A guide to determining CRS score under Canada Express Entry in 2022

When understanding the Canada immigration process, it becomes necessary for you to figure how CRS scores are determined. If you are equipped with the information, you can do enough to reach the minimum required score for entering the Canada Express Entry system. You can also improve the scores once you are in the Express Entry pool.

So, let’s delve into the knowledge of how CRS scores are determined.

Core/Human capital factors
Human Capital Factors	Points per factor (With a common-law partner or spouse)		Points per factor (Without a common-law partner or spouse)
Age	100		110
Education level	140		150
Proficiency in official languages	150		160
Work experience in Canada	70		80
Common-law partner/spouse factors
Factors		Points per factor  (Max 40 points)
Education level		10
Proficiency in the official language		20
Work Experience in Canada		10

Core/human capital + Common-law partner/spouse factors = Max 500 points (with OR without a common-law partner/spouse)

Skill Transferability factors (Max 100 pts)
Education	Points per factor  (Max 50 points)
A post-secondary degree and good/strong official languages proficiency	50
A post-secondary degree and work experience in Canada	50
Foreign work experience	Points per factor  (Max 50 points)
Foreign work experience and good/strong official languages proficiency (minimum CLB level 7)	50
Foreign work experience and work experience in Canada	50

Certificate of qualification (for those in trade occupations)	Points per factor  (Max 50 points)
Certificate of qualification and good/strong proficiency in official languages	50

Core/human capital + Common-law partner/Spouse + Transferability factors = Max 600 points

Additional points (Max 600 points)
Factor	Max points per factor
Brother/sister living in Canada (Canada PR or citizen)	15
Language skills in French	50
Canadian post-secondary education	30
PN nomination	600
Arranged employment	200

Core/human capital + Common-law partner/spouse factors + Transferability factors + Additional points = Grand total – Max 1,200 points

Section-wise breakdown of points

CRS – Core/human capital factors

• With a common-law partner/spouse: Max 460 points total for all factors.
• Without a common-law partner/spouse: Max 500 points total for all factors.

Age in years	With a  common-law partner/spouse  (Max 100 points)	Without a common-law partner/ spouse  (Max 110 points)
17 or less	0	0
18	90	99
19	95	105
20 to 29	100	110
30	95	105
31	90	99
32	85	94
33	80	88
34	75	83
35	70	77
36	65	72
37	60	66
38	55	61
39	50	55
40	45	50
41	35	39
42	25	28
43	15	17
44	5	6
45 or above	0	0
Education Level		With a common-law partner/spouse  (Max 140 points)	Without a common-law partner/ spouse  (Max 150 points)
Less than secondary school (high school)		0	0
A secondary diploma (high school graduation)		28	30
1-year diploma, degree, or certificate from a university, trade or technical school, college, or other institutes		84	90
2-year program at a university, trade or technical school, college, or other institutes		91	98
Bachelor's degree OR a 3 or more year’s program at a university, trade or technical school, college, or other institutes		112	120
2 or more certificates, degrees, or diplomas. One must be for a program of 3 or more years		119	128
Master's/professional degree required to practice in a licensed profession (“Professional degree” must have been in dentistry, medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, law, pharmacy, or chiropractic medicine)		126	135
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)		140	150

 Proficiency in official languages - first language

Max points for each language ability (writing, reading, listening, and speaking):

• 32 with a common-law partner or spouse
• 34 without a common-law partner or spouse

CLB level per ability	With a common-law partner or spouse  (Max 128 points)	Without a common-law partner or spouse  (Max 136 points)
Less than 4	0	0
4 or 5	6	6
6	8	9
7	16	17
8	22	23
9	29	31
10 or above	32	34

 Proficiency in official languages - second language

Max points for each ability (writing, reading, listening, and speaking):

• 6 with a common-law partner/spouse (up to a combined max point of 22)
• 6 without a common-law partner/spouse (up to a combined max point of 24)

CLB level per ability	With a common-law partner/spouse  (Max 22 points)	Without a common-law partner/spouse  (Max 24 points)
4 or less	0	0
5 or 6	1	1
7 or 8	3	3
9 or above	6	6
Work experience in Canada in years	With a common-law partner/spouse  (Max 70 points)	Without a common-law partner/spouse  (Max 80 points)
None or less than a year	0	0
1	35	40
2	46	53
3	56	64
4	63	72
5 or more	70	80

Subtotal: Core/human capital factors

• With a common-law partner/spouse – Max 460 points
• Without a common-law partner/spouse – Max 500 points

CRS – B. Common-law partner/spouse factors (if applicable)

