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By Stephanie Ford
Updated 5 days ago
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As of September 1, 2025, there are 254,672 profiles in the Express Entry pool.
The pool size increased from 254,113 on August 17 to 254,674 — a net increase of 559 profiles (though there were 2,692 invitations sent during this time).
Want to know how competitive your CRS score is compared to the Express Entry pool? Check out our online Express Entry CRS points calculator.
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The Express Entry pool represents all candidates with an active Express Entry profile. The number of profiles in the pool changes daily as draws take place and as new applicants submit their profiles, while others leave due to expiry, receiving an invitation, or a change in eligibility.
Here’s a snapshot of the current candidate spread in the Express Entry pool:
The pool grew from 227,763 candidates on January 8 to 232,924 on January 23—a net increase of about 5,161 candidates in just over two weeks. This strong growth shows that more candidates are entering the system, likely as they become eligible for an Express Entry program.
By February 5, the total had reached 234,052. This steady rise underscores sustained interest in Express Entry as a pathway to Canadian immigration.
After a temporary dip in early March, the Express Entry pool saw a strong rebound. The total number of candidates fell to 227,822 on March 3, likely the result of significant draw activity in late February. However, by March 16, the pool had grown to 236,909 candidates—an increase of 9,087 candidates in just under two weeks, and the highest total recorded in 2025 so far.
The March numbers confirm that interest in Express Entry remains high, and that the system is becoming more competitive, especially for those with mid-to-high CRS scores.
In April, the Express Entry pool reached 244,282 candidates. This increase followed a month-long pause in draws and a significant policy change that removed points for arranged employment (LMIA-based job offers). As a result, thousands of candidates were reclassified into lower CRS bands, particularly the 451–500 and 401–450 ranges, both of which grew substantially. Notably, the 501–600 range shrank by more than 5,700 candidates, while the 400s bands absorbed the majority of this shift.
By May 13, the pool climbed to 250,082 candidates, up roughly 5,700 from early April. The 501–600, 451–500, and 401–450 ranges all continued to grow, adding between 1,200 and 2,400 candidates each since April 14. Lower bands (301–350 and 0–300) edged slightly downward.
With 7,475 more candidates in the pool on June 11 than in mid-May, data in early June showed a significant surge, particularly at the 501-600 and 451-500 ranges, which each added over 2,500 earlier in the month. However, the pool data on June 22 showed the first signs of relief in the 501-600 range and the first decrease in pool size since March. This is a positive sign, showing that (if we see regular draws around the 3,000 mark), we may see further decreases in the pool size in the 501-600 range and decreases in the CRS cut-offs in Express Entry draws.
The overall pool held near its recent peak, nudging from 256,224 on July 6 to 256,914 on July 20 (+690). Despite that modest net gain, the 501–600 band fell sharply from 22,591 → 21,348 (–1,243), showing large draws and selection of top profiles continued to remove many strong candidates. In short: pool size stayed high, but competition tightened as the 500+ cohort thinned.
Early August saw an aggressive rebound in the 501–600 band — 21,348 on July 20 → 24,165 on Aug 5 (+2,817) — as candidates improved profiles or new strong profiles entered. That bounce didn’t fully hold: by Aug 17 the pool fell to 254,113 and 501–600 slid back to 22,930, a net drop of 2,472 in total pool size from Aug 5.
As predicted, with smaller and missed Canadian Experience Class draws, the 501-600 range pool size once again hit 25,000 candidates. The pool size overall increased slightly by September 1, but did not reach the highs we saw earlier this year — thanks to the larger healthcare draws we saw earlier in August.
Note that we update these figures once per month, not after each draw.*
The 501–600 band was 21,348 on July 20. It jumped to 24,165 on August 5 (+2,817), eased to 22,930 on August 17 (−1,235), then rose again to 25,123 on September 1 (+2,193). Net change from July 20 → Sept 1 is +3,775 candidates in the 501–600 range. This growth happened even as we saw one Canadian Experience Class inviting 1000 with scores over 534 and multiple category based draws (with scores in the 451+ range) inviting 9,000 candidates. Many of those would have been in the 501-600 range.
That means more than 157 people joined the pool in the 501-600 range every day between the last glimpse into the pool and the September 1 look-in. We can’t say exactly how many due to the category-based draws likely pulling some 501+ candidates in the meantime.
We do expect to see a swell in the 501-600 range when the month ticks over if we don’t see consistent draws. This is because, as we understand it, IRCC tends to add additional points for Canadian work experience to eligible profiles at the beginning of each month. So, the pool swells at the start of the month when this transition takes place. Then, the later draw that month only sees increases from new profiles and profile updates other than eligible work experience (like improved language testing results).
