Canada holds first Express Entry draw under new category

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system.

The immigration department issued 250 ITAs in a draw for candidates in the Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have

• A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 429; and
• Created an Express Entry candidate profile before 3:10 p.m., Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on August 19, 2025.

See how your competitive Express Entry profile is

Summary of Express Entry draws in 2026

Date	Draw Type	CRS cut-off score	ITAs issued
October 16	French-Language proficiency	435	5,000
October 15	Canadian Experience Class	519	2,500
October 13	Provincial Nominee Program	772	752
October 1	Trades	476	3,500
September 29	Canadian Experience Class	518	2,000
September 28	Provincial Nominee Program	725	733
September 16	Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience	389	250
September 15	Canadian Experience Class	519	2,000
September 14	Provincial Nominee Program	734	576
September 4	Healthcare and social services	475	3,500
September 3	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	198	229
September 1	Canadian Experience Class	521	2,000
August 31	Provincial Nominee Program	697	562
August 19	French-Language proficiency	382	5,000
August 18	Canadian Experience Class	523	1,000
August 17	Provincial Nominee Program	760	442
August 7	Transport	470	300
August 6	French-Language proficiency	391	5,000
August 5	Canadian Experience Class	516	3,000
August 4	Provincial Nominee Program	768	507
July 23	Skilled Military Recruits	368	4
July 22	French-Language proficiency	399	5,000
July 21	Canadian Experience Class	516	2,000
July 20	Provincial Nominee Program	744	511
July 10	Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience	392	500
July 9	French-Language proficiency	420	5,000
July 7	Canadian Experience Class	517	2,000
July 6	Provincial Nominee Program	708	534
June 25	Healthcare and social services	475	4,000
June 24	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	223	271
June 23	Canadian Experience Class	516	4,000
June 22	Provincial Nominee Program	730	955
May 28	French-Language proficiency	409	4,500
May 27	Canadian Experience Class	518	3,000
May 25	Provincial Nominee Program	805	334
May 11	Provincial Nominee Program	798	380
April 29	French-Language proficiency	400	4,000
April 28	Canadian Experience Class	514	2,000
April 27	Provincial Nominee Program	795	473
April 15	French-Language proficiency	419	4,000
April 14	Canadian Experience Class	515	2,000
April 13	Provincial Nominee Program	786	324
April 2	Trades	477	3,000
March 31	Canadian Experience Class	509	2,250
March 30	Provincial Nominee Program	802	356
March 18	French-Language proficiency	393	4,000
March 17	Canadian Experience Class	507	4,000
March 16	Provincial Nominee Program	742	362
March 5	Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience	429	250
March 4	French-Language proficiency	397	5,500
March 3	Canadian Experience Class	508	4,000
March 2	Provincial Nominee Program	710	264
February 20	Healthcare and social services	467	4,000
February 19	Physicians with Canadian work experience	169	391
February 17	Canadian Experience Class	508	6,000
February 16	Provincial Nominee Program	789	279
February 6	French-Language proficiency	400	8,500
February 3	Provincial Nominee Program	749	423
January 21	Canadian Experience Class	509	6,000
January 20	Provincial Nominee Program	746	681
January 7	Canadian Experience Class	511	8,000
January 5	Provincial Nominee Program	711	574

Today's draw is the very first for the Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience category, and the fourteenth Express Entry selection of 2026.

The category was first announced as part of the February 2026 overhaul, which saw three new occupational categories introduced.

To be eligible for this category, candidates need to have at least 12 months of Canadian work experience within the last three years, in one of four occupations, under Canada's National Occupation Classification (NOC) system:

• Senior managers – construction, transportation, production, and utilities
• Senior managers – trade, broadcasting, and other services
• Senior managers – health, education, social and community services, and membership organizations
• Senior managers – financial, communications, and other business services

Express Entry draws in 2026 have seen Canada's immigration department focus largely on immigration candidates within the country, particularly those with provincial nominations and Canadian work experience.

Draw Type	Number of Draws
Provincial Nominee Program	20
Canadian Experience Class	18
French-Language proficiency	11
Physicians with Canadian work experience	3
Healthcare and social services	3
Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience	3
Trades	2
Transport	1
Skilled Military Recruits	1

In 2026 thus far, IRCC has issued 44,862 ITAs across the following draw types:

Draw type	ITAs Issued
Canadian Experience Class	57,250
French-Language proficiency	55,500
Provincial Nominee Program	10,022
Healthcare and social services	11,500
Trades	6,500
Transport	300
Physicians with Canadian work experience	891
Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience	1,000
Skilled Military Recruits	4

See how your competitive Express Entry profile is