So you want to become a Canadian permanent resident. That's a huge goal, and honestly, Express Entry is the main gateway for skilled workers. Let me explain how it works in plain language—the way I wish someone had explained it to me. The system rewards your age, education, language skills, and work experience. No more job offer points (that changed in 2025, and it shook things up). Now it's all about you as a person. Here's what you need to know.
What Is Express Entry?
Express Entry is Canada's online system for managing applications for permanent residence under three programs: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). You create a profile, get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, and go into a pool. Periodically, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds "draws"—they invite the highest-scoring people (or people in specific categories) to apply for PR. It's competitive, but it's also transparent. You know exactly how you're scored.
The 2025 Game-Changer: Job Offer Points Are Gone
This is massive. Until 2025, having a valid job offer could give you 50 to 200 extra CRS points. That meant employers had a lot of power over who got invited. Now? Zero. Job offer points have been removed. Your score is based purely on your human capital: age, education, language, and work experience. In my opinion, that's fairer—it levels the playing field for people who don't have a Canadian employer yet. But it also means you can't rely on a job offer to boost your score. You need to max out what you can control.
Why the change? The government wanted to reduce employer influence and focus on selecting people who will succeed in Canada based on their own skills and potential. It also cuts down on fraud—no more fake job offers for points.
How the CRS Score Works
The Comprehensive Ranking System gives you up to 1,200 points (without a spouse) or 1,200 points (with a spouse). The breakdown is: core factors (age, education, language, experience), and skill transferability (bonus points for combinations). Let me break it down in a way that actually helps you plan.
Age: The Biggest Factor for Young Applicants
Age matters a lot. If you're single, you get the most points (110) when you're 20 to 29. With a spouse, the max is 100 at that same age range. After 30, your points start dropping. By 40, you're down significantly. By 45, you get zero points for age. It's harsh, but that's the reality. If you're in your early 20s with a degree and strong language, you're in a very strong position. If you're 35 or 40, you need to compensate with higher education, better language scores, or more experience—or consider a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which can add 600 points and effectively guarantee an invite.
Education: Canadian or ECA-Validated
Your education is scored based on the highest credential you have. A PhD gets the most points. A bachelor's degree is solid. A college diploma is less, but still valuable. If your degree is from outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization to prove it's equivalent to a Canadian credential. Do this early—ECAs can take weeks. Without it, you can't claim those points.
Language: The Golden Ticket
Language is huge. You take IELTS, CELPIP, or TEF/TEFAQ (for French). For maximum CRS impact, you want CLB 9 or higher in all four abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The difference between CLB 7 and CLB 9 is substantial—we're talking dozens of points. And here's the thing: French is the golden ticket right now. If you have strong French (and especially French plus English), you can get significant bonus points and access category-based draws with much lower CRS cutoffs. Honestly, if you're even slightly interested in learning French, consider it. It could be the difference between waiting years and getting invited in months.
Test early and retest if needed: Language scores expire after two years. Plan your test so it's valid when you expect to be in the pool. If you're close to the next CLB level, it's often worth retaking—a single point in one skill can push you into a higher band and add meaningful points.
Skill Transferability: The Bonus Combos
You can get up to 100 extra points for "skill transferability"—basically, strong combinations of language + education, or language + work experience. For example, high language scores plus a Master's degree gives you a nice bump. High language plus five years of skilled work experience does too. These are the points that separate people with similar core scores. Don't ignore them.
Category-Based Selection: Your Shortcut
IRCC doesn't only do general draws. They also invite people in specific categories, often with lower CRS cutoffs than the general pool. The categories change based on labour market needs, but in 2025–2026 they've included:
- French language proficiency — Highest priority. If you have strong French, you can get invited with a CRS that would never get you a general invite. I can't stress this enough.
- Healthcare occupations — Nurses, doctors, lab techs, and similar roles.
- STEM — Software developers, engineers, data scientists, and related jobs.
- Trades — Electricians, plumbers, welders, construction supervisors.
- Transport — Truck drivers, pilots, and others.
- Agriculture — Farm managers and certain agricultural workers.
If you fit one of these categories, you might get invited even with a CRS in the 400s or 500s, while the general draws could be in the 540s or higher. Check the current categories on the IRCC website—they publish the draws and the minimum scores.
Category draws aren't guaranteed: IRCC decides when to run category-based draws and how many people to invite. If your category hasn't had a draw in a while, you might wait. But when they do run one, the cutoffs are usually much lower than general draws.
Honest Advice by Age Group
20–25: You're in the sweet spot for age points. Use it. Get your degree (or finish it), take the language test and aim for CLB 9+, and if you can, get a year or two of skilled work experience. If you have the option to learn French, do it—you could be looking at an invite within a year or two. Honestly, don't wait. Every year you age, you lose points.
30–35: You're still competitive, but you need to max everything else. Strong language (CLB 9 ideally), a Master's if possible, and solid work experience. Look at skill transferability—those combo points matter. If your CRS is stuck in the high 400s or low 500s, consider a PNP. Many provinces have streams that can add 600 points and get you invited. It might mean committing to a specific province for a few years, but it works.
35–45: Age is working against you now. You need exceptional language, a high degree, and as much skilled experience as possible. PNP is often your best bet—Ontario, BC, Alberta, and others have streams for skilled workers. Some target specific occupations. Also look at category-based draws: if you're in healthcare, STEM, or trades, you might get invited with a lower CRS. Don't give up; the path is different, not closed.
What to Prioritize: A Practical Order
If you're just starting, here's how I'd approach it. First, take the language test. You need to know where you stand. If you're below CLB 7, work on it—that's the minimum for Express Entry in most cases. If you're at CLB 9 or can get there, you're in great shape. Second, get your ECA done. It takes time, and you can't enter the pool without it. Third, calculate your CRS (use the official calculator on the IRCC website or a reliable third-party tool). See how you compare to recent draw cutoffs.
If you're close, polish your profile and wait for a draw. If you're far, consider: French classes (seriously), a higher degree, more work experience, or a PNP. And if you're in a category-based occupation, make sure your NOC code is correct—that's what they use to filter.
Express Entry is competitive, but it's also one of the fairest immigration systems out there. Your score is your score. There's no hidden preference. Focus on what you can control—language, education, experience—and keep an eye on the draw trends. Good luck. You've got this.