What was the latest Express Entry draw?

The latest round on this tracker was Express Entry round #428, held on July 21, 2026 for the Canadian Experience Class. IRCC issued 2,000 invitations to apply with a minimum CRS score of 516. The tie-breaking rule was May 26, 2026 at 17:33:03 UTC. Always confirm the current round on the official canada.ca page, which is the only authoritative source.

How often does IRCC hold Express Entry draws?

IRCC holds rounds of invitations throughout the year, though the exact timing and round type vary. Through July 21, 2026, IRCC had held 40 rounds and issued 99,612 invitations, with frequent Provincial Nominee Program, Canadian Experience Class and French-language proficiency rounds.

Why are PNP draw cut-offs so much higher than other rounds?

A provincial or territorial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score. So in a Provincial Nominee Program-specific round, every candidate is already carrying a 600-point boost, which pushes the cut-off into the 700s and 800s. It does not mean those candidates are stronger on the core factors — it is the math of the nomination bonus.

Why do category-based draws have lower CRS cut-offs?

In a category-based round, IRCC invites only candidates who qualify for a specific category, such as healthcare, trades or French-language proficiency. Because that eligible pool is much smaller than the full pool, the minimum score needed to be invited is often lower than in a general all-program round. A very popular category with many qualified candidates can still push the cut-off back up.

What CRS score do I need to get invited?

There is no fixed number. The cut-off changes every round based on the round type, how many invitations IRCC issues, and the strength of the pool at that moment. The best read is the trend across recent rounds for your situation, not a single draw. If you tested in French or work in an in-demand occupation, a category-based round may invite you at a lower score than a general draw would.

How can Verge Immigration help with my Express Entry application?

We are licensed RCIC consultants. We assess your CRS score honestly, identify which categories and programs you qualify for, and build a strategy to improve your ranking — including language, education, a provincial nomination, or a category route. If you receive an Invitation to Apply, we prepare and manage your complete permanent residence application within the 60-day window. If your score is not yet competitive, we map the most realistic path to get there.

Express Entry Draw Tracker

Every Express Entry draw, kept current.Latest results, CRS cut-offs and what they mean for you.

IRCC invites Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence about every two weeks. We track each round — date, type, invitations and CRS cut-off — and translate the numbers into a clear read on your odds. Verified against canada.ca and reviewed by licensed RCIC consultants.

Round-by-round 2026 results, updated after each draw
General, program-specific and category-based rounds explained
An honest read on the CRS score you actually need

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Latest round

July 21, 2026
Canadian Experience Class, round #428
CRS cut-off: 516
Lowest-ranked candidate invited
2,000 invitations
Tie-break: May 26, 2026 at 17:33:03 UTC

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2026 results

Express Entry rounds of invitations, 2026

Every Express Entry round held so far in 2026, newest first. Cut-off is the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited. PNP rounds sit highest because a nomination adds 600 points; category-based rounds often sit lower because the eligible pool is smaller.

516

Latest CRS cut-off

July 21, 2026. Canadian Experience Class round #428.

2,000

Invitations, latest round

Issued to Canadian Experience Class candidates.

99,612

Invitations in 2026

Across 40 rounds held through July 21, 2026.

380,000

PR target per year

2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan; economic class ~64% by 2027–28.

Date	Round type	Invitations	CRS cut-off
Jul 21, 2026Latest	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	516
Jul 20, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	511	744
Jul 10, 2026	Senior managers (Canadian work experience)	500	392
Jul 9, 2026	French-language proficiency	5,000	420
Jul 7, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	517
Jul 6, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	534	708
Jun 25, 2026	Healthcare & social services	4,000	475
Jun 24, 2026	Physicians (Canadian work experience)	271	223
Jun 23, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	516
Jun 22, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	955	730
May 28, 2026	French-language proficiency	4,500	409
May 27, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	3,000	518
May 25, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	334	805
May 11, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	380	798
Apr 29, 2026	French-language proficiency	4,000	400
Apr 28, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	514
Apr 27, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	473	795
Apr 15, 2026	French-language proficiency	4,000	419
Apr 14, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	515
Apr 13, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	324	786
Apr 2, 2026	Trades	3,000	477
Mar 31, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	2,250	509
Mar 30, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	356	802
Mar 18, 2026	French-language proficiency	4,000	393
Mar 17, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	507
Mar 16, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	362	742
Mar 5, 2026	Senior managers (Canadian work experience)	250	429
Mar 4, 2026	French-language proficiency	5,500	397
Mar 3, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	508
Mar 2, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	264	710
Feb 20, 2026	Healthcare & social services	4,000	467
Feb 19, 2026	Physicians (Canadian work experience)	391	169
Feb 17, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	6,000	508
Feb 16, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	279	789
Feb 6, 2026	French-language proficiency	8,500	400
Feb 3, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	423	749
Jan 21, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	6,000	509
Jan 20, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	681	746
Jan 7, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	8,000	511
Jan 5, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	574	711

Figures verified against the IRCC rounds-of-invitations and Ministerial Instructions tables on canada.ca. This tracker is updated after each official round. canada.ca remains the only authoritative source — always confirm a date, category or cut-off there before relying on it.

Types of rounds

The three ways IRCC invites candidates

Not every draw works the same way. Knowing which type of round you are watching explains why one cut-off is 475 and another is 805.

