Prospective After the age of 35, certain Canadian immigrants are discouraged from applying for Express Entry.
This is mostly due to points deducted from their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
The CRS is used by the Express Entry application management system to rank and order qualified Express Entry applicants based on their human capital elements before they receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
In addition to age, the CRS analyzes a candidate’s language skills, education, job experience, and occupation.
How Age Can Affect Your CRS Score
Many potential Canadian immigrants are discouraged from considering Express Entry as a road to Canadian permanent residency since IRCC’s CRS deducts points for each year an applicant is above the age of 29.
The chart below shows the maximum CRS points available to candidates according to their age.
| Age (in years) | With an accompanying spouse (maximum points: 100) | Without an accompanying spouse (maximum points: 110) |
| Under 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 90 | 99 |
| 19 | 95 | 105 |
| 20-29 | 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 and Over | 0 | 0 |
Best Practices to Maximize Express Entry Success
Although Express Entry applicants aged 35 and over will score less CRS points due to their age, the three tactics listed below can assist older potential immigrants increase their chances of receiving an Express Entry ITA.
Review the eligibility for category-based selection draws.
Express Entry candidates who are concerned about earning a high CRS score might consider applying for an ITA through IRCC’s category-based Express Entry lottery.
This is because, as indicated by the distribution of CRS scores this year, category-based draws allow qualified applicants to take advantage of a lower CRS cut-off criterion.
So far in 2024, no general or program-specific Express Entry draws have had a minimum/cut-off CRS score of less than 524. In contrast, the IRCC’s CRS cut-off for category-based drawings has been at least 33 points lower in each of the 2024 rounds.
As a result, elder Express Entry applicants may not have to worry about the effect of age on their CRS score if they can obtain an Express Entry ITA through category-based lotteries.
Add your spouse to the Express Entry application (if eligible).
Express Entry candidates who have a spouse who is also qualified for Express Entry may consider adding them to their application. This is because the CRS gives applicants bonus points if they apply with their spouse.
In reality, IRCC has a separate area in the CRS for “spouse or common-law partner factors”.
This category awards candidates with up to 40 additional CRS points, which are distributed as follows based on three separate parameters.
A maximum of 10 additional CRS points for spouse/partner’s education.
A maximum of 20 extra CRS points for spouse/partner’s official language competence.
A maximum of 10 additional CRS points for spouse/partner’s Canadian employment experience.
Alternatively, two qualified individuals in a qualifying relationship may be eligible for Express Entry. The person with the highest possible CRS score should be the primary candidate on the Express Entry profile submitted to IRCC.
Increase language proficiency.
IRCC honours candidates who have language skills that exceed the program’s basic standards. For example, even if an applicant only needs a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), they will be rewarded if they achieve a higher level, up to CLB 10.
For each of the four evaluated language skills* under first official language proficiency, a CLB 7 would get 16 CRS points for a single (no spouse or common-law partner) primary applicant. Meanwhile, a CLB 10 would get the same candidate 32 points.
*The four assessed language skills by the IRCC are reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
For second language proficiency, a candidate can get 3 CRS points (per skill) at CLB levels 7 or 8, whereas a score of CLB 9 or higher earns 6 points per skill.
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