All skilled immigration applicants that are eligible for the Express Entry System will be placed into the pool of candidates. Candidates in the pool are then ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS is used to determine which applicants in the pool will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
The CRS is a points-based system that gives a score to a candidate based on the information in the candidate’s profile. These scores allow candidates in the pool to be ranked against each other. Applicants are given points based on the following factors:
- Skills
- Work experience
- Language ability
- Language ability and education of the applicant’s spouse or common law partner
- Possession of a job offer supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment
- Possession of a provincial government nomination for permanent residence
- Certain combinations of language skills, education and work experience that result in a higher chance of the applicant becoming employed (skill transferability).
Using these factors, applicants will be given a score out of a maximum of 1,200 points. The highest ranked applicants will be offered an invitation to apply for permanent residence (ITA) during period draws.
The CRS prioritizes applicants who are likely to successfully settle and have a positive economic impact within Canada. For this reason, having an approved job offer or a provincial nomination for permanent residence will have a very positive impact on an applicant’s score.
Having an approved job offer in a managerial field (National Occupation Classification 00) is worth 200 points, while all other job offers (NOC O, A, B) is worth 50 points. Both points allocations will serve to significantly strengthen a candidate’s profile.
A provincial nomination will automatically result in 600 points being given to an applicant. This allocation of points will almost always guarantee that a candidate will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Compare previous draws to learn the minimum cut off scores needed to qualify for an ITA here.