General rounds

IRCC invites the top-ranked candidates in the pool who are eligible for any of the three Express Entry programs. Everyone at or above the cut-off is invited, regardless of occupation.

Program-specific rounds

Invitations go only to candidates eligible for one program — most often the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). PNP rounds post the highest cut-offs because a nomination adds 600 CRS points.

Category-based rounds

The Minister sets a category to meet a labour-market goal, then invites top-ranked candidates who qualify for it. Because the eligible pool is narrower, these rounds often carry a lower cut-off than a general draw.

Category-based selection

The 10 categories IRCC can draw from

Category-based rounds target candidates who meet a specific labour-market need. These are the current categories. The occupation lists are defined by IRCC, revised over time, and confirmed in the instructions for each round — we check your exact NOC code against the current list.

French-language proficiency

The headline category in 2026 by volume. Candidates with strong French test results (TEF/TCF) have seen invitations at cut-offs well below general rounds.

Healthcare & social services

Physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists and many allied health and support roles — 37 NOC groups in the current list.

STEM occupations

Software engineers, data scientists, and a range of engineering and technical roles. A popular, competitive category.

Trade occupations

Electricians, welders, machinists, heavy-equipment mechanics and more. Cut-offs often sit below all-program draws.

Education occupations

Early childhood educators, teacher assistants, kindergarten, elementary and secondary teachers.

Transport occupations

Roles that keep goods and people moving, including commercial drivers and certain aviation and rail occupations.

Physicians (Canadian work experience)

A targeted physician category that has carried very low cut-offs given the small, highly in-demand eligible pool.

Senior managers (Canadian work experience)

Senior management occupations with Canadian work experience, drawn in smaller, targeted rounds.

Researchers (Canadian work experience)

Research occupations supporting Canada's innovation and academic sectors.

Skilled military recruits

A category supporting recruitment into the Canadian Armed Forces. Categories are reviewed and can change year to year.

Reading the numbers

A single cut-off is not your whole story.

The smartest read on Express Entry is the trend across rounds, not one number. Watch which categories are running and how often, track your own position in the pool, and improve the points you can control. A 475 healthcare round and an 805 PNP round are not comparable — they are different competitions.

Compare cut-offs within the same round type, not across types
Category and French routes can invite below general cut-offs
Language, education and a nomination are the levers you control

How a round works

From profile to Invitation to Apply

Express Entry is a pool-and-ranking system, not first-come. Here is how a candidate moves from a profile to an invitation.

1
Create your Express Entry profile
Confirm you are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades Program, then submit your profile to enter the pool through your IRCC secure account.
2
Get your CRS score
The Comprehensive Ranking System scores your profile on age, education, language, work experience and other factors. Your score decides where you rank against everyone else in the pool.
3
IRCC holds a round of invitations
About every two weeks, IRCC chooses a round type — general, program-specific or category-based — and a number of invitations, then invites the highest-ranked eligible candidates.
4
Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
If your score is at or above the cut-off for that round (and you meet the category, where one applies), you receive an ITA in your IRCC account.
5
Apply within 60 days
Once invited, you have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application with all supporting documents, police certificates and medical exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Express Entry draw questions, answered

Common questions about Express Entry rounds of invitations, CRS cut-offs, category-based selection and timing.

What was the latest Express Entry draw?: The latest round on this tracker was Express Entry round #428, held on July 21, 2026 for the Canadian Experience Class. IRCC issued 2,000 invitations to apply with a minimum CRS score of 516. The tie-breaking rule was May 26, 2026 at 17:33:03 UTC. Always confirm the current round on the official canada.ca page, which is the only authoritative source.
How often does IRCC hold Express Entry draws?: IRCC holds rounds of invitations throughout the year, though the exact timing and round type vary. Through July 21, 2026, IRCC had held 40 rounds and issued 99,612 invitations, with frequent Provincial Nominee Program, Canadian Experience Class and French-language proficiency rounds.
Why are PNP draw cut-offs so much higher than other rounds?: A provincial or territorial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score. So in a Provincial Nominee Program-specific round, every candidate is already carrying a 600-point boost, which pushes the cut-off into the 700s and 800s. It does not mean those candidates are stronger on the core factors — it is the math of the nomination bonus.
Why do category-based draws have lower CRS cut-offs?: In a category-based round, IRCC invites only candidates who qualify for a specific category, such as healthcare, trades or French-language proficiency. Because that eligible pool is much smaller than the full pool, the minimum score needed to be invited is often lower than in a general all-program round. A very popular category with many qualified candidates can still push the cut-off back up.
What CRS score do I need to get invited?: There is no fixed number. The cut-off changes every round based on the round type, how many invitations IRCC issues, and the strength of the pool at that moment. The best read is the trend across recent rounds for your situation, not a single draw. If you tested in French or work in an in-demand occupation, a category-based round may invite you at a lower score than a general draw would.
How can Verge Immigration help with my Express Entry application?: We are licensed RCIC consultants. We assess your CRS score honestly, identify which categories and programs you qualify for, and build a strategy to improve your ranking — including language, education, a provincial nomination, or a category route. If you receive an Invitation to Apply, we prepare and manage your complete permanent residence application within the 60-day window. If your score is not yet competitive, we map the most realistic path to get there.

Official sources & references