Express Entry

Express Entry Update — July 23, 2026

Thursday, July 23, 2026


IRCC held 5 Express Entry draws between July 6–22, 2026, issuing a combined 15,034+ invitations across PNP, CEC, French-language proficiency, and a targeted senior managers category.

The July 22 French-language proficiency draw issued 5,000 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 399 — notably lower than the July 9 French-language draw (CRS 420, 5,000 ITAs) and the July 21 CEC draw (CRS 516, 2,000 ITAs).

The July 6 PNP draw had a CRS cut-off of 708 (534 ITAs), while the July 10 senior managers draw had the lowest cut-off of the week at 392 (500 ITAs) — but only for candidates who meet that specific occupational criteria.

What You Should Do

  • Check your current CRS score and category eligibility at canada.ca/express-entry to see if you qualify for French-language, CEC, PNP, or occupational draws — cut-offs vary widely (392–708) depending on draw type.
  • If you are a French-language speaker, note the July 22 cut-off dropped to 399 CRS — if your score is near this range, ensure your language test results (TEF Canada or TCF Canada) are uploaded and up to date in your Express Entry profile at ircc.canada.ca.
  • If you are a senior manager (NOC codes for senior management) with Canadian work experience, review the July 10 draw criteria at canada.ca/express-entry/rounds-invitations — the CRS cut-off was 392, which is accessible for many candidates.
  • If you hold a provincial nomination, note PNP draw cut-offs ranged from 708–805 in 2026. Contact your province's immigration office to confirm your nomination status, as a provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points.
  • Review the full pool distribution: as of July 19, 2026, there are 231,533 candidates in the pool. With 63,877 candidates in the 401–450 range, competition in general draws remains high — use the CRS score distribution table at canada.ca/express-entry to benchmark your standing.

Topics Covered

PNP Express Entry Draw Trends: The July 6 PNP draw cut-off dropped to 708 (from 730 on June 22 and as high as 805 in May 2026), with 534 ITAs issued — the lowest PNP cut-off of the year so far.

Category-Based Selection System: IRCC continued using targeted category-based draws in July 2026, including occupational draws for senior managers with Canadian work experience (CRS 392) and physicians with Canadian work experience (CRS 223 in June), alongside French-language and healthcare draws.

CRS Cutoff Trends: French-language draw CRS cut-offs ranged from 399–420 in July 2026, while CEC draws held steady around 516–517 and PNP draws dropped from 805 in May to 708 in July. A new senior managers targeted draw set a low cut-off of 392.


More Express Entry Updates


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