Last verified: June 28, 2026 · Official source: canada.ca/express-entry
General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is IRCC's online system for managing permanent residence applications for three federal economic-class programs:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — for people with recent skilled Canadian work experience
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) — for skilled workers outside Canada
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST) — for qualified tradespeople
All three programs share one pool of candidates, ranked by a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. IRCC periodically holds rounds of invitations (draws), inviting the highest-ranked candidates to apply for permanent residence.
How does the CRS score work?
The CRSCRS: Comprehensive Ranking System — IRCC's point-based score used to rank Express Entry candidates. Maximum 1,200 points. Higher score = higher rank in the pool = more likely to be invited in a draw. scores candidates on factors including:
| Factor | Key items |
|---|---|
| Core/human capital | Age, education level, language proficiency (CLBCLB: Canadian Language Benchmark — the 12-level scale IRCC uses to assess English and French language skills.), Canadian work experience |
| Spouse/partner factors | If you have a spouse joining you: their education, language, Canadian work experience |
| Skill transferability | Combinations: foreign education + language, foreign work exp + Canadian exp, etc. |
| Additional points | Provincial nomination (+600 pts), ECAECA: Educational Credential Assessment — verifies that your foreign education is equivalent to a Canadian credential. Required for FSW and to claim education points in CRS., Canadian education, sibling in Canada, strong French skills |
Maximum total CRS: 1,200 points.
A provincial nomination from an Enhanced PNP stream adds +600 CRS points — effectively guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply in a future draw.
Calculate your score: CRS Calculator →
2026 update: job-offer points removed
As of March 25, 2025, IRCC removed the CRS points previously awarded for a qualifying job offer. A job offer no longer gives you bonus CRS points in Express Entry (though job offers remain important for some PNP streams like the new OINP Workforce Priority stream).
How draws work
IRCC holds rounds of invitations approximately every two weeks. In each draw, IRCC sets a CRS cutoff and invites all candidates at or above that cutoff to apply for PR. IRCC has increasingly used category-based draws that target specific occupations, alongside general draws open to all programs.
⚠️ Do not rely on this guide for the latest draw cutoff. Cutoffs change with every draw. Use the Draw Tracker for live, up-to-date data.
→ Draw Tracker — latest Express Entry draw results
2026 category-based draws
IRCC favours targeted category draws over general draws in 2026. The 10 active categories as of June 2026 are:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare & social services
- STEM occupations
- Trade occupations
- Education occupations
- Physicians (added December 8, 2025)
- Senior managers (added February 18, 2026)
- Researchers (added February 18, 2026)
- Transport occupations (added February 18, 2026)
- Skilled military recruits (added February 18, 2026)
Retired for 2026: Agriculture & agri-food (was active in 2024–2025).
Key 2026 change: all renewed categories now require 12 months of qualifying Canadian experience (increased from 6 months in some earlier categories).
→ Category-Based Draws: Full Guide
The three Express Entry programs
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Best for: people who already have skilled work experience in Canada (e.g. former international students on a PGWP).
Key requirements: at least 1 year of skilled Canadian work experience in a NOCNOC: National Occupational Classification — federal job taxonomy. CEC requires TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 roles (skilled/professional occupations). TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation, within the last 3 years. Language minimum required. → CEC — full guide
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
Best for: skilled workers outside Canada (or with less Canadian experience). Requires meeting 6 selection factors (language, education, work experience, age, adaptability, arranged employment) with a minimum 67 points out of 100. → FSW guide
Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
Best for: qualified tradespeople. Requires a valid job offer or union membership, and work experience in an eligible trade occupation. → FST guide
What happens after you receive an ITA?
An Invitation to Apply (ITA) gives you 60 days to submit a complete PR application. Missing the 60-day window means your invitation lapses and you return to the pool.
After submitting, IRCC processes your application. IRCC publishes current processing time targets on their site — check IRCC's processing time tool for current estimates. TODO: verify current processing targets on canada.ca at application time, as targets are updated regularly.
The 2026 big picture
The 2026–2028 immigration levels plan holds PR admissions at 380,000/year — about 20% below the 2024 record. Economic-class PR (which includes Express Entry) is projected to represent roughly 64% of intake by 2027–28, making Express Entry the most important pathway. The plan also includes two one-time in-Canada-to-PR transitions for about 148,000 people in 2026–27, which may affect pool dynamics temporarily.