Express Entry Update — October 5, 2026
Monday, October 5, 2026
IRCC held a Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw on September 29, 2026, issuing 2,000 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 518, and a PNP draw on September 28 issuing 733 ITAs at CRS 725.
A category-based draw for Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience was held September 16, issuing 250 ITAs at a CRS of 389 — a new low for that category.
As of September 29, 2026, IRCC has held 58 Express Entry draws in 2026, issuing 131,715 total invitations to apply for permanent residence.
What You Should Do
- Check your current CRS score using the official IRCC Comprehensive Ranking System calculator at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/criteria-comprehensive-ranking-system/grid.html to see how you compare to recent cut-offs (518 for CEC, 389 for Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience).
- If you qualify as a Senior Manager (NOC codes in the senior management category), note that the CRS cut-off hit a new low of 389 on September 16, 2026 — ensure your Express Entry profile is active and up to date at ircc.canada.ca before the next predicted draw around September 29, 2026.
- If you have a provincial nomination, confirm your profile reflects the nomination so you receive the 600-point CRS boost; recent PNP draws have cut off at 725–760, meaning only nominated candidates are invited in those rounds.
- Monitor the IRCC Express Entry draw results page at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/submit-profile/rounds-invitations.html — the next draw is predicted around September 29, 2026 (already held) with the following round expected approximately two weeks later.
Sources
Topics Covered
CRS Cutoff Trends: The September 29 CEC draw cut off at CRS 518, consistent with recent CEC draws in the 518–523 range. The Senior Managers category hit a new 2026 low of CRS 389 on September 16.
Category-Based Selection System: IRCC continues to run targeted category-based draws in September 2026, including Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience (CRS 389), Healthcare and Social Services (CRS 475), and Physicians with Canadian Work Experience (CRS 198).
How these topics connect
Candidates should not evaluate their CRS competitiveness against a single benchmark — a score of 420 is uncompetitive for CEC draws but highly viable for French-language draws, and a score of 169 was sufficient for the Physicians category, illustrating how category-based selection has fundamentally fragmented what it means to be 'competitive' in Express Entry.
The dramatic range in CRS cutoffs (169 for Physicians to 802 for PNP) is not random volatility but a structural outcome of the category-based system; candidates should assess their scores relative to their specific eligible category rather than the overall pool.
The wide variation in CRS cutoffs reflects Canada's strategic shift toward targeted selection, where occupation-specific needs drive dramatically different entry requirements.
More Express Entry Updates
Express Entry Update — October 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
Express Entry Update — September 24, 2026
Sep 24, 2026
Express Entry Update — September 17, 2026
Sep 17, 2026
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