Is your partner the stronger candidate for Canadian PR as the principal applicant?

Modifying the principal applicant in your Express Entry application can enhance your chances of getting an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
The Express Entry system selects candidates according to their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores, which consider factors like age, education, language proficiency, work experience, and family ties to Canada.
If both you and your spouse qualify for Express Entry, it’s wise to select the principal applicant with a greater chance of success.
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 partners’ education, language skills, and Canadian work experience. However, most points are attributed to the principal applicant’s qualifications.
The principal applicant earns points based on their age and foreign work experience, and they can receive additional points for proficiency in French. This means that the principal applicant’s qualifications significantly influence the overall score.
Another important factor to consider when designating principal and secondary applicants is who will land in Canada first. The principal applicant must be present for the initial landing, while the secondary applicant can arrive simultaneously or after the principal applicant.
If one spouse will need to land after the other, the spouse landing first must be the principal applicant.
In other cases, it’s essential to calculate the CRS points and consider potential category-based draws to determine which spouse should be designated as the principal applicant.
While you might believe your profile is stronger, your spouse could possess key advantages—such as superior language skills, higher education, or in-demand work experience—that might make them a more suitable choice for the principal applicant.

Can You and Your Partner Have Separate Profiles?
An applicant cannot maintain more than one Express Entry profile simultaneously. This means you cannot have a profile that includes your partner and another that does not.
However, both partners can create separate profiles within the Express Entry pool. The individual who receives an ITA first can then proceed to apply for PR.
CIC News has compiled examples demonstrating how designating your spouse or partner as the principal applicant could enhance your chances of success when applying for Canadian PR through Express Entry
Here is what their CRS score would look like:
Factors | Martin’s points | Jeanne’s points |
Age | 100 | 100 |
Education | 126 | 112 |
1st official language | 116 | 116 |
2nd official language | 0 | 12 |
Accompanying spouse’s education qualifications | 8 | 10 |
Accompanying spouse’s language proficiency | 20 | 12 |
Accompanying spouse’s Canadian work experience | 0 | 0 |
Skills Transferability: Education (language + Canadian work experience) | 50 | 25 |
Skills Transferability: Foreign work experience (language + Canadian work experience) | 50 | 50 |
Additional Factors: French language proficiency | 0 | 50 |
Total | 470 | 487 |
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