What is the age limit for Canada PR? (2024)

There is no age limit for Canada PR. However, your age can be a deciding factor in your immigration application. In this blog we will explore how age can impact your PR application, and will also discuss the reason age matters.

Age limit for Canada PR

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to invite 485,000 skilled immigrants to Canada in the year 2024. This is a testimony to how important immigrants are for the country. The Canadian government desires skilled immigrants because they:

• Fill gaps in the Canadian labor force: Today, the Canadian population has fewer children and enjoys a longer lifespan than before. As a result, a majority of Canadians either retire or are close to retiring. Additionally, the unemployment rate in Canada is at an all-time low. This implies that almost all the existing population of Canada found employment and there are still job vacancies left. It is the skilled immigrants who fill in the ever-increasing job vacancies and support and contribute to the Canadian economy.
• Immigrants contribute to almost every Canadian sector: Immigrants are an indispensable part of every Canadian field such as arts and culture, sports, science and technology, food and services, etc.
• Contribute to Canadian society: Immigrants constitute the majority of Canadian society and make it diverse and help it thrive.

Age is a factor in Canada Immigration because:

1. Majority of the Canadian population is aging: the Dominant part of the Canadian population either already retired, or is about to retire. Hence, the country has no shortage of older people. This is one of the factors why the country desires and prefers younger immigrants belonging to the age group of 25-35 years.
2. Canada requires skilled workers: Canada invites immigrants in order to meet its skilled labour requirements. Since, the majority of the Canadians are at a retiring age, the country naturally prefers younger proficient workers who can strengthen and contribute to the Canadian economy.
3. The Canadian Healthcare system is under pressure: The Canadian healthcare system is one of the best in the world. However, it is constantly under pressure due to a lack of labour force, and an increasing number of aged people. As the population continues to age, Canada will require more healthcare workers to cater to a vast aging population. This increases the need for young skilled foreign workers. Moreover, older immigrants are more likely to be a liability rather than an economic asset to the country.

Therefore, although there is no age limit for Canada PR, the country does prefer younger skilled immigrants who can settle in the country and add to the country’s younger population.

Age Limit for Express Entry- 67 points and CRS calculator

While creating an Express Entry profile, you will receive a score and assessment for eligibility for Express Entry pathways. To qualify for the FSWP pathway, you must score 67 points out of 100. This 67 points calculator has age as a scoring factor. You will receive points as you fill in the information while creating your Express Entry profile. The points are in the table below.

As we can see from the table, applicants from 18-35 years earn the maximum points. This indicates that the Federal Skilled Worker Pathway (FSWP) prefers profiles from this age group. Additionally, there is no age limit but you will not get any points for age if you are older than 46 years.

Express Entry is the fastest immigration pathway that processes PR applications in as fast as six months. The steps to getting a PR through Express Entry are as follows:

• Create an Express Entry profile
• Be eligible for Federal Skilled Worker Program, or Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Trades Program.
• Get a CRS score out of 1200 by the Comprehensive Ranking System, based on the information provided while completing your profile
• Get an ITA in the Express Entry draw if your CRS score is equal to or higher than the cut-off
• Apply for Canada PR through the Express Entry system within 60 days of getting an ITA

There is no age limit for Canada PR through Express Entry. However, age is an important scoring criteria in the Comprehensive Ranking System and carries 110 points (100 points if your spouse is accompanying you). CRS points for every year in age are tabulated below.

As you can see, you will get 110 points (100 points with a spouse) if you are in the age group of 20-29 years. After that, with every increasing year in age the points keep decreasing, finally arriving to 0 at applicants who are 45 years or above. Applicants who are younger than 18 years also do not get any points. This is a clear indication that although age limit for Canada PR does not exist, your Express Entry application will certainly be impacted by how old you are. Express Entry exclusively aims to invite skilled labour to settle in Canada and contribute to its economic growth. Therefore, applicants who are at an ideal working age are preferred. This is why points are deducted with advancing age.

Age Limit for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

While Express Entry is a central system that invites eligible applicants to settle throughout Canada, pathways under the Provincial Nominee Program invite foreign workers to settle in particular provinces and territories. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada. There is no age limit for Canada PR through the PNP program. However, we will list the age preferences of each Canadian province.

1. Alberta Advantage Immigration Program(AAIP): Alberta has no age limit or preference for its provincial nomination pathways. However, the sooner you can apply, the better.

2. British Columbia Provincial Nomination Program (BC PNP): The BC PNP Skilled Immigration pathway has no age limits or preferences. However, its entrepreneur pathways have a points-based assessment that considers age a scoring factor. The Base category of the BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration pathway (BC PNP EI) prefers applicants belonging to 35 to 44 years of age and awards them a maximum of 8 points. Similarly, BC PNP EI for Regional Pilot awards a maximum of 16 points to applicants who are in the age group of 30-44 years. Details are tabulated below.

3. Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)

The International Student Entrepreneur Pilot of MPNP International Education Stream (IES) has an age limit. To be eligible for this category, you must be between 21 years to 35 years to be eligible for this pathway. Similarly, in the Entrepreneur pathway of MPNP Business Investor Stream, points are awarded to applicants who are in the age group of 25-49 years.

4. Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)

The province of Nova Scotia has an age limit for Canada PR through some of its PNP pathways. Points are awarded while submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) to applicants belonging to specific age groups. The points grid for various NSNP pathways is tabulated below.

5. Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)

Age limits for Canada PR through the SINP pathways are tabulated below.

6. New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)

The points based system in some pathways of the NBPNP program awards points to specific age groups. However, there is no explicit age limit for Canada PR through NBPNP. It is still advised to contact us and refer to the official NBPNP website to ensure there is no age limit or preference in the NBPNP stream you want to apply to. The scoring factors for age are tabulated below.

These are the age limits and preferences for some of the most popular PNP pathways. Since the information is subject to change without prior notice, always refer to the official website. You can also contact us for more simplified information.

Is there any age limit for Canada PR?

IRCC does not mandate any age limit for Canada PR. However, as discussed above, Canada immigration processes applications through a points based system, and age is a scoring factor in many of the points based assessments of Immigration pathways. Thus, with age, your application would be impacted with respect to the score you get. Major points to remember regarding the age limit for Canada PR are:

1. There are no age limits, just age preferences unless clearly stated as an eligibility factor
2. Applicants belonging to the age group of 25-49 years are the most preferred group of foreign skilled workers by the Canadian government.
3. The older you get, the points for your application will decrease, and will eventually reach 0 points. You will have to compensate for those points in scoring better in other areas like education, language proficiency, etc.
4. Just like applicants who are older than 50 years get less to no points, people younger than 18 years also get no points. Additionally, you can apply to Canada PR if you are younger than 18 years old.

Can I get Canada PR at 45 years?

Yes! There is no age limit to apply for Canada PR. However, if you are applying through the Express Entry system, you will get lesser points for age in the CRS score calculator. If you are applying as a Federal Skilled Worker Program, then you will just get 2 points in the 67 points calculator. There are always ways to compensate for these lost points. You can contact us for all getting the highest CRS score possible.

Can a 50-year-old get PR in Canada?

Yes. Unless it is explicitly stated by the official website of the immigration pathway you are applying to, there is no age limit for Canada PR.

Can I get Canada PR after 40?

Yes, in fact, many of the pathways prefer applicants in the age group of 29-49 years. However, your application might get slightly lesser points for the age factor.

Can I get Canada PR after 35?

Definitely. You can even increase your chances by applying for higher education and learning French. This will easily recover any lost points and would help you get a decent CRS score. If you are applying for an immigration pathway other than Express Entry, you can refer to their scoring grid.

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