Canada Issues 2,000 Invitations in Latest Canadian Experience Class Draw, Lowest CRS at 518

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held Express Entry Round #446 on September 29, 2026, and it went to Canadian Experience Class candidates. A total of 2,000 Invitations to Apply were issued, with the cutoff landing at 518 points.

The draw was CEC-only, so candidates outside that stream were not considered. Anyone in the pool with qualifying Canadian work experience and a CRS score at or above the cutoff has now received an invitation and can move on to filing a full application.

Details of the Draw

✅ Invitation Round: #446

✅ Date of Round: September 29, 2026
✅ Type of Draw: Canadian Experience Class

✅ Number of ITAs Issued: 2,000

✅ CRS Score of Lowest-Ranked Candidate Invited: 518

Overview of the Draw

Round #446 is a program-specific draw, which means IRCC pulled candidates only from the Canadian Experience Class rather than the whole Express Entry pool. A cutoff of 518 is fairly high, and it tells you that competition among CEC candidates is still stiff. Plenty of people in the pool hold Canadian work experience, and a lot of them sit in the mid-400s to low-500s range, so getting an ITA usually takes a strong score built on age, language results, education and job experience together.

Purpose of the Draw

CEC draws exist to select people who already live and work in Canada, since they have adapted to the country, its workplaces and its language environment. For IRCC, this is the quickest route to converting temporary residents into permanent ones. Many of these candidates are on post-graduation work permits or other work permits, and PR is what lets them settle for the long term.

There is an economic side too. Employers get to keep skilled workers they have already trained, and provinces benefit when those workers stay put. So a draw like this supports labour needs while also working toward the government's yearly permanent resident admission targets.

Impact on Immigration

For candidates who received an ITA, the clock now starts. They have 60 days to submit a complete application with documents, so it is worth getting police certificates, medical exams and proof of work experience ready early. Delays in paperwork are one of the most common reasons applications run into trouble.

For those who did not make the cut, the 518 score is a useful benchmark. Improving language test results, adding a French-language qualification, or securing a provincial nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program can push a profile up noticeably. A nomination alone adds 600 points and virtually guarantees an invitation in the next draw.

More broadly, the round confirms that CEC remains one of the most active streams in Express Entry. Anyone with Canadian work experience should keep their profile current and keep an eye on upcoming draws, because cutoff scores can move from one round to the next.

Canada Express Entry Draw List 2026

Total ITAs issued in 2026: 131715