Prospective Canadian immigrants are sometimes discouraged from applying for Express Entry once they turn 35.

The main reason for this is the decline in their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

The Express Entry application management system uses the CRS to rank and order eligible Express Entry candidates based on human capital factors before they can receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

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In addition to age, CRS also considers the candidate’s language ability, education, work experience and occupation.

How age can affect your CRS score

Many prospective Canadian immigrants are deterred from opting for Express Entry as a path to Canadian PR because IRCC’s CRS deducts points for each year the applicant is over 29 years of age.

The table below outlines the maximum CRS marks available to candidates based on their age.

Best practices for maximising your chances of Express Entry success

Although Express Entry candidates aged 35 and older will receive fewer CRS points due to their age, the following three strategies can help older potential immigrants increase their chances of obtaining an Express Entry ITA.

Review eligibility for category-based selection draws

Express Entry candidates who are concerned about achieving a high CRS score should consider pursuing an ITA through IRCC’s category-based Express Entry draw.

This is because the CRS marks distribution this year clearly shows that candidates qualified through category-based draw generally benefit from a lower CRS cut-off requirement.

Notably, so far in 2024, there has been no general or program-specific Express Entry draw with a minimum/cut-off CRS score lower than 524. On the other hand, IRCC’s CRS cut-off for category-based draws has been at least 33 points lower in each 2024 draw.

Accordingly, if older Express Entry candidates have the opportunity to obtain an Express Entry ITA through a category-based draw, they will not have to worry about the impact of age on their CRS score.

Add spouse to Express Entry application (if eligible)

Candidates applying with an eligible spouse for Express Entry can explore the possibility of including them in the application. This is because CRS awards additional points to candidates if they apply with their spouse.

In fact, IRCC has an entire category in the CRS dedicated to “spouse or common-law partner factors.”

Candidates in this category are awarded 40 additional CRS marks which are divided according to three different factors as follows.

• Maximum 10 additional CRS points for spouse/partner’s education
• Maximum 20 additional CRS points for official language proficiency of spouse/partner
• Up to 10 additional CRS points for spouse/partner’s work experience in Canada

Alternatively, if two eligible candidates are eligible for Express Entry in a qualifying relationship, the person with the higher potential CRS score should be the main candidate on the Express Entry profile submitted to IRCC.

Increase language proficiency

IRCC rewards candidates for having language ability above the program’s minimum requirements. For example, even if a candidate only needs a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the candidate will be rewarded if they achieve a higher level – up to CLB 10.

Specifically, for each of the four language skills* tested under First Official Language Proficiency, a CLB 7 will earn a single (without a spouse or common-law partner) primary applicant 16 CRS points. A CLB 10, on the other hand, will earn the same candidate 32 points.

*There are four language skills tested by IRCC: reading, writing, speaking and listening

For second language proficiency, a candidate can also earn 3 CRS points (per skill) at CLB level 7 or 8, but at CLB 9 or above the candidate will get 6 points per skill.

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