Express Entry Update — May 30, 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
On May 27, IRCC held the first Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw in four weeks, issuing 3,000 ITAs at a CRS cutoff of 518 — up from 514-515 in April CEC draws.
On May 28, IRCC issued 4,500 ITAs in a French-language proficiency draw at a CRS cutoff of 409, an increase of 500 invitations compared to the previous French draw on April 29 (4,000 ITAs at CRS 400).
As of May 24, 2026, the Express Entry pool contains 238,847 candidates total.
What You Should Do
- Check your current CRS score and compare it to the latest cutoffs (518 for CEC, 409 for French) using the official tool at canada.ca/express-entry to assess your invitation likelihood.
- If you qualify under the French-language proficiency category (CRS 409+), ensure your Express Entry profile reflects valid French language test results (TEF Canada or TCF Canada) — French draws are issuing the most ITAs per round (4,000–4,500) and have the lowest CRS cutoffs.
- If you are a CEC candidate with a CRS score near 518, verify that your Express Entry profile was created before the tie-breaking date of April 30, 2026 at 3:16 p.m. UTC to confirm eligibility for recent draws — log in at canada.ca/ircc-portal.
Sources
Topics Covered
CRS Cutoff Trends: The May 27 CEC draw cut off at 518, higher than the 514–515 range seen in April CEC draws. The May 28 French draw cut off at 409, up 9 points from the April 29 French draw at 400, while invitation volume increased by 500.
Category-Based Selection System: IRCC resumed the CEC-then-French cluster pattern in the final week of May 2026 after a month of PNP-only draws. French-language draws continue to offer the highest ITA volumes and lowest CRS cutoffs of any category.
More Express Entry Updates
Express Entry Update — June 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
Express Entry Update — June 8, 2026
Jun 8, 2026
Express Entry Update — June 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
Get immigration updates in your inbox
Weekly analysis. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.