Canada has invited 2,500 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence in an Express Entry round held on October 15, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 519.
This was the 449th Express Entry round overall and the 61st of 2026. At 2,500 invitations, it is the largest Canadian Experience Class round since the 3,000 issued on August 5, and 500 more than the September 29 CEC round, which closed at 518. The cut-off moved up by a single point and matches the 519 set on September 15. It came two days after the October 13 Provincial Nominee Program round.
Full Details of the October 15 Canadian Experience Class Draw
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Round type | Canadian Experience Class |
| Round number | 449 |
| Date and time | October 15, 2026 at 10:02:33 UTC |
| Number of invitations issued | 2,500 |
| CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited | 519 |
| Tie-breaking rule | September 21, 2026 at 19:00:47 UTC |
The tie-breaking rule means that candidates with a CRS score of 519 who submitted their Express Entry profile before 19:00:47 UTC on September 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| October 15, 2026 | 2,500 | 519 |
| 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 18 rounds, IRCC has issued 57,750 invitations to Canadian Experience Class candidates in 2026. Cut-offs have stayed within a narrow band of 507 to 523 all year, and every CEC round since April has closed at 514 or higher.
Express Entry in 2026 So Far
The October 15 round brings the 2026 running total to 138,467 invitations across 61 rounds.
As of October 12, 2026, there were 229,456 candidates in the Express Entry pool. Of those, 749 had a CRS score between 601 and 1,200 and 21,638 scored between 501 and 600 — the band in which every CEC cut-off this year has fallen.
Who Qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class
The Canadian Experience Class is for candidates who already have skilled work experience in Canada. To be eligible, a candidate generally needs at least 12 months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in an occupation at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 within the three years before applying, gained while authorized to work in Canada.
Candidates must also meet minimum language requirements: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for TEER 0 and 1 occupations, or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 occupations. Self-employment and work experience gained while a full-time student do not count toward the requirement. Candidates who plan to live in Quebec are not eligible for the CEC.
Full details of each round are published on the Government of Canada’s rounds of invitations page. A full history of this year’s rounds is kept on our Express Entry draws 2026 page.
With the CEC cut-off at 519, candidates with Canadian work experience who score in the low 500s are within reach of future rounds. Use our free CRS score calculator to work out your Comprehensive Ranking System score, see how close you are to the latest cut-off, and identify which factors — language, education or additional Canadian work experience — would move you closest to an invitation.