The massive drop in candidates in April 2025 reflects the timing of IRCC removing the 50-200 point boost for a valid job offer.
It’s very challenging to know in the absence of consistent draws for Canadian Experience Class and since we’re only getting one glimpse into the pool each week, so we can’t see the nuances of each draw’s impact on the pool.
Forecasts suggest that unless the rate of new high-scoring entries slows, Canadian Experience Class draws at the 3,000 invitation range become consistent, or draw sizes increase, cut-offs are likely to remain above 515 — or even 520 — in 2025. While the future remains uncertain, candidates are encouraged to focus on boosting their scores through language improvements, additional education, or targeting occupations eligible for category-based draws.
What a ‘good’ CRS score is in Canada’s Express Entry pool changes over time, though a ‘good’ score is generally any score that make it likely that you will receive an invitation in the next few rounds. At the moment, this means a relatively high score — around 520+. Why? Well it’s based on how many candidates in the pool have scores higher than yours.
Here’s an overview of the candidate score ranges in the Express Entry pool:
This range doesn’t typically see the huge numbers of candidates that we see in the 501+ and 451-500 ranges. This is because the numbers of provincial nominations are limited each year at the provincial level. Since those are limited to align with IRCC’s immigration targets for PNPs, this range generally stays relatively small.
With restrictive caps on the amount of nominations each province can issue, the PNP pool size is likely to stay on the smaller side as provinces near their allocation limits for the year. We expect this trend to continue for the rest of the year. You can learn more about the bigger picture of PNP from the August 18, 2025 PNP draw.
We discussed this range in depth above. Check out the discussion there for our thoughts.
After steady growth through June and July, the 451–500 band has eased further into September. It fell from 78,339 on July 20 → 76,004 on Aug 5 → 75,011 on Aug 17, then to 74,183 on Sept 1 (net −4,156 since July 20).
Meanwhile the 401–450 band has inched up: 73,409 (July 20) → 73,839 (Aug 5) → 73,920 (Aug 17) → 74,314 (Sept 1), a net +905 gain. In short: the mid-400s stay crowded — the top of that block (451–500) is cooling slightly, while the lower half (401–450) is absorbing some of the pressure and growing modestly.
If you’re within this range, it’s very important to continue working on your CRS score. This is true even if you’re hoping to receive an invitation for a category-based draw, which are also seeing high scores this year. That said, French category based draws may continue to attract lower scores than other categories this year and candidates with French proficiency in this range may be well placed to receive an invitation in a targeted draw.
451–500 Range
491–500: 12,409 → 12,443 (+34)481–490: 12,349 → 12,443 (+94)471–480: 17,035 → 16,077 (−958)461–470: 17,339 → 17,252 (−87)451–460: 15,879 → 15,968 (+89)
All together: 75,011 → 74,183 (−828)
401–450 Range
441–450: 15,116 → 15,220 (+104)431–440: 16,222 → 16,245 (+23)421–430: 14,639 → 14,813 (+174)411–420: 14,488 → 14,542 (+54)401–410: 13,455 → 13,494 (+39)
All together: 73,920 → 74,314 (+394)
351–400 Range
53,461 → 52,798 (−663)
301–350 Range
20,424 → 19,955 (−469)
0–300 Range
8,179 → 8,053 (−126)
Between Aug 17 → Sept 1, the 451–500 band fell by 828 candidates, driven largely by a big drop in the 471–480 subrange (−958). Meanwhile the 401–450 band gained 394 candidates, suggesting some pressure shifted into the lower half of the mid-400s. The lower bands (351–400, 301–350, 0–300) all edged down, indicating modest exits or profile improvements into higher ranges.
Determining how your CRS score compares to others in the pool is a necessary component to a successful immigration strategy.
If you have a strong CRS score in comparison to others in the pool, your chances of receiving an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw are high therefore you may just need to wait for the next draw.
On the other hand, you may find that your CRS is not competitive enough, forcing you to look at ways to increase your score or explore Express Entry alternatives.
Whether or not you’re invited to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system depends on:
Once you have submitted your Express Entry profile, you will receive your CRS score. Bear in mind that this score may change due to factors like age therefore it is important to keep a note of your CRS and competitiveness.
Staying informed about immigration in Canada can help you prepare for your Express Entry journey. Join today to Moving2Canada community can help. You’ll receive free access to our newsletters, immigration checklists, and a host of other settlement resources — all tailored to your immigration journey. Sign up here.
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