There’s a different way of assigning scores to couples, take you and your spouse applying for Canadian Express Entry for example, as compared to single candidates.

Express Entry is basically a tool devised by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) to manage applications coming in for the three premium Canadian federal economic immigration programs, namely the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

The CRS stands for the Comprehensive Ranking System which basically constitutes a points-based ranking tool that verifies candidates’ eligibility based on a variety of factors as demonstrated by the IRCC to pass its final judgment. Some of these factors encompass educational background, age groups, Canadian working experience, language proficiency skills, etc.

Whether you’re single or applying along with your spouse/common-law partner, it’s mandatory to be subjected to the CRS. However, the scoring pattern differs in either of these cases. As part of a couple, you may be eligible for fewer base points compared to single individuals, but you might be eligible to gain a higher score on account of your partner.

You would be labeled as part of a couple if you’re formally involved in a marriage with someone, or are a part of a common-law union with someone, indicating a live-in relationship with that person for a minimum of one year.

A Principal Applicant (PA) forms the basis of every application through Express Entry and is preliminary for the immigration process. The PA may include yourself, your spouse, or even dependent children along with the application, and he/she is the one the CRS evaluates and assigns a score to.

During the application as a couple, only one individual would be eligible to account as a PA. This choice is up to the couple provided both the involved persons are eligible for a minimum of one Express Entry program. As it’s really impossible for both individuals to have scored in an identical manner through CRS, this rule holds great importance. The partner scoring higher out of the two would be better suited to become eligible to gain the status of a PA.

It’s also important to note that the scoring for single PAs and partnered PAs varies. In order to account for the involved partner, the CRS is authorized to lower the PA’s scores by a total of 40 points for a range of factors. In order to make up for this reduction in points, the CRS permits the PA to earn a couple of points owing to their spouse/common-law partner.

Let’s consider a Hypothetical Example

Ashish and Kavya are the married couple in question. Being 29 years of age, Ashish holds a Master’s Degree achieved abroad, a CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) score of 8 in all 4 sub-sections, and a total of 5 years of working experience (4 years in Canada and 1 year abroad), On the other end, Kavya is aged 30 years and has completed her Bachelor’s Degree abroad, with a CLB score of 7 in all 4 sub-sections. She holds a cumulative of 8 years of working experience (6 years in Canada and 2 years abroad).

Even though Ashish and Kavya display impressive profiles, Ashis has greater chances of scoring higher due to his younger age profile and higher language proficiency scores and educational level. This is resultant in both scenarios, whether they apply individually or as a couple whereby either of them holds the position of being a PA.

If Ashish posed as the PA, he would be eligible for 494 points, out of which 29 of these points would be contributed through Kavya’s strength in language proficiency, Canadian work experience, and educational background.

In another situation, Ashish could have secured a total of 497 (three additional points) had he applied on an individual basis. But, if the immigration officer would question him regarding the lack of company of his spouse, and his reasoning stated having access to more CRS points, this would majorly not be acceptable. In another case, if the application went through, he would have to live within the country throughout the period of the spousal sponsorship process since PRs living abroad aren’t permitted to sponsor.

Details about the CRS

The following are the four core sub-sections of the CRS system, whereby the first two vary based on the nature of one’s relationship status. A coupled individual claims fewer points than one immigrating alone. However, they still stand the chance to gain access to more points through their partner, which is not the case for single persons.

• Human Capital/Core factors:  This includes language skills, age groups, and educational background. Category A holds a maximum score of 500 points for single people and 460 for those involved in a couple.

• Partner/Spouse factors:  This includes the partner’s/spouse’s educational background, language proficiency, and working experience. A maximum of 40 points is redeemable to those having a spouse.

• Transferability of Skills:   This includes those factor combinations that hold maximum value, like someone possessing both, post-secondary credentials as well as Canadian working experience. A maximum of 100 points is applicable here.

• Bonus Points:  A maximum of about 600 points is up for grabs with particulars like possessing a provincial nomination from a popular PNP program or having completed post-secondary Canadian education.

Whether one is single or a part of a couple, he/she is eligible for a total of about 1200 points via the CRS system. Provided each member of the couple is deemed eligible for the requirements pertaining to the selected program, he/she can decide on who to elect as the PA between them and gain access to maximum points.