Here’s some vital advice for Express Entry candidates to help them improve their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and receive a Canadian PR
Express Entry is one of the most prominent and fastest ways to Canadian Permanent Residence (PR). But only those candidates with the highest CRS score receive an invitation to apply (ITA) to apply for the Canadian Permanent Residency. Since applicants in the Express Entry pool have to compete to be invited, it is essential to know the various ways to increase your CRS score.
If you have already submitted your Express Entry profile and your CRS score is lower than what is in demand, you have various options to improve your CRS score. Whether you only need a just few points to achieve your desired score or require to get a significant boost to receive your invitation to apply, we will help you know the best way(s) that will work for you. This page will help you recognize the best options for increasing your total CRS score.
To find out the figure of the desired CRS score required to get an invitation to apply, check out the latest list of the Express Entry Draw.
Understanding the matrix of Comprehensive Ranking System: How is the CRS score calculated?
After you have determined your eligibility requirements under one of the Express Entry aligned immigration streams, have created an Express Entry profile, and have been given a CRS score, it might seem that you only have to wait to receive your invitation to apply, but that will happen only if you have been given a high CRS score. In the absence of this, the wait could be extended!
Various opportunities exist to improve your overall rank among other candidates under the Comprehensive Ranking System in the Express Entry Pool. You can work on grabbing these opportunities because even if you have created your Express Entry profile, since the CRS is an ever-changing system and your score still needs to be locked or finalized, you can take all the necessary steps to improve it.
Although some improvements will only increase your CRS score to a few points, this slight increase could make a huge difference. On the other hand, some improvements can bring you as many as 600 additional points in your total CRS score, guaranteeing you will receive an invitation to apply in the next draw from the Express Entry pool.
Checklist: Claim the required points and make yourself eligible
There are still certain areas of the CRS score where you may have missed claiming the necessary points that you can get. Take a detailed overview of the list given below and ensure that you have claimed points across all factors applicable to your profile.
Siblings in Canada
Check if you or your common-law partner or spouse have a brother or a sister residing in Canada, either as a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada. This relationship can exist through blood, marriage, adoption, or common-law partnership. If this is the case, you have to prove the necessary relationship and your total CRS score can increase by 15 points.
Education
This particular strategy is aimed at candidates applying for the Canadian PR as Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Unlike candidates applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), the FSTC and CEC candidates are not required to provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) or any academic documents from a Canadian university or college to become eligible for the Express Entry Program. With education, Educational documents are worth 150 points on their own, and a maximum of 50 points can be gained along with credible language proficiency test scores and Canadian work experience. Does this imply that one can claim up to 200 CRS points?
While creating your Express Entry Profile, you must mention all the excellent education you have completed. Even if you hold a one-year diploma completed eight years ago but not relevant to your current job, you can also claim points on this in your Express Entry Profile. You would be needed to obtain an ECA report for all your educational credentials (unless the education is not completed in Canada). Express Entry System awards points for your education regardless of the field of study and whether or not the degree or diploma relates to your current work.
Second Language
You can claim points for both French and English in your total CRS score. If you are skilled in both languages, then make sure to appear for an approved language test for both French and English to ensure that you are getting extra points on your language abilities. Moreover, there are bonus points available for bilingual candidates, and specific PNP streams prioritize French speakers.
If you have French and English language abilities, take advantage of this opportunity to increase your overall CRS score.
However, if you have made all the necessary efforts to claim your points across the eligibility criteria mentioned, your score is still below the required competitive range. It would help if you considered making a genuine effort to increase your overall CRS score using the strategies described below.
Instant ways to increase your CRS score
Here are some essential recommendations for a reliable way to increase your overall CRS score. This can be done in a matter of a few months if not weeks, if you are determined to put in the real-time effort needed to move toward your final goal.
Reappear for your language tests
If you still need to achieve your desired language test scores, this option could be a faster and short-term way to get that competitive CRS score.
The language ability of a candidate is worth up to a maximum of 260 points and up to 270 points in total when applying along with a spouse. Therefore, language abilities and skills (English and/or French) are not only the most crucial human capital factor under the Express Entry System, but they can also help you gain incremental gains on your overall CRS score.
