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Canada has invited 1,000 candidates to apply for permanent residence through its latest Express Entry draw, targeting applicants under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The invitation round was held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to ministerial instructions published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 523 to receive an invitation in the latest draw.
The draw was conducted at 10:13:44 UTC, with IRCC applying a tie-breaking rule based on August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC.
Under the rule, where multiple candidates have the same lowest CRS score, priority is determined by the date and time their Express Entry profiles were submitted.
The ministerial instructions, signed by Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lena Metlege Diab, stated that invitations could be issued between August 18 and August 19.
“Number of invitations issued: 1,000,” the notice stated.
It added that eligible foreign nationals ranked among the first 1,000 candidates in the relevant pool could receive invitations to apply.
What is the Canadian Experience Class?
The Canadian Experience Class is one of three federal economic immigration programmes managed through Canada’s Express Entry system.
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The programme is aimed at skilled foreign workers who have gained qualifying work experience in Canada and want to obtain permanent resident status.
Generally, applicants must have at least one year, or 1,560 hours, of eligible skilled work experience in Canada within the three years preceding their application.
The qualifying employment must fall under National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0, 1, 2 or 3, with applicants also required to meet the applicable language proficiency threshold.
CEC applicants do not need to meet a specific education requirement or demonstrate settlement funds. They must also intend to live outside Quebec.
How Express Entry works
Express Entry is Canada’s online application management system for several economic immigration programmes, including the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Candidates create profiles and receive CRS points based on factors such as age, education, language proficiency, work experience and other characteristics.
IRCC then conducts invitation rounds, selecting candidates with scores high enough to meet the cut-off for a particular draw.
The latest CEC round was smaller and more selective than an earlier draw held on August 5, when Canada issued 3,000 invitations with a CRS cut-off of 516.
The August 18 draw therefore resulted in 2,000 fewer invitations while raising the minimum CRS requirement to 523.