Common-law partner/spouse’s education level	With common-law partner/spouse  (Max 10 points)	Without common-law partner/spouse  (Doesn’t apply)
Less than secondary school (high school)	0	NA
Secondary school (high school graduation)	2
1-year program at a university, trade or technical school, college, or other institutes	6
2-year program at a university, trade or technical in school, college, or other institutes	7
Bachelor's degree or a 3 or more years’ program at a university, trade or technical school, college, or other institutes	8
2 or more diplomas, certificates, or degrees. One must be for a program of 3 or more years	9
Master's/professional required to practice in a licensed profession ( “Professional degree”, must have been in dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, chiropractic medicine, law, or pharmacy)	10
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)	10

Common-law partner/spouse's proficiency in official languages - first  language

CLB level per ability (writing, reading, listening, and speaking)	Max 20 points for section  Max 5 points per ability	Without common-law partner/spouse  (Doesn’t apply)
CLB 4 or less	0	NA
CLB 5 or 6	1
CLB 7 or 8	3
CLB 9 or more	5

Spouse's work experience in Canada in years	Max 10 points	Without common-law partner/spouse (Doesn’t apply)
None or less than 1 year	0	NA
1	5
2	7
3	8
4	9
5 or more	10

Subtotal: Core / human capital + Common-law partner/spouse factors = Max 500 points

CRS – Skill transferability factors (Max 100 points)

Education

A post-secondary degree and an official language proficiency of CLB level 7 or higher	Points for CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, with 1 or more under CLB 9  (Max 25 points)	Points for CLB 9 or more on all 4 first official language abilities  (Max 50 points)
Secondary school (high school) credential or less	0	0
Post-secondary program credential of 1 year or more	13	25
At least 2 post-secondary program credentials as well as a minimum of one of them was issued on completion of a post-secondary program of 3 years or more	25	50
A credential of university-level at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the NOC matrix at Skill Level A requiring licensing by a provincial regulatory body	25	50
A credential of university-level at the doctoral level	25	50
A post-secondary degree and work experience in Canada	Points for education + 1 year of work experience in Canada  (Max 25 points)	Points for education + 2 years or more of work experience in Canada  (Max 50 points)
Secondary school (high school) credential or less	0	0
Post-secondary program credential of 1 year or longer	13	25
At least 2 post-secondary program credentials and a minimum of one of them was issued on finishing a post-secondary program of at least 3 years duration	25	50
A credential of university-level at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the NOC matrix at Skill Level A for which a provincial regulatory body’s license is needed	25	50
A credential of university-level at the doctoral level	25	50

Foreign work experience – Language proficiency of CLB Level 7 or higher

Foreign work experience in years	Points for foreign work experience + CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 9  (Max 25 points)	Points for foreign work experience + CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities  (Max 50 points)
No foreign work experience	0	0
1 - 2	13	25
3 or more	25	50

Foreign work experience – With work experience in Canada

Foreign work experience in years	Points for foreign work experience + 1 year of Canadian work experience  (Max 25 points)	Points for foreign work experience + 2 years or more of Canadian work experience  (Max 50 points)
No foreign work experience	0	0
1 - 2	13	25
3 or more	25	50
Qualification certificate (trade occupations) – With official language proficiency of CLB 5 or higher	Points for qualification certificate + CLB 5 or more on all first official language abilities, one or more under 7  (Max 25 points)	Points for qualification certificate + CLB 7 or more on all 4 first official language abilities  (Max 50 points)
With a certificate of qualification	25	50

Subtotal: Core / human capital + Common-law partner/spouse + Skill transferability factors - Max 600 points

CRS – Additional points (Max 600 points)

Additional points	Max 600 points
Brother/sister living in Canada who is a Canada PR/citizen	15
Scored at least NCLC 7 on all 4 French language skills and scored CLB 4 or lower in English (or didn’t take an English test)	25
Scored at least NCLC 7 on all 4 French language skills and at least CLB 5 on all 4 English skills	50
Canadian Post-secondary education - credential of 1 - 2 years	15
Canadian post-secondary education - credential 3 years or more	30
Arranged employment - NOC 00	200
Arranged employment – any other NOC 0, A, or B	50
Provincial/territorial nomination	600

Subtotal: Additional points – Max 600 points

Grand total: Core / human capital + Common-law partner/spouse + Skill transferability factors + Additional points = Max 1,200 points

Note: In case your partner/spouse isn’t joining you to come to Canada or they are a Canada PR/citizen, you will earn points considering the scenario as equal to not having a partner/spouse.

Know your eligibility for Canada immigration. Use the Canada points calculator.

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Note:

PR – Permanent Residence/Permanent Resident

NOC – National Occupational Classification

CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark