Most newcomers applying through Canada’s economic immigration pathways will want to bring their spouse or common-law partner with them. Canada’s immigration system is sensitive to these needs.
Having a loved one on your immigration application can affect your Comprehensive classification system (CRS) score. While certain scoring subcategories may be negatively affected by the presence of a spouse or common-law partner, the presence of a partner on a newcomer’s immigration application generally has a positive effect.
Below, we’ll break down CRS score groups A and B (the two score groups that are affected by including a partner) and exactly how having a spouse or common-law partner on your application can affect your CRS score.
Note: Even if you (the main applicant) are not accompanied, dependents, such as a spouse or common-law partner, must be included on a Canadian immigration application (in this case they are a “non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner”). Additionally, eligibility criteria related to proof of funds, doctor and criminal admissibility must be met for everyone included in a request. However, if your spouse or common-law partner does not accompany you to Canada, it will not affect your CRS score and you will be assessed as a single applicant.
Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration
Category A: Human Capital Factors
This section of the CRS takes into account factors such as: age, level of education, proficiency in the official language (English and French), and Canadian work experience.
With an accompanying spouse or common-law partner included, applicants can receive a maximum of 460 points for all factors.
With an unaccompanied spouse or common-law partner, applicants can receive a maximum of 500 points.
Age
The highest scores achievable by age in Canada are for those between 20 and 29 years old. In terms of scoring here, having an accompanying spouse or common-law partner generally negatively affects the applicant’s score.
Applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 100 points for their age, while those with an unaccompanied partner earn a maximum of 110 points.
Education level
The CRS values high levels of education and candidates receive more points as their level of education increases. Also in this case, having a spouse or common-law partner accompany you may reduce the score allocation that you (the primary applicant) receive.
Applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 140 points for their level of education, while applicants with a non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 150 points.
Official language ability (first and second language)
Proficiency in Canada’s official languages (English and French) is important for the CRS. As such, the greater the ability an applicant can demonstrate in any of these languages, the more points they will be awarded, with additional points awarded to those who are fluent in both French and English.
Here too, if your spouse or common-law partner accompanies you (the primary applicant), you can lower your CRS score. Candidates accompanied by a partner earn a maximum of 32 points for language ability (reading, writing, speaking and listening) in their first official language, while those with an unaccompanied partner earn a maximum of 34 points for ability.
For second language proficiency, whether accompanied by a spouse or common-law partner or not, applicants earn 6 points per skill, but those with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner are capped at 22 points total , while those with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 24 points.
Below are the grids describing these scoring weights.
canadian work experience
The CRS grants Canadian work experience for a maximum of five years, considering this to be one of the most powerful factors in determining an applicant’s future success in the Canadian labor market.
Like other human capital factors, having a partner accompany you on your application can lower an applicant’s score here. Those who have an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 70 points for their work experience, while those who list their spouse or common-law partner as a non-accompanying dependent can earn up to 80 points.
So, does having a spouse or common-law partner accompany you on your immigration application always negatively affect your CRS score?
No! As we will see, applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner on their application have access to another category of points that those with a non-accompanying partner do not: Category B, spouse/common-partner factors.
For this reason, applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner receive fewer points in the human capital factors scoring category, to balance the score equally.
Simply put, the maximum number of CRS points an immigration applicant can receive for qualifying category A (human capital factors) and category B (spouse/domestic partner factors) together is 500, whether they have a spouse or de facto couple. partner in your application or not.
However, while you may receive this maximum score with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, if you or your partner lack the qualifications to earn the score, you will not receive the full 500 points. Below is a breakdown of how an applicant’s score increases based on the human capital factors of their spouse or common-law partner.
Category B: Spousal or de facto partner factors
This section of the CRS takes into account the same factors as Category A, but for the accompanying spouse or common-law partner listed on the applicant’s immigration application.
Educational level of the spouse or de facto partner
Applicants can receive a maximum of 10 points for the education level of their accompanying spouse or common-law partner. Remember that in Category A of the CRS, applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner received only 140 points for their own education in Category A, while those with an unaccompanied partner received a maximum of 150. These 10 points make up the difference.
Knowledge of the official language of the spouse or de facto partner
Applicants may receive a maximum of 20 additional points for the official language ability of their accompanying spouse or common-law partner in one language (the ability of a spouse or common-law partner in a second language is not assessed under the CRS) .
In Category A, applicants accompanied by a spouse or common-law partner could receive a maximum of 128 points for their ability in their first language and 22 points for their ability in a second language (a total of 150 possible points). Meanwhile, applicants without a spouse or common-law partner received a maximum of 136 points for ability in their first language and 24 points for ability in their second language (a total of 160 possible points).
However, with these additional 20 points, for the language ability of a spouse or common-law partner, applicants with an accompanying partner on their application can gain a potential maximum of 170 points, to compensate for the fact that their second language couple not be evaluated.
Canadian work experience of spouse or common-law partner
Lastly, applicants can receive a maximum of 10 additional points for their accompanying partner’s Canadian work experience.
As with the allocation of points for the primary applicant’s level of education, these 10 points constitute the observed difference in points allocated for Canadian work experience between those with an accompanying or non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner on their application, in CRS Category A.
The bottom line
While the maximum number of points achievable in CRS Category A + Category B remains the same for those with an accompanying or non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner on their application, the option to include the partner to accompany them during A better life in Canada is often non-negotiable.
As in life, loved ones can find unique ways to help each other on their Canadian immigration journeys. A common strategy in this regard is for both the main applicant and their accompanying spouse or common-law partner to enter their own profile into the IRCC pool, working together to improve and improve each other’s scores.
Note: If your spouse or partner is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you will earn points as if you did not have a spouse or partner accompanying you. However, in this case, you may be eligible for spousal sponsorship.
reference: www.cicnews.com