How does my spouse or common-law partner impact my CRS score?

Most newcomers applying through Canada’s economic immigration pathways will want to bring their spouse or common-law partners with them. Canada’s immigration system is sensitive to these needs.
Having a loved one in your immigration application can impact your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. While certain scoring sub-categories may be negatively impacted by the presence of a spouse or common-law partner, the presence of a significant other in a newcomer’s immigration application generally has a positive effect.
Below we will breakdown score groups A and B of the CRS—the two scoring groups that are impacted by the inclusion of a significant other—and exactly how having a spouse or common-law partner in your application may impact your CRS score.

Note: Even if not accompanying you (the principal applicant), dependents—like a spouse or common-law partner—must be included in an application for Canadian immigration (in this case they are a “non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner”). Additionally, eligibility criteria around proof of funds, medical and criminal admissibility must be met for all those included in an application. However, if your spouse or common-law partner is not accompanying you to Canada, they will not impact your CRS score, and you will be assessed as a single applicant.

Category A: Human Capital factors
This section of the CRS takes into account such factors as: age, level of education, official language (English and French) proficiency, and Canadian work experience.
With an accompanying spouse or common-law partner included, applicants can receive a maximum of 460 points for all factors.
With a non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner, applicants can receive a maximum of 500 points.

Age
The highest attainable scores for age in Canada’s go to those between 20-29 years of age. In terms of scoring here, having an accompanying spouse or common-law partner generally negatively impacts an applicant’s score.
Applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 100 points for their age, while those with a non-accompanying significant other earn 110 points at most.