Is your partner the better principal applicant for Canadian PR?

Changing the principal applicant you use for Express Entry can boost your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

The Express Entry system selects candidates with the highest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. CRS scores are determined by factors like age, education, language proficiency, work experience, and family ties to Canada.

If you and your spouse both qualify for Express Entry, you should choose the principal applicant with greater chance of success.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

What’s the difference between the principal and secondary applicant when applying for Canadian PR?

When applying as a couple through Express Entry, points are awarded for both you and your partner’s education, language skills, and Canadian work experience. However, the majority of points are based on the principal applicant’s qualifications.

Unlike the secondary applicant, the principal applicant scores points based on their age and their foreign work experience, and can get additional points for having French language skills.

This means that a high score can depend on who takes this role.

Another thing to consider when choosing principal and secondary applicants is planning who will be the first to land in Canada. The principal applicant must be present for the first landing. The secondary applicant can land in Canada at the same time as, or after, the principal applicant.

So, if one spouse will need to land after the other, the spouse landing first will need to be the principal applicant.

In all other cases, you should calculate CRS points, and consider potential category-based draws, to figure out which spouse to select as the principal applicant.

While you may assume that you have the stronger profile, your spouse could have key advantages – such as better language skills, higher education, or in-demand work experience – that might make them a better choice for the principal applicant.

Can you and your partner have separate profiles?

An applicant cannot have more than one Express Entry profile at the same time. This means it is not possible to have a profile with an accompanying partner, and another one without a partner.

That said, both partners can create separate profiles in the Express Entry pool. The person who receives an ITA first can then apply for PR.

CIC News has compiled examples of how having your spouse or partner as the principal applicant may increase your chances of success when applying for Canadian PR through Express Entry.

Example 1:

Hamid and his wife Nadia want to immigrate from Lebanon to Canada.

Hamid is 32 years old, has a master’s degree, five years of experience working in a bank, and high intermediate English language skills (CLB 8 in all levels).

Nadia is 28 years old, has a master’s degree, three years of experience working in human resources, and also has high intermediate English language skills.

It would appear that Hamid would be the better candidate as a principal applicant as he has more years of foreign work experience, while most of their other qualifications and skillsets are the same.

However, here is what their CRS score would look like:

The reason Nadia makes for a better principal applicant is because of her age, which adds 15 additional points to the CRS score.

Example 2:

Martin and Jeanne both live in Cameroon and are interested in moving to Canada.

Martin is 29 years old, has a master’s degree, four years of experience in management, and initial advanced English language skills (CLB 9 across all levels).

Jeanne is 27 years old, has a bachelor’s degree, three years of experience in management and high intermediate English language skills. Jeanne is also fluent in French (initial advanced level, CLB 9 across all levels).

Here is what their CRS score would look like:

Based on qualifications and degree alone, it would seem as though Martin is a stronger principal applicant as he has a master’s degree and more years of foreign work experience.

However, Jeanne’s French language skills earned her additional points, which make her profile stronger for Express Entry.

Example 3:

Sam and her partner Alex are interested in immigrating from New Zealand.

Sam is 28, has a master’s degree, four years of experience in law and advanced English skills.

Alex is also 28 and has a bachelor’s degree followed by a one-year postgraduate degree in nutrition and a year of work experience as a nutritionist. Alex also has advanced English skills.

Here is what their CRS score would look like:

In this case, Sam’s profile is stronger because of her master’s degree and four years of work experience.

This couple may benefit from category-based selection. Alex’s job profile as a nutritionist falls under the healthcare category, one of the six possible categories. The last healthcare category selection draw was held on July 5, with CRS cut-off of 445.

This means if Sam and Alex had applied with Alex as a principal applicant before July 5, they would have received an ITA. That’s why it might be worth considering which partner works in an in-demand occupation when choosing a principal applicant.

At the moment, there have been few general Express Entry draws. The last one occurred on April 23 and had a cutoff of 529. The average general draw cutoff score for the first six months of 2024 was 536 – which is much higher than Sam’s score of 483.

*Category-based selection draws are frequent. However, there have been only two healthcare category-based selection draws in 2024 so far.