Canadian Experience Class candidates invited at lowest CRS cut-off score since 2024

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system, in a surprise statutory holiday draw.

The immigration department issued 6,000 ITAs in a draw for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have

• A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 508; and
• Created an Express Entry candidate profile before 9:35 a.m., Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on March 16, 2025.

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is

Summary of Express Entry draws in 2026

Draw date	Draw Type	CRS cut-off score	ITAs issued
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 marks the eighth Express Entry selection of the year, and the third draw selecting CEC candidates in 2026.

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	4
Canadian Experience Class	3
French-Language proficiency	1

In 2026 thus far, IRCC has issued 30,457 ITAs across the following draw types:

Draw type	ITAs Issued
Canadian Experience Class	20,000
French-Language proficiency	8,500
Provincial Nominee Program	1,534

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is