As Canada’s Express Entry system continues to evolve, understanding how your profile may become more or less competitive over time is essential to improving your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Maple News reports that multiple factors—such as age, work experience, language proficiency, and eligibility for specific Express Entry streams—can significantly influence a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as time goes on.
Express Entry is a points-based system that prioritizes the highest-scoring candidates from the pool. Planning in advance by assessing your CRS score today and forecasting how it may change tomorrow can help you position yourself for success. Key factors affecting competitiveness include Canadian and foreign work experience, eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), age-related CRS deductions, category-based draw qualifications, and the validity of language tests and educational assessments.
Age plays an especially crucial role, as CRS points for age begin to decline once you turn 30, dropping to zero by age 45. Candidates between 20 and 29 receive the maximum CRS points in the age category. Additionally, credentials like language test results (valid for two years) and educational credential assessments (valid for five years) have expiration dates, and keeping these documents up to date is vital.
Work experience—both Canadian and foreign—can also have a substantial impact. For example, foreign work may boost your CRS score under skill transferability, potentially offering greater point increases than Canadian work experience, depending on your profile. However, losing eligibility for CEC, which requires one year of recent Canadian skilled work experience, could work against you in the current immigration landscape, especially since general Express Entry draws have not occurred since April 2024.
A compelling case is that of Trisha, a highly qualified candidate with a PhD from Canada and 10 years of Canadian experience. Despite having a strong CRS score of 527, her chances of receiving an ITA are rated low as she is no longer age-optimal and doesn’t qualify for the latest round of category-based draws. When she hypothetically gains U.S. work experience, her CRS score increases—but at the cost of losing her CEC eligibility after two years abroad.
Candidates may also be eligible for category-based draws centered on specific occupations or French-language proficiency. Having at least six months of recent, continuous work in a targeted field can boost your chances for a draw invite. However, once your relevant experience falls outside the qualifying three-year window, you may lose that edge.
Ultimately, the key message from Maple News is clear: staying proactive and strategic with your immigration profile is not optional—it’s necessary. Tools that project your Express Entry competitiveness can help you understand where you stand now and what investments in time, work experience, or skills could reshape your prospects in the next year or two.