The FSW Selection Grid: All Six Selection Factors, Every Point

Updated September 17, 2026 · 8 min read

The Federal Skilled Worker selection grid awards up to 100 points across six factors. Score 67 or more and you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool from anywhere in the world. This page reproduces the full grid, factor by factor, with the traps that cost applicants points.

Factor 1 — Language skills (maximum 28 points)

Language is the largest factor on the grid, and the only one measured four ways at once. Your first official language is scored per ability — listening, reading, writing, speaking — using Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels.

Note the last row. CLB 7 in all four abilities is a minimum requirement of the program, not just a low score. A single CLB 6 — say, in writing — makes you ineligible even if the other three abilities are CLB 10. Nothing is averaged.

A second official language adds a flat 4 points, but only if you reach CLB 5 or better in all four abilities of that language. CLB 5 in three abilities and CLB 4 in one scores zero.

Not sure what your IELTS or CELPIP result converts to? See the full CLB to IELTS conversion tables.

Factor 2 — Education (maximum 25 points)

If your education was completed outside Canada, the credential only counts once an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) confirms its Canadian equivalence — and it is the equivalence stated on the ECA report, not the name of your degree, that sets your points. A four-year degree assessed as equivalent to a three-year Canadian bachelor's scores 21, not 22.

The "two or more credentials" row at 22 points is the one most people miss. A three-year bachelor's plus a one-year diploma — in any order, in any field — outscores the bachelor's alone by a full point.

Factor 3 — Skilled work experience (maximum 15 points)

Experience counts wherever in the world it was earned, provided the occupation falls in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of Canada's National Occupational Classification. Part-time work accumulates pro-rata: 30 hours per week over 12 months equals one year, and so does 15 hours per week over 24 months. Unpaid internships and volunteer work never count.

Factor 4 — Age (maximum 12 points)

The slide is gentle — one point per year — so age rarely decides an application on its own. A 44-year-old gives up 9 points against a 30-year-old, which strong language scores can absorb.

Factor 5 — Arranged employment (maximum 10 points)

A qualifying job offer scores a flat 10 points. To qualify, the offer must be full-time, non-seasonal, continuous for at least one year after you become a permanent resident, and in a TEER 0–3 occupation. Depending on your situation, it may also need to be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

Most successful FSW applicants score zero here — the grid is built so that 67 is reachable without any Canadian connection at all.

Factor 6 — Adaptability (maximum 10 points)

Adaptability items stack, but the factor is capped at 10. A relative in Canada plus a spouse with tested language already hits the ceiling; everything past that is wasted.

What a passing profile looks like

Here is the arithmetic for a typical applicant with no Canadian connection: CLB 9 across the board (24) + second language at CLB 5 (4) + a master's degree (23) + four years of experience (13) + age 31 (12) + no job offer (0) + no adaptability (0) = 76 points. Comfortable. Drop the language to CLB 7 and the same profile scores 60 — which is why language preparation is the highest-leverage move on the entire grid.

Remember that clearing 67 makes you eligible, not invited. Invitations are issued by CRS rank once you are in the pool — a different score with different math, explained in 67 points vs CRS.