Lost CRS Points Without a Job Offer? Improve Your Score with a Language Test

If you are planning to immigrate to Canada under Express Entry, your language proficiency can be an important factor in determining whether you are invited to apply for permanent residence.

Introduction to Express Entry and the CRS scoring system

Express Entry is the Canadian government's immigration application management system for economic programs such as:

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Federal Skilled Trades (FST)

This system operates on a scoring mechanism called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which evaluates candidates based on factors such as age, education, work experience, language proficiency, job offer, relatives in Canada, and time studying/working in Canada.

Among these factors, language ability (English or French) can bring up to 310 CRS points for a candidate filing independently, including:

• 160 points from the human factor group (Core Human Capital)
• 100 points from the Skill Transferability group
• 50 additional points for high level of French

Why should you focus on improving your language score?

In an ever-growing pool of applicants, improving your language skills can make the difference between being invited and being rejected. One advantage is that you can retake language tests such as IELTS, CELPIP (English) or TEF Canada, TCF Canada (French) as many times as you want. Each retake with a higher score will result in a new CRS score for your Express Entry profile.

Additionally, if you achieve a high enough level of French, you may be eligible for French priority draws – which typically have significantly lower cut-off scores than regular draws.

Real-life case: gain one language level, gain nearly 50 CRS points

An is a candidate seeking to immigrate under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). An’s initial profile had 515 CRS points, which was not enough to pass the last three draws, which had cut-off points of 527, 521, and 547 points, respectively.

Information about An is as follows:

• 30 years old
• Bachelor's Degree in Canada
• 3 years of experience working abroad
• 5 years working experience in Canada
• Initial English level: CLB 8 (Canadian Language Benchmark)

After several months of preparation, An retook the English test and achieved CLB 9 in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As a result, her CRS score increased from 515 to 559 – enough to qualify for an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the most recent rounds.

Below is a detailed comparison table of An's CRS score before and after upgrading her language proficiency:

Criteria	CLB 8	CLB 9
Age	105	105
Education level	120	120
Language proficiency (main)	92	124
Work experience in Canada	80	80
Combining language + education	13	25
Combine Canadian work experience + education	25	25
Combine foreign experience + Canadian experience	50	50
Plus points for studying in Canada	30	30
Total CRS score	515	559

The upgrade from CLB 8 to CLB 9 helped An increase 44 CRS points, including 32 points from the language section and 12 points from the transferable skills group.

Effective ways to improve your language test score

Dưới đây là một số phương pháp thực tế giúp bạn cải thiện điểm số bài thi tiếng Anh hoặc tiếng Pháp:

1. Study regularly every day

Learning a language requires persistence. Make studying a daily habit, even if it’s just for 30 minutes at a time. You can reward yourself after each study session to stay motivated.

2. Put yourself in the language environment

Studying in a 100% English or French environment will help you progress faster. If possible, participate in exchange programs, short-term study abroad programs or language summer camps lasting from 6 to 8 weeks.

3. Practice in real life

Doing grammar and vocabulary exercises is necessary, but it is no substitute for actually using the language. Find ways to join conversation groups, book clubs, or simply talk to friends in English or French every day.

4. Take a practice test

Practice tests help you get used to the test structure and practice your test-taking skills within the allotted time. In addition, practicing in a simulated environment also helps you stay calm during the real test, thereby avoiding unnecessary mistakes.

5. Take advantage of free resources

Many testing centers such as IELTS, CELPIP, TEF… provide free test preparation materials, including:

• Sample topic
• Online test preparation toolkit
• Detailed instructions
• Webinar from the expert
• Practice test simulates real test

Tapping into these resources not only saves you money but also increases your chances of scoring high on the exam.

Conclusion

Language is one of the most important factors in achieving a high score in the Express Entry system. Even if you don’t have a job offer or relatives in Canada, you can still significantly improve your CRS score simply by improving your English or French skills.

Nếu bạn cần tư vấn cá nhân hoá để lên chiến lược tăng điểm CRS, phân tích hồ sơ hoặc luyện thi ngôn ngữ hiệu quả, hãy liên hệ TTN immigration để được hỗ trợ chuyên sâu.