What’s the difference between FSW Points and CRS points?

Embarking on your journey of immigrating to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, it’s crucial to comprehend the application process from start to finish. Navigating the minimum eligibility requirements, document checklists, and various rules can be intricate and bewildering. One of the primary points of confusion lies in the fact that a potential applicant for the FSW program must accumulate points through two grading systems:

Initially, you need to amass a minimum of 67 FSW points before you’re even able to create a profile in the Express Entry system.

Then, once the you meet the FSW minimum eligibility requirements and attain at least 67 FSW points, you will be awarded the so-called CRS points. You can receive a maximum of 1200 CRS points. These points determine your ranking in the Express Entry Pool of candidates as well as the likelihood of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Now, let’s delve into how this entire process operates and determine the exact number of points you need to score!

FSW Points

So, let’s begin with the basics and the eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker program. To become eligible for FSW, you need to score at least 67 FSW points. These points are determined based on six selection factors, such as:

– You can score a maximum of 12 points if you’re between 18 and 35 years old.

– You don’t get any points for age if you’re younger that 18 years old, and with each year beyond the age of 35, the number of points decreases.

– You can score a maximum of 25 points for education.

– The number of points you receive greatly depends on your program. For instance, typically, a doctoral degree earns you 25 points. However, having a Juris Doctor(JD) degree would only grant you 23 points. Furthermore, certain Bachelor’s degrees also yield a significant number of points; for example, a Bachelor of Laws would yield you the same 23 points, just as a JD.

– You should check your ECA and compare the assessed education to the FSW education points grid, to know exactly how many points will you get.

– You can score a maximum of 15 points for work experience if you have more than 6 years of work experience (in Canada or Abroad) in a skilled occupation.

– If you have just 1 year of work experience, you will get only 9 FSW points.

– There are two official languages in Canada – English and French. To qualify under FSW you must pass the language test that shows that you know one or, ideally, both languages. If you score less than CLB 7 in your language test you will not be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker program.

– You can score a maximum of 28 points for you official language proficiency.

– You first official language test results can bring you a maximum of 24 points. Each language skill (reading, listening, writing, speaking) can earn you up to 6 points.

– If you know a second official language, you can get additional 4 points. For that you must score at least CLB 5 in all 4 abilities.

– You can score a maximum of 10 points for a valid job offer in Canada.

– To be able to claim points for arranged employment your employer must have an LMIA, or you must be currently working on a LMIA-based Work Permit, or you must work in a job that LMIA-exempt.

– Up to 10 additional points can be earned if:

• you have close relatives in Canada (maximum 5 points),

• you have an arranged employment in Canada (maximum 5 points),

• you or your spouse have past work experience in Canada (maximum 5 points for spouse and 10 points for the Principal Applicant),

• you or your spouse studied in Canada (maximum 5 points),

• if your spouse took a language test in French of English and scored CLB4 or higher (maximum 5 points).

Remember, FSW only determine your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker program and allow you to proceed with creating the profile in the Express Entry system. The likelihood of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is determined by another metric – the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, which we’ll discuss below.

CRS Points

If you scored 67 FSW points – congratulations! You’re ready for the next step – creating a profile under the Federal Skilled Worker program in the Express Entry system. After you create a profile, you will receive a certain number of the CRS points that will determine your rank in the pool of candidates. The higher your rank, the greater your chances of receiving an ITA.

You can earn a maximum of 1200 CRS points. Calculating the CRS score is a bit more complex because the number of points you get for a particular factor really depends on whether you’re applying with an accompanying spouse or alone. It’s also a bit complicated to calculate the score without referring to the official grid because of the so-called Skill Transferability Factors points. So, let’s take a look at this breakdown below:

Core / Human Capital Factors (With a spouse or common-law partner – Maximum 460 points / Without a spouse or common-law partner – Maximum 500 points)

– The maximum points (110) are awarded to candidates between 20 and 29 years old. If you’re older than 29, each year you’ll be losing at least CRS 5 points.

– If you’re under 17 or older than 45, you won’t get any points for age at all.

– Unlike with FSW points where you get the maximum score until you’re 35, the CRS points for age start drop after you turn 30.