Latest Express Entry Draw: 2026 Invitations

Express Entry Latest Draw

• Invitation Round: #416
• Date of Draw: May 25, 2026
• Type of Draw: Provincial Nominee Program
• CRS Score Cut-Off: 805
• Number of ITAs Issued: 334
• Tie-Breaking rule: October 16, 2025 at 18:16:33 UTC

Read our full analysis here: Express Entry Draw #416 on May 25, 2026

As of May 10, 2026, the Express Entry pool includes a total of 233,770 candidates. To see how these candidates are distributed across CRS score ranges—and to better understand where you might stand—check out the full article: Express Entry Pool Breakdown.

Latest Draws: Size and Score Comparison Chart

What is an Express Entry Draw?

An Express Entry draw is the process conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to select profiles from the Express Entry pool and invite the eligible candidates for a specific category to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

How do Express Entry Draws work?

During the Express Entry rounds of invitations, the Canadian government selects candidates from the Express Entry pool based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and other factors, like work experience or language proficiency. Those who meet or exceed the CRS score cutoff set for that particular draw are issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency.

Key Components of an EE Draw Explained

• Draw Number: Identifies the sequence of the current draw.
• Date of the Draw: Specifies when the draw took place, helping applicants track trends.
• Program/Category: Indicates the specific Express Entry program or category targeted by the draw.
• CRS Cut-Off Score: The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
• Number of ITAs Issued: The total number of applicants who received an ITA in that draw.
• CRS-Breaking Rule: Applied when multiple Express Entry candidates have the same CRS cut-off score; it prioritizes those who submitted their profiles earlier by setting a specific date and time. Only candidates who submitted their profiles before this timestamp receive an ITA.

How Does IRCC Determine the CRS Cut-Off for Each Draw?

In each Express Entry draw, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decides how many candidates to select from the pool. They then invite the highest-ranking candidates based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores until the target number is reached. The CRS cut-off is the score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in that round.

If multiple candidates have the same score at the cut-off, IRCC applies a tie-breaking rule. This rule prioritizes candidates who submitted their Express Entry profiles earlier, based on the date and time of submission.

What Types of Express Entry Draws Are There?

IRCC conducts three main types of Express Entry draws. These are:

• General Rounds of Invitations: These draws invite top-ranking candidates across all three Express Entry programs—Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC)—without targeting specific groups.
• Program-Specific Rounds: These draws focus on candidates eligible for a particular Express Entry program. For example, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws exclusively invite candidates nominated by a province or territory, and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws exclusively invited candidates who qualify for the Canadian Experience Class program.
• Category-Based Rounds: Category-based draws focus on specific in-demand skills that align with Canada’s economic needs and labour market information. The Minister of Immigration defines categories annually. For 2026, categories are: French language proficiency, Healthcare and social services occupations, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations, Trade occupations, Education occupations, Physicians with Canadian work experience, Senior managers with Canadian work experience, Researchers with Canadian work experience, and Skilled military recruits.

When is The Next Express Entry Draw in 2026?

The timing, frequency, number of invitations and CRS score are at the discretion of the immigration minister and are not announced in advance. This year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has moved towards more category-based draws, which makes it difficult to predict exact dates. However, our weekly reports offer approximate dates. Be sure to read our weekly Express Entry draw forecast and analysis for more insights. and analysis.

What Can We Expect in the Express Entry Draws in 2026?

2026 started strong with over 70,000 invitations issued as of May 25. Here is what we expect to see from Express Entry draws for the rest of 2026:

• a reduction in the number of ITAs issued per draw. It is not sustainable to maintain the volume seen in the first half of the year.
• Regular PNP draws, likely bi-weekly. And given the increased PNP allocation, we’d expect these draws to be larger on average (though it will depend on how many nominations are EE aligned).
• Consistent French language proficiency draws, or at least several very large rounds.
• There is much less certainty around CEC and other categories. The introduction of the Physicians with in Canada experience and 3 new categories really could put a spanner in all that we know about CEC and category draws and how they currently work.

What is the CRS score for Express Entry in 2026?

There is no single CRS score for Express Entry in 2026. Because Express Entry includes multiple immigration programs and category-based draws, there is no one universal “current” CRS score. The required cut-off score depends heavily on the immigration stream or category you qualify for.

