Canada updates breakdown of Express Entry candidate scores

The Express Entry pool declined by just 186 profiles overall between August 16 and August 30, despite a drop of nearly 1,800 profiles in the 351–400 CRS band, according to the latest figures from Canada’s immigration department.

At the same time, the number of top-scoring Express Entry profiles increased from 19,096 to 20,101 over the two-week period, driven largely by growth in the 501–600 score band.

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is

The following table compares the breakdown of the Express Entry pool’s composition as of August 30, against the previous composition recorded on August 16:

CRS score range	August 30	August 16	Difference
0–300	7,735	7,709	+26
301–350	17,495	17,269	+226
351–400	46,824	48,600	−1,776
401–410	10,723	10,688	+35
411–420	11,183	11,269	−86
421–430	11,811	11,890	−79
431–440	13,233	13,229	+4
441–450	13,463	13,555	−92
451–460	14,800	14,814	−14
461–470	16,099	16,133	−34
471–480	16,981	16,626	+355
481–490	13,273	13,066	+207
491–500	12,952	12,915	+37
501–600	19,542	18,657	+885
601–1,200	559	439	+120
Total	226,673	226,859	−186

These data are also provided in graph form below:

How competitive is the Express Entry pool as of the latest data?

The following table shows the share of candidates within each Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score range, together with the percentile positions corresponding to its lower and upper limits, providing a clearer sense of competitiveness within the Express Entry pool.

The calculations reflect the Express Entry pool as of August 30.

CRS score range	Number of candidates	Cumulative	Percentile range	Percentage
0–300	7,735	7,735	0.00%–3.41%	3.41%
301–350	17,495	25,230	3.41%–11.13%	7.72%
351–400	46,824	72,054	11.13%–31.79%	20.66%
401–410	10,723	82,777	31.79%–36.52%	4.73%
411–420	11,183	93,960	36.52%–41.45%	4.93%
421–430	11,811	105,771	41.45%–46.66%	5.21%
431–440	13,233	119,004	46.66%–52.50%	5.84%
441–450	13,463	132,467	52.50%–58.44%	5.94%
451–460	14,800	147,267	58.44%–64.97%	6.53%
461–470	16,099	163,366	64.97%–72.07%	7.10%
471–480	16,981	180,347	72.07%–79.56%	7.49%
481–490	13,273	193,620	79.56%–85.42%	5.86%
491–500	12,952	206,572	85.42%–91.13%	5.71%
501–600	19,542	226,114	91.13%–99.75%	8.62%
601–1,200	559	226,673	99.75%–100.00%	0.25%

The percentiles indicate the share of candidates in the pool whose CRS scores are equal to or below the upper limit of each score band.

They are expressed as ranges because candidates within each CRS score range may fall between the two values provided.

Which draws have not been accounted for in the August 30 distribution?

The immigration department’s August 30 snapshot of the Express Entry pool does not account for the two subsequent draws held on August 31 and September 1, which saw a total of 2,562 candidates receive invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence:

Date of draw	Round type	Invitations issued	CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate
August 31	Provincial Nominee Program	562	697
September 1	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	521

Factoring in these draws, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a total of 117,427 ITAs through the Express Entry system over the course of 2026.

The greatest proportion of invitations issued this year went to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, at 43.6%.

What accounted for the changes in Express Entry profiles between August 16 and August 30?

Over the two-week period between August 16 and August 30, IRCC held two Express Entry draws, issuing a combined total of 6,442 ITAs for permanent residence.

Date of draw	Round type	Invitations issued	CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate
August 17	Provincial Nominee Program	442	760
August 18	Canadian Experience Class	1,000	523
August 19	French-Language proficiency	5,000	382

The August 18 draw recorded the highest cutoff score of any Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw held this year.

The overall pool declined by just 186 profiles during this period, a considerably smaller decrease than those recorded in recent months.

Permanent residence through Express Entry

Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for economic immigration, used to select skilled workers for permanent residence outside Quebec.

Foreign nationals must be eligible for at least one of three economic immigration programs to enter the Express Entry pool:

• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
• The Federal Skilled Worker Program; or
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Each profile is awarded a CRS score, with points assigned for characteristics including age, education, official-language skills, and work experience.

Periodically, the immigration department will hold an invitation round, wherein it selects candidates from the Express Entry pool to submit a permanent residence application.

The department also uses category-based selection, through which it prioritizes candidates with attributes corresponding to specific economic or labour-market objectives. These draws generally feature substantially lower CRS cutoffs than other Express Entry draw types.

There are 10 Express Entry categories as of the time of this writing, including French-language proficiency and occupation-based categories such as healthcare and social services, education, transport, and trades.

The contrast is clear in this year’s draw results: healthcare and social services cutoffs have stayed between 467–475 CRS points, while CEC draws have ranged from 507–523.

Candidates who receive an Express Entry invitation have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence before the invitation expires.

Express Entry applications have historically been finalized in about six months. Base PNP applications, meanwhile, have generally taken about 12 to 20 months over the past year or so.

Successful applicants receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), enabling them to complete the landing process and obtain permanent resident status.

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is