If you are planning to apply for permanent residence in Canada through Express Entry, your Canadian work experience can make a meaningful difference to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
This guide explains those questions using current information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). CRS rules can change, so applicants should always verify their situation against the latest official government requirements before submitting an Express Entry profile or permanent residence application.
What Is the CRS Score?
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is the points-based system Canada uses to rank eligible candidates in the Express Entry pool.
Your CRS score is calculated using several factors, including:
- Age
- Education
- English or French language ability
- Canadian work experience
- Foreign work experience
- Education and work-experience combinations
- Spouse or common-law partner factors
- French-language ability
- Canadian education
- A provincial or territorial nomination
- Certain other additional factors
Canadian work experience is therefore only one part of the picture. However, it can become particularly valuable when combined with education, language proficiency, or foreign work experience.
How Many CRS Points Do You Get for Canadian Work Experience?
The number of CRS points you receive depends on whether you have an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
For the Canadian work experience factor, the current CRS points are:
| Canadian work experience | With spouse/partner | Without spouse/partner |
|---|---|---|
| None or less than 1 year | 0 | 0 |
| 1 year | 35 | 40 |
| 2 years | 46 | 53 |
| 3 years | 56 | 64 |
| 4 years | 63 | 72 |
| 5 years or more | 70 | 80 |
This means that someone without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can receive up to 80 CRS points for Canadian work experience alone. Someone with an accompanying spouse or partner can receive up to 70 points.
The important point is that the benefit does not stop at the direct Canadian work experience points. Your Canadian experience can also contribute to skill transferability points, potentially making its overall effect on your CRS score considerably larger.
Why One Year of Canadian Work Experience Matters
One year can be an important milestone.
If you have at least one year of qualifying Canadian work experience, you may receive 40 CRS points if you do not have an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, or 35 points if you do.
Canadian work experience can also interact with your education. For example, the CRS skill transferability section awards additional points when Canadian work experience is combined with qualifying post-secondary education. One year of Canadian experience can contribute up to 25 points in this particular combination, while two or more years can contribute up to 50 points, depending on the education and other requirements.
This is why simply looking at the direct Canadian work experience points can underestimate the potential value of working in Canada.
What Happens After Two Years?
The jump from one year to two years can be significant.
For a candidate without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, the direct CRS points increase from 40 to 53. For a candidate with a spouse or partner, the increase is from 35 to 46.
Two or more years can also unlock the higher level of certain skill-transferability combinations involving Canadian work experience and education or foreign work experience. These combinations can provide up to 50 points within their respective sections, subject to the CRS rules and applicable limits.
For this reason, someone deciding whether to remain in Canada for another year may want to calculate the effect on their complete CRS profile rather than looking only at the basic work-experience points.
Does Three, Four or Five Years of Canadian Experience Keep Increasing Your Score?
Yes, but the increases become smaller at each stage.
For candidates without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, the Canadian work experience factor increases from:
40 points → 53 points → 64 points → 72 points → 80 points
for one, two, three, four, and five or more years respectively.
For candidates with a spouse or common-law partner, the progression is:
35 points → 46 points → 56 points → 63 points → 70 points.
This means reaching five years does not provide another major category of bonus beyond the Canadian work experience maximum. The maximum is 80 points without an accompanying spouse or 70 points with one.
However, immigration planning should not be based on work experience alone. Age, language scores, education, provincial nomination opportunities, French-language ability and other factors can have a major effect on the overall CRS score.
What Counts as Canadian Work Experience for CRS?
Canadian work experience is not simply any job performed while you were physically present in Canada.
For CRS purposes, the work generally needs to meet specific requirements. IRCC states that qualifying Canadian work experience for CRS purposes involves authorized work in an eligible skilled occupation, with the applicable requirements concerning the amount and timing of experience.
For CRS skilled work experience, IRCC indicates that the candidate must have been:
- Legally authorized to work in Canada
- Working in a qualifying NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation
- Working full-time or an equivalent amount of part-time work
- Accumulating the required experience within the relevant 10-year period
IRCC also explains that Canadian work experience does not necessarily have to be continuous for CRS points, although individual Express Entry programs can have their own eligibility requirements.
This distinction is important because CRS scoring and Express Entry program eligibility are not exactly the same thing.
Does Student Work Count Toward CRS?
This is one of the most common questions among international students in Canada.
Generally, Canadian work experience gained while you were a full-time student does not count toward the CRS ranking score.
IRCC specifically states that Canadian work experience gained while a person was a full-time student does not count toward the score used to rank their Express Entry profile.
This can surprise international graduates who have worked part-time while studying.
For example, a student may have worked part-time throughout a two-year Canadian program. That employment does not automatically mean the person has two years of CRS-qualifying Canadian work experience.
