# Express Entry draw types, explained

> **Looking for the latest draw?** Round #453 on October 28, 2026 was Transport Occupations: 150 invitations, cutoff 477. See [the latest Express Entry draws](https://www.crspulse.com/draws) for every round and its CRS cutoff.

IRCC invites candidates from the Express Entry pool in **rounds of invitations**, often called draws. Each round has a type, a number of invitations, and a cutoff score: the CRS of the lowest-ranked person invited. The type decides who can be invited at all, which is why cutoffs vary so much from one round to the next.

The figures on this page cover IRCC's 20 most recent rounds, rounds #434 to #453 (August 7, 2026 to October 28, 2026). For every round, see the [draw history](https://www.crspulse.com/draws) and [draw analytics](https://www.crspulse.com/analytics).

## The kinds of rounds

**General rounds** consider everyone in the pool, whatever their program. Apart from nominee rounds, they tend to have the highest cutoffs.

**Program-specific rounds** invite only candidates eligible for one program:

- **Canadian Experience Class (CEC):** at least one year of skilled work in Canada.
- **Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):** candidates who already hold a provincial or territorial nomination. Cutoffs are high because the nomination adds 600 points.
- **Federal Skilled Trades:** candidates eligible for the trades program.

**Category-based rounds** were introduced in 2023. They target candidates with a particular attribute, usually an occupation or French ability, regardless of how they rank overall. IRCC sets the categories each year; recent ones include French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, trades, and transport occupations. See IRCC's [category-based selection page](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations/category-based-selection.html) for the current list and the occupations each covers.

## What recent rounds needed

| Round type | Rounds | Lowest cutoff | Highest cutoff | Invitations |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 6 | 697 | 772 | 3,857 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 5 | 518 | 523 | 9,500 |
| French-Language proficiency | 3 | 382 | 435 | 15,000 |
| Transport Occupations | 2 | 470 | 477 | 450 |
| Healthcare and Social Services Occupations | 1 | 475 | 475 | 3,500 |
| Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 198 | 198 | 229 |
| Senior managers with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 389 | 389 | 250 |
| Trades Occupations | 1 | 476 | 476 | 3,500 |

The most recent round was #453 on October 28, 2026: Transport Occupations, 150 invitations, cutoff 477.

## Reading the table

- **A low cutoff in one category is not a low cutoff for you** unless you qualify for that category. Category rounds check your profile's occupation and experience, or your French test results.
- **PNP cutoffs look high**, but the scores include the 600-point nomination. Without it, the cutoffs in these rounds were 97 to 172.
- **Small sample sizes.** Some types ran only once or twice in this period. One round tells you little about the next.

## Where the pool sits

The pool held 228,724 profiles as of October 25, 2026. The distribution by score band:

| CRS band | Profiles |
| --- | --- |
| 601–1200 | 787 |
| 501–600 | 20,535 |
| 451–500 | 71,112 |
| 401–450 | 63,505 |
| 351–400 | 47,911 |
| 301–350 | 17,247 |
| 0–300 | 7,627 |

Comparing your score with this table shows how many candidates rank above you in a general round.

## The tie-breaking rule

When several candidates have exactly the cutoff score, IRCC invites those whose profiles were submitted earliest, based on date and time. Every round's tie-breaking time is published with the results.

## After an invitation

An Invitation to Apply gives you 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence. See the [Express Entry process](https://www.crspulse.com/express-entry-process) for what comes next.

## Sources

- IRCC, [Express Entry rounds of invitations](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations.html)
- IRCC, [Category-based selection](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations/category-based-selection.html)

Round data on this site is mirrored from IRCC's published feed and refreshed automatically when a new round is posted.

Last reviewed 2026-10-02 against IRCC's published rules.

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Unofficial. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to IRCC or the Government of Canada.
All scores, predictions and timelines are estimates for guidance only and are not immigration
advice. Verify with the official IRCC tools at canada.ca before making decisions.

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