As of May 2026, the current range of CRS cut-off scores by program is:

Will the CRS score go up in 2026?

Yes, some CRS scores could increase or remain high throughout 2026, especially in the most competitive Express Entry streams. However, the trend will vary depending on the type of draw and the number of candidates within each CRS range in the Express Entry pool.

According to Express Entry pool data from December 2025 to May 2026, the number of high-scoring candidates remains very large. For example:

• The number of candidates with CRS scores between 451–500 remained consistently high at around 68,000–74,000 candidates.
• The 501–600 range still contains between 11,000 and 27,000 candidates.
• The total Express Entry pool continues to stay above 230,000 candidates.

This suggests that competition will likely remain strong for general and CEC draws.

Express Entry draws from 2015 to 2026

If you are looking for the historical data of EE draws year by year since the program started, visit our dedicated page for the full Express Entry draw History since 2015.

Express Entry Draw FAQs

How often do Express Entry Draws happen?

Express Entry draws are less predictable than they once were. With the introduction of category-based draws, IRCC conducts multiple draws throughout the week but tends to group them into one week of draws and one week without.

Keep updated with the latest Express Entry Draw as soon as they happen, just by joining our community for free! Join now!

What time of the day do Express Entry Draws happen?

Like the frequency of draws, the time of day draws happen varies. IRCC use universal time, and generally conduct draws in the afternoon.

What is the minimum score for Express Entry?

There is no minimum score needed to enter the Express Entry pool. Anyone, irrespective of their CRS can enter the Express Entry pool so long as they are eligible for an immigration program that uses the Express Entry pool. The only points requirement is that required to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW). Applicants who wish to immigrate through the FSW program must be able to demonstrate they score at least 67 points in the FSW eligibility grid.

How Can You Increase Your CRS Score?

What is the largest Express Entry draw so far?

The largest Express Entry draw took place on February 13th, 2021 and saw 27,332 Canadian Experience Class applicants receive an ITA. The CRS cut-off for this draw was 75. This draw remains the largest ever recorded and holds the title of the lowest CRS score invited.

Will the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws continue?

Yes, IRCC held several CEC draws in 2025, and we expect this trend to continue throughout 2026. By mid February 2026, 20,000 ITAs have already been issued under the CEC.

The 2026-2028 immigration levels plan allocates over 109,000 spots for Federal High Skilled applicants, which includes CEC, FSW, and to a smaller extent, FSTP. With this, we expect IRCC to continue CEC draws in 2026.

Will There be a General/ All Program Express Entry Draws in 2026?

IRCC has not conducted a general, all-program draw since April 23rd, 2024. This draw had a CRS cut-off of 529.

Understandably, those waiting for a general draw are wondering 2 things: when is the next general draw and what will the CRS cut-off be.

It is impossible to tell when the next general draw. Although the 2026-2028 immigration levels suggest an increased focus on high-skilled applicants, this could very well in-Canada applicants. As such, there may be no general draw in 2026. Since we have not seen a general draw since April, 2024, if there is one in 2026, we expect the CRS cut-off to be extremely high.

Which Express Entry category is IRCC using most often?

In 2025, the French-language category was used more than any other Express Entry category. In 2026, this focus will likely continue.

In the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC set a goal to admit 30,267 French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec. So we expect many category-based invitations in 2026 to go to French-language draws.

IRCC has not shared clear details about how it will use the other categories. On February 18, it added new occupation-based categories, bringing the total to nine. At the same time, the agricultural category was removed. It stands to reason that the categories that remain are there for a reason, so it is likely they will be used at some point in 2025.
How often category-based draws that target occupations will take place, and how many ITAs will be issued under each category, remains to be seen.

What to do if you receive an Express Entry invitation?

If you are invited, you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). This is your chance to apply for Canadian immigration.

You have 60 days to respond to your ITA. Once you have submitted an application, you may receive a decision on your application at any time. IRCC’s standard is six months, but it may take more or less time.

If you are approved, you will get a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Then it’s just a matter of following IRCC’s instructions to officially become a permanent resident of Canada!

To see if you are eligible for Express Entry, take the free Canada Immigration Quiz.

Resources to Help You Succeed in Express Entry in 2026