After graduation, however, qualifying authorized employment may count if it meets the applicable requirements.
Because individual circumstances can differ, applicants should carefully check the latest IRCC guidance before claiming work experience in an Express Entry profile.
Canadian Work Experience and the Canadian Experience Class
Canadian work experience can also be important because it may help a person qualify for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The CEC is one of the federal Express Entry programs. IRCC currently states that CEC applicants generally need at least one year of Canadian work experience in the last three years, subject to the program’s detailed requirements.
For CEC eligibility, the required language level also depends on the occupation’s NOC TEER category. IRCC currently lists CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 occupations and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 occupations.
Being eligible for the Canadian Experience Class does not guarantee an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Your CRS score and the specific Express Entry round or category requirements still matter.
Canadian Work Experience Can Work Together With Education
One of the biggest advantages of Canadian work experience is that it can interact with other factors.
The CRS has a skill transferability section. One part considers education together with Canadian work experience.
Depending on your education level and Canadian work experience, this combination can contribute up to 50 CRS points. The current CRS criteria distinguish between one year of Canadian work experience and two or more years when assessing this combination.
In simple terms, Canadian work experience may be worth more to a person who already has qualifying post-secondary education than it appears from the basic work-experience table alone.
That is why two candidates with the same number of years of Canadian employment can still have different CRS scores.
Canadian and Foreign Work Experience Can Also Combine
Canadian work experience may also interact with foreign work experience.
The CRS provides skill-transferability points for combinations involving Canadian and foreign work experience. Under the current criteria, these combinations can contribute up to 50 points, depending on the amount of foreign and Canadian experience and the applicable requirements.
This can be particularly relevant for immigrants who worked professionally in another country before moving to Canada.
For example, someone may arrive in Canada with several years of skilled foreign work experience and later obtain qualifying Canadian experience. Instead of viewing these two periods separately, the CRS can recognize certain combinations between them.
Does Canadian Work Experience Guarantee a High CRS Score?
No.
Canadian work experience can increase your CRS score, but it does not guarantee an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Your total score also depends on factors such as age, education and language proficiency. In addition, the CRS pool is competitive, and invitation thresholds can vary between different Express Entry rounds.
A candidate with five years of Canadian experience may still have a lower CRS score than another candidate with less Canadian experience but stronger language results, a different education profile, French-language proficiency, or a provincial nomination.
Therefore, the best approach is to look at your complete CRS profile, not one factor in isolation.
How to Increase Your CRS Score Besides Canadian Work Experience
If you want to improve your CRS score, Canadian work experience is only one possible strategy.
Improving your official language results can be particularly important. English and French ability can contribute substantial CRS points and can also affect skill-transferability combinations.
Other possibilities may include:
- Improving English or French test results
- Completing additional qualifying education
- Gaining additional eligible Canadian work experience
- Building qualifying foreign work experience
- Obtaining a provincial or territorial nomination
- Improving French-language proficiency where applicable
- Reviewing your spouse or common-law partner’s education, language and Canadian work experience factors
A provincial nomination can be especially significant because a nomination can provide 600 additional CRS points under the current system.
A Simple Example
Imagine two Express Entry candidates who are similar in age and education.
Candidate A has no Canadian work experience.
Candidate B has completed one year of qualifying Canadian work experience.
If both candidates do not have an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, Candidate B could receive 40 CRS points for Canadian work experience, while Candidate A receives zero for that factor.
If Candidate B later reaches two years of qualifying Canadian work experience, the direct Canadian work experience points increase to 53.
The total benefit may be greater when the candidate also qualifies for skill-transferability points involving education or foreign work experience.
This example shows why Canadian work experience can be valuable, but it also demonstrates why every applicant should calculate their entire CRS profile.
Frequently Asked Questions About Canadian Work Experience and CRS
How many CRS points is one year of Canadian work experience?
One year provides 40 CRS points without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner and 35 points with one.
How many CRS points do two years of Canadian work experience give?
Two years provides 53 points without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner and 46 points with one.
Can Canadian work experience increase my CRS score in more than one way?
Yes. Canadian work experience can provide direct CRS points and may also contribute to certain skill-transferability combinations involving education and foreign work experience.
Does part-time Canadian work count?
It can, provided the work meets the applicable requirements and is equivalent to the required full-time experience. The exact calculation matters, so applicants should verify their work history against current IRCC rules.
Does student work count for CRS?
Canadian work experience gained while you were a full-time student generally does not count toward the CRS ranking score.
Do I need one continuous year of Canadian work experience for CRS points?
Not necessarily. IRCC states that Canadian work experience does not need to be continuous to receive CRS points, although the individual Express Entry programs have their own eligibility rules.