Canada has invited 3,500 candidates with experience in trade occupations to apply for permanent residence in an Express Entry round held on October 1, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 476.
This was the 447th Express Entry round overall and the 59th of 2026. It is only the second trades-focused round of the year, and the first since the April 2 trades round, which invited 3,000 candidates with a cut-off of 477. The October round was 500 invitations larger and its cut-off one point lower.
The round was the third Express Entry draw in four days, following a Provincial Nominee Program round on September 28 and a Canadian Experience Class round on September 29.
Full Details of the October 1 Trades Occupations Draw
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Round type | Trade occupations (2026-Version 3) |
| Round number | 447 |
| Date and time | October 1, 2026 at 12:47:55 UTC |
| Number of invitations issued | 3,500 |
| CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited | 476 |
| Tie-breaking rule | May 28, 2026 at 16:55:23 UTC |
The tie-breaking rule means that candidates with a CRS score of 476 who submitted their Express Entry profile before 16:55:23 UTC on May 28, 2026 received an invitation. Candidates with the same score who entered the pool after that moment did not.
Trades Occupations Rounds in 2026
| Date | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | 3,500 | 476 |
| April 2, 2026 | 3,000 | 477 |
Across those two rounds, IRCC has issued 6,500 invitations to trades candidates in 2026. The cut-off in both rounds sits roughly 40 points below the 518 required in the most recent Canadian Experience Class round, which shows how much a category-based round can lower the bar for candidates who qualify for it.
Express Entry in 2026 So Far
The October 1 round brings the 2026 running total to 135,215 invitations across 59 rounds. As of September 27, 2026, there were 229,904 candidates in the Express Entry pool. Of those, 16,465 had scores between 471 and 480, the band that contains this round’s cut-off.
Who Qualifies for a Trades Occupations Round
Invitations in this round were open to candidates eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. To be considered, a candidate must also meet IRCC’s work-experience requirement in one of the trade occupations designated for the category.
The list of eligible occupations and the exact experience requirement are published on the Government of Canada’s category-based selection page, and full details of each round are on the rounds of invitations page. You can follow every 2026 round on our Express Entry draws 2026 page.
If you work in a skilled trade and your CRS score is near 476, a stronger language test result or additional work experience could be enough to put you in range for the next trades round. Use our free CRS score calculator to work out your Comprehensive Ranking System score and see how far you sit from the 476 cut-off.