficiency and work experience.

AGE
Age / Age Group ↓	For a Single Candidate (Maximum point = 110)	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 100)
17 years or less	0	0
18 years	99	90
19 years	105	95
20-29 years	110	100
30 years	105	95
31 years	99	90
32 years	94	85
33 years	88	80
34 years	83	75
35 years	77	70
36 years	72	65
37 years	66	60
38 years	61	55
39 years	55	50
40 years	50	45
41 years	39	35
42 years	28	25
43 years	17	15
44 years	6	5
45 years or more	0	0

EDUCATION
Qualification/Level ↓	For a Single Candidate (Maximum point = 150)	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 140)
Below high secondary level (High school level is the minimum qualification)	0	0
Secondary diploma (High School Graduate)	30	28
One year post secondary program (It can be a degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	90	84
Two years post secondary program (It is a program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	98	91
Three years or more post-secondary program credential or a Bachelor’s degree (It is a program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	120	112
Two or more post-secondary program credentials with one of them being for at least three years (It can be certificates, diplomas, or degrees)	128	119
Master’s Degree or Entry level professional degree (The professional degree has to be such that it is essential for licenced professions like medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy)	135	126
Doctorate Level or PhD.	150	140

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
*First Language Proficiency*
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level	For a Single Candidate (Maximum point = 136 where the maximum point for each of the four skills is 34)	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 128 where the maximum point for each of the four skills is 32)
Less than CLB 4	0	0
CLB 4 – 5	6	6
CLB 6	9	8
CLB 7	17	16
CLB 8	23	22
CLB 9	31	29
CLB 10 or more	34	32
*Second Language Proficiency*
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level	For a Single Candidate (Maximum point = 24 where the maximum point for each skill is 6)	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 22 where the maximum point for each skill is 6)
CLB 4 or less than CLB 4	0	0
CLB 5 – 6	1	1
CLB 7 – 8	3	3
CLB 9 or more	6	6

WORK EXPERIENCE
Years of Work Experience in Canada	For a Single Candidate (Maximum point = 80)	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 70)
0 to less than 12 months	0	0
1	40	35
2	53	46
3	64	56
4	72	63
More than 5	80	70

Spouse or common-law partner factors (If Applicable)

You have to remember that if your spouse or partner is not accompanying you to Canada, or they are already a permanent resident in Canada/ citizen of Canada, you will earn points as if you are single when you apply for permanent residence. The spouse/partner is only assessed under his or her first language and not both the first and second language proficiency like the main applicant.

EDUCATION
Qualification/Level of the Spouse or Common-Law Partner ↓	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 10)	For a Single Candidate
Below high secondary level (High school level is the minimum qualification)	0	Not Applicable
Secondary diploma (High School Graduate)	2
One year post secondary program (It can be a degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	6
Two years post secondary program (It is a program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	7
Three years or more post-secondary program credential or a Bachelor’s degree (It is a program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute)	8
Two or more post-secondary program credentials with one of them being for at least three years (It can be certificates, diplomas, or degrees)	9
Master’s Degree or Entry level professional degree (The professional degree has to be such that it is essential for licenced professions like medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy)	10
Doctorate Level or PhD.	10

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
*First Language Proficiency of Spouse or Common-Law Partner*
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level	For a Single Candidate	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 20 where the maximum point for each of the four skills is 5)
CLB 4 or less than CLB 4	Not Applicable	0
CLB 5 – 6		1
CLB 7 – 8		3
More than CLB 9		5

WORK EXPERIENCE
Years of Work Experience in Canada of the Spouse or Common-law partner	For a Single Candidate	For a Candidate with accompanying spouse or common-law partner (Maximum score = 10)
0 to less than 12 months	Not Applicable	0
1		5
2		7
3		8
4		9
More than 5		10

The score from this two sections is:

Core / human capital + Spouse or common-law partner factors = Maximum 500 points

Skill Transferability Factors

Under this section, there are five combinations of points – ‘Education and Canadian Work Experience’, ‘Education and Language Ability’, ‘Language Ability and Non-Canadian Work Experience’, ‘Canadian and non-Canadian Work Experience’ and ‘Certificate of Qualification in a Trade and Language Ability’. A candidate earns upto 50 points for each of these combinations, and in the end, the candidate will earn an overall point of 100 from any two of the five combinations. No points are available for the skill transferability of a candidate’s spouse or common-law partner even if it is applicable.

EDUCATION & LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Level	Points for CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, with one or more under CLB 8 (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	0	0
Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer	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	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 & CANADIAN WORK EXPERIENCE
Level	Points for education + 1 year of Canadian work experience (Maximum 25 points)	Points for education + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience (Maximum 50 points)
Secondary school (high school) credential or less	0	0
Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer	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	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 & NON – CANADIAN WORK EXPERIENCE
Years of Work 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 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 & NON – CANADIAN WORK EXPERIENCE
Years of Work Experience	Points for foreign work experience + 1 year or more of Canadian work experience (Maximum 25 points)	Points for foreign work experience + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience (Maximum 50 points)
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
	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 Certificate of Qualification	25	50

CERTIFICATE OF QUALIFICATION IN A TRADE AND LANGUAGE ABILITY

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 Certificate of Qualification

After the calculation of the three factors, the formula is:

Core / human capital + Spouse or common-law partner (500) + Skill transferability factors (100)= Maximum 600 points

Additional Factors

Irrespective of a single or engaged candidate, the maximum points under additional factors is 600.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS	POINTS
Sibling in Canada who is a citizen or PR visa holder	15
French language proficiency	30
Post-secondary education in Canada:
credential of one or two years	15
credential three years or longer	30
Arranged employment
National Occupational Classification oo	200
any other National Occupational Classification 0, A or B	50
PNP nomination	600

Finally, the formula looks like this:

Core / human capital + Spouse or common-law partner (500) + Skill transferability factors (100) + Additional points (600) = Maximum 1,200 points

Also Check:

CRS Based on Age

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Express Entry pool's eligibility requirements?

Applicants applying through federal skilled/trade worker programs must score a minimum of 67 out of 100 to be considered for the Express Entry pool.

What is the minimum band required for Express Entry?

Applicants who are applying through the Express Entry program are required to score a minimum of 6 IELTS or CLB 7 scores to be eligible to apply for Canada PR.

How many additional points can my spouse help me earn in my Express Entry application?

If your spouse or common-law partner is accompanying you to Canada, then you can utilize your spouse's score to enhance your overall CRS score. Under the adaptability section, your spouse can contribute a maximum of 460 total points.

How can I verify my educational documents for Canada?

An educational credential assessment (ECA) is used to ensure that your foreign degree, diploma, or certificate (or other documentation of your credential) is genuine and equivalent to one issued in Canada.

How much does it cost to create an Express Entry profile?

Creating an Express Entry profile is free of charge. Only when you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and submit a complete application will you be required to pay a processing fee of about 50,000 INR per application.