In a fresh data-driven article dated December 2, CIC News models how a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score can rise—or fall—over a two-year horizon depending on Canadian work experience, age progression and new category-based selection criteria.
Using anonymized profiles, the publication demonstrates that applicants currently on post-graduation work permits gain as much as 95 CRS points once they clock 12 months of full-time skilled work, vaulting them into the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and, by extension, the top tier for expected 2025 draws that prioritize in-Canada experience. Conversely, a 35-year-old skilled worker abroad could lose 5–13 points annually due to aging, making a provincial nomination or a French-language boost critical to stay competitive.
![CIC News crunches numbers on how Express Entry competitiveness evolves over time]()
The analysis is timely: IRCC’s 2025 Express Entry plan focuses on CEC and category-based draws (health, trades, education, French) rather than all-program rounds. Mobility teams supporting temporary foreign workers therefore have a narrow window in early 2026 to convert staff to PR before higher age penalties kick in and before the government’s planned 2026 cap on temporary residents tightens pathways.
Practical takeaway: forecast CRS scores 12–24 months ahead and pre-emptively invest in French training, higher education credentials or arranged employment LMIA support to keep key employees in the invitation range.
Using anonymized profiles, the publication demonstrates that applicants currently on post-graduation work permits gain as much as 95 CRS points once they clock 12 months of full-time skilled work, vaulting them into the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and, by extension, the top tier for expected 2025 draws that prioritize in-Canada experience. Conversely, a 35-year-old skilled worker abroad could lose 5–13 points annually due to aging, making a provincial nomination or a French-language boost critical to stay competitive.
The analysis is timely: IRCC’s 2025 Express Entry plan focuses on CEC and category-based draws (health, trades, education, French) rather than all-program rounds. Mobility teams supporting temporary foreign workers therefore have a narrow window in early 2026 to convert staff to PR before higher age penalties kick in and before the government’s planned 2026 cap on temporary residents tightens pathways.
Practical takeaway: forecast CRS scores 12–24 months ahead and pre-emptively invest in French training, higher education credentials or arranged employment LMIA support to keep key employees in the invitation range.