Additional points are accumulated for a slight improvement of 0.5 points under each language ability: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This particular threshold is when a candidate can achieve a Canadian Language Benchmark or CLB level 9 under each ability. This is mainly because getting a CLB 9 under each language ability triggers an exponential increase in the total points under the skills transferability factor (this factor also considers the points awarded for your educational credentials and total work experience). One slight increase in your language ability score can lead to a giant leap in your total CRS score.
Skills transferability factors have 100 points; therefore, you can gain as many points as you can under this category.
To reach the level of CLB 9 on the IELTS General Training examination, you would need to achieve the following minimum score under the given abilities:
- Listening: 8.0
- Speaking: 7.0
- Reading: 7.0
- Writing: 7.0
Similarly, to reach the level of CLB 9 on the CELPIP General test, you would be required to achieve a minimum score equivalent to 9 under each of the four abilities.
Immigration Experts can help you guide on the strategies to obtain the required language score.
Long-Term ways to improve your CRS score
If you are ready to immigrate to Canada via Express Entry, some slow options will help you improve your CRS score. Some of these options could take you a few months, while others could even take you some years, but they will be an unprecedented gain in long-term planning.
Gain more professional experience
If you have less than three years of full-time or an equivalent amount of part-time work experience while working outside Canada, then you are suggested to gain more work experience. While your total work experience won’t benefit you under the human capital factors, it would undoubtedly reward multiple points in the skills transferability combinations.
The objective of remaining employed is even more critical for immigrants that are currently working in Canada on a work visa. This is because they can gain additional points under the Canadian work experience category if they can maintain legalized work status for the entire term.
Provincial Nominee Programs
You can gain as high as 600-points increase in your total CRS score if a particular province in Canada has nominated you.
IRCC is increasingly giving additional preferences to the provinces under the PNP stream. In turn, these provinces also look towards the Express Entry pool and select specific candidates that would contribute towards the province’s economic development through their in-demand skill sets and work experience.
Over the past few months, Canadian provinces have been using Express Entry-aligned PNP streams in dynamic ways. For instance, Ontario has targeted specific professionals, particularly in the Information Technology (IT) sector; Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia have also opened PNP streams for individuals across a wide range of occupations, which does not require a prior job offer; British Columbia has continued to welcome candidates through its unique immigration system; Manitoba and Alberta also have their immigration programs that are associated with the Express Entry System, and similarly, other provinces are also issuing nominations certificates to eligible and skilled candidates from the Express Entry pool.
Six hundred points are a lot! The points are available to candidates who apply for a Provincial Nominee Program individually or with their Express Entry Profile. Check out the eligibility requirements for every province under their PNP streams, and fetch the required points.
Complete one more educational program
This is a long-term strategy that can help you increase your CRS score. However, gaining more education can help you increase your required score under the Express Entry System. This is because you receive CRS points not only for your academic degrees and diploma but also to gain appointments across the skill transferability factor of the CRS.
You can fetch a maximum of 100 points under the skill transferability factor. Therefore, to maximize your CRS score under this section, based on your education, you would be recommended to complete at least the following level of education:
- Two or more post-secondary educational credentials and at least one should be for a program pursued for three years or longer.
Suppose you have already completed your bachelor’s degree. In that case, you can enroll in another one-year study program, which will help you gain extra points under the skill transferability factor section. Although taking up an additional one or two-year educational program would take a long, it will be a worthwhile investment if you intend to immigrate to Canada.
Move through a Canadian job offer.
To claim specific points under the job offer received from Canada in the Express Entry System, the job offer should meet a strict set of requirements. Although the advantage of obtaining a job offer will contribute towards your CRS score is less significant than it was once when a candidate used to get 600 points but now gets only 50 CRS points, still getting a qualifying job offer is an essential factor.
Take help from your spouse or partner to improve your CRS score
Spouse/Partner Factors
If you are planning to immigrate to Canada with your spouse or common-law partner, then you should be aware that you can claim a maximum of 20 points based on your spouse/partner’s language ability. Additionally, their education level and work experience gained in Canada is worth 10 points for each partner. This makes 40 points that can be claimed under your spouse or partner’s factors.
However, even if you apply as a single applicant, these 40 points can still be distributed across various other factors in our profile. Single applicants have to claim these points under their abilities.