Maple News reports that in some cases, leaving Canada and returning to your home country could actually help your chances of becoming a permanent resident through Express Entry.
Many skilled workers pursuing immigration to Canada may overlook one significant opportunity in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): foreign work experience. Under the CRS, candidates can earn up to 50 additional points for foreign work experience under the skill transferability factors segment. This applies specifically to those who haven’t already maximized the available 100 points under this category.
While it may seem counterintuitive, allowing your temporary status in Canada to expire and taking a skilled job opportunity abroad can help you strategically increase your CRS score. If you secure work in a skill-eligible occupation classified under TEER levels 0, 1, 2, or 3, your international experience could enhance your profile and push you past the cutoff score in an Express Entry draw.
For instance, imagine a hypothetical candidate named Khalil. At 25 years old, Khalil completed a business degree in Canada, possesses Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 9 English proficiency, and has not yet maxed out his skill transferability factors. If Khalil were to return to his home country to gain one or more years of skilled work experience, he could add up to 50 points to his CRS score, significantly increasing his chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency.
According to Maple News, this targeted strategy can be particularly effective for international graduates or temporary workers in Canada who are not currently reaching the CRS threshold for Express Entry. By carefully building international work experience, candidates can boost their competitiveness without needing to rely solely on education or Canadian experience.
It’s crucial, however, to ensure that the work completed abroad meets IRCC’s definitions of skilled work and is properly documented to earn the CRS points. Combining strong language skills with foreign experience creates a powerful application profile.
While not suitable for everyone, this approach could serve as a game-changing tactic for the right candidates — especially as CRS cutoffs become increasingly competitive. Those in the Express Entry pool should explore all avenues for maximizing their score — even if it means looking beyond Canada’s borders first.