Canada has invited 2,000 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence in an Express Entry round held on September 29, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 518.
This was the 446th Express Entry round overall and the 58th of 2026. The cut-off is one point lower than the 519 recorded in the September 15 CEC round, and it is the third straight CEC round in which the minimum score has fallen, after 523 on August 18 and 521 on September 1.
The round came one day after a Provincial Nominee Program round on September 28, the second time this month that IRCC has run draws on consecutive days, after rounds on September 14, 15 and 16.
Full Details of the September 29 Canadian Experience Class Draw
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Round type | Canadian Experience Class |
| Round number | 446 |
| Date and time | September 29, 2026 at 10:19:21 UTC |
| Number of invitations issued | 2,000 |
| CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited | 518 |
| Tie-breaking rule | February 13, 2026 at 20:48:08 UTC |
The tie-breaking rule means that candidates with a CRS score of 518 who submitted their Express Entry profile before 20:48:08 UTC on February 13, 2026 received an invitation. Candidates with the same score who entered the pool after that moment did not.
Canadian Experience Class Rounds in 2026
| Date | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2026 | 2,000 | 518 |
| September 15, 2026 | 2,000 | 519 |
| September 1, 2026 | 2,000 | 521 |
| August 18, 2026 | 1,000 | 523 |
| August 5, 2026 | 3,000 | 516 |
| July 21, 2026 | 2,000 | 516 |
| July 7, 2026 | 2,000 | 517 |
| June 23, 2026 | 4,000 | 516 |
| May 27, 2026 | 3,000 | 518 |
| April 28, 2026 | 2,000 | 514 |
| April 14, 2026 | 2,000 | 515 |
| March 31, 2026 | 2,250 | 509 |
| March 17, 2026 | 4,000 | 507 |
| March 3, 2026 | 4,000 | 508 |
| February 17, 2026 | 6,000 | 508 |
| January 21, 2026 | 6,000 | 509 |
| January 7, 2026 | 8,000 | 511 |
Across those 17 rounds, IRCC has issued 55,250 invitations to Canadian Experience Class candidates in 2026, or roughly 42 per cent of all Express Entry invitations this year. The September 29 round matches the 2,000-invitation size of five of the last seven CEC draws.
Express Entry in 2026 So Far
The September 29 round brings the 2026 running total to 131,715 invitations across 58 rounds. As of September 27, 2026, there were 229,904 candidates in the Express Entry pool, including 21,070 with scores between 501 and 600.
Who Qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class
To be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, a candidate must have at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada — or the part-time equivalent — gained in the three years before applying, in a job classified under TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification.
Language requirements are Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for TEER 0 and TEER 1 occupations, and CLB 5 for TEER 2 and TEER 3 occupations. Candidates must also hold a valid Express Entry profile, and the Canadian work experience must have been gained with authorization. Full details of each round are published on the Government of Canada’s rounds of invitations page.
If you are working in Canada and your CRS score is below 518, the gap is often closable: another language test attempt, a completed Canadian credential, or a second year of Canadian work experience can each move a score by double digits. Use our free CRS score calculator to work out your Comprehensive Ranking System score, see how far you sit from the 518 cut-off, and identify which factors would lift you into invitation range for the next CEC round.