A couple starting their immigration process (wife with a master's in supply chain management, husband a mechanical engineer with 9+ years in oil and gas) asked who should be the primary applicant and how to choose between FSW and PNP.
What the thread suggested:- Age and a recognized master's degree (with proper ECA equivalency) generally favor being the primary applicant, since these are strong CRS-scoring factors — the spouse can be added as a dependent on that profile, or separately create their own Express Entry profile listing the other as dependent, giving flexibility to see which profile scores better.
- For Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), the specific NOC code matters less than for some PNP streams — when choosing which occupation/NOC to base your profile on, pick the one where you have the most substantiated work experience, since FSW doesn't tie eligibility to a narrow list of in-demand occupations the way certain PNP streams do.
Takeaway: consider building profiles both ways (each spouse as primary applicant) to compare CRS outcomes, and for FSW specifically, base your NOC choice on your strongest documented work experience rather than trying to match a PNP-style in-demand occupation list.