6,000 More CEC Invites Issued in Record-breaking January Express Entry Draws

Key Takeaways  

Type of draw: Canadian Experience Class (CEC) 

Invitations issued:  6,000 

Minimum CRS score:  509 

Tie-breaking rule: October 29, 2025 at 04:35:24 UTC 

Prediction for next draw: We may see a  category-based draw on January 22 or January 23, otherwise PNP on 2 or 3 February.  

Our Analysis of This Express Entry Draw  

Today’s draw was for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates only. IRCC issued 6,000 invitations, with a minimum CRS score of 509. This draw makes January 2026 a record-breaking month for invitations issued through Canada’s Express Entry system.

This continues the run of large CEC draws we’ve been seeing lately. The last CEC draw, on January 8, 2026, invited 8,000 candidates with a CRS cut-off of 511 – so while today’s round was smaller, it’s still firmly in that “big draw” territory. Compared to that draw, today’s round invited 2,000 fewer candidates, and the CRS cut-off is slightly lower, dropping two points from 511 to 509. This is a clue as to how high competition is in the Express Entry pool at the moment.  

Even with 6,000 invitations, the cut-off only moved two points, which suggests a lot of candidates are packed into that same score band. After today’s draw, there are likely around 11,000 candidates still in the pool at the 501–600 range. Many of those candidates will sit between 501-509. Then, there are also large clusters just below that, including 13,278 candidates in 491–500 and 12,942 in 481–490. 

With that kind of concentration around the low 500s – and more joining the pool at the range every day or almost every day, even another draw this size may only nudge the CRS cut-off down slightly. 

In other words, every CRS point you can earn counts, folks.  

What this could mean for CEC draws in 2026 

So far, large CEC draws seem to be the trend for 2026, like the 8,000-ITA draw on January 7. If we look back a little further, these large CEC draws are not limited to January. IRCC ran two sizable CEC draws in December 2025 too. These seem to have set the tone for the new year and left many candidates hopeful that bigger rounds would continue and help pull CRS scores down over time. 

Because of that, the recent CEC draws may not feel like a one-off. Instead, it looks more like a continuation of a trend that began at the end of 2025 – making this stretch feel very different from most of 2025, when CEC draws were smaller for most of the year. 

If draws stay this large, cut-offs would likely gradually come down over time, but today’s result shows how slow that movement can be right now. Even with 6,000 invitations, the CRS cut-off only dropped two points, which speaks to just how crowded the pool is at the low-500s. 

That said, it’s tough to say if this pace can last. In our deeper breakdown on whether large CEC draws will become the norm in 2026, we explain why this run of high-volume rounds may be hard to sustain for long, even if more big draws are still in the pipeline. 

What This Means for Candidates  

If you’re eligible for CEC, this is a good time to make sure your Express Entry profile is rock-solid and up to date. Small details matter here, especially your work history dates, job duties, and language results. 

And when cut-offs are moving this slowly, a one- or two-point difference can make all the difference.  If your CRS score is close to the cut-off, even small upgrades can help – like retaking a language test, adding another credential, or updating your work experience if you’ve hit a new milestone. 

Further Resources for CEC Candidates 

For more information:

• Use our Canadian Experience Class Points Calculator to learn more about your current score and how to improve it. 
• Learn more about the latest Express Entry draws. 
• Check the state of the Express Entry pool. 
• Learn when to expect the next Express Entry draw.