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Canada has not held an Express Entry round since 28 October 2026. The most recent round, #453, invited 150 candidates in the Transport Occupations category at a cut-off of 477, and as of 10 November 2026 the official record still stops there. The pool that round was drawn from held 228,724 profiles as of 25 October. Here is what the year’s record actually shows, and what it means for the next round.
Two facts should be separated before anything else. The first is that no new round has been published; that is a fact about the official record, which still ends at #453. The second is that IRCC does not publish a schedule for rounds, so the gap itself predicts nothing. IRCC’s own guidance is that rounds are held throughout the year at its discretion, and the historical pattern shows gaps as short as a single day and as long as 25 days within 2026 alone.
The latest round, in official figures
| Information | Official result |
|---|---|
| Round number | #453 |
| Selection date | 28 October 2026, 10:34:14 UTC |
| Draw type | Category-based: Transport Occupations, 2026-Version 2 |
| Invitations issued | 150 |
| Lowest CRS score | 477 |
| Required rank | 150 or above |
| Tie-breaking rule | 4 June 2026 at 21:48:22 UTC |
| Programs included | Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program |
The tie-breaking date is the detail that gets missed. It is not the date of the round: it is the cut-off for who is invited among candidates holding exactly 477 points. A candidate who entered the pool on 4 June 2026 at 21:48:22 UTC or earlier was ahead of one who entered the same second after.
Every round is recorded in the CRSPoint draw tracker, with the official IRCC source linked on each row.
What 2026 has looked like so far
Through 28 October, IRCC has held 65 rounds in 2026 and issued 149,409 invitations. For comparison, 2025 produced 58 rounds and 113,998 invitations. The composition is where the story is.
| Round type | Rounds | Invitations issued | CRS range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category-based: French language | 12 | 60,500 | 382–435 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 18 | 57,750 | 507–523 |
| Category-based: Healthcare and social services | 3 | 11,500 | 467–475 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 21 | 10,814 | 697–805 |
| Category-based: Trades | 2 | 6,500 | 476–477 |
| Category-based: Senior managers | 3 | 1,000 | 389–429 |
| Category-based: Physicians | 3 | 891 | 169–223 |
| Category-based: Transport | 2 | 450 | 470–477 |
| Category-based: Skilled military recruits | 1 | 4 | 368 |
Two observations follow directly from those figures.
French-language draws and Canadian Experience Class rounds have delivered 79% of all 2026 invitations — 118,250 invitations between them. For candidates in those two streams, the cut-off has been remarkably stable: French-language rounds have ranged only from 382 to 435, and CEC rounds from 507 to 523. A candidate targeting one of those two is looking at a narrow, known band rather than an open-ended one.
The most recent general round was #294, held on 23 April 2024. Every round since then has been program-specific or category-based. A candidate waiting for a general round to be restored should note that the record contains no general round in the last two and a half years, and that IRCC has not announced any intention to restore one.
The pool behind the cut-offs
IRCC publishes the score distribution of the pool with each round. The figures below are the distribution published for round #453, as of 25 October 2026.
| CRS score range | Profiles in the pool |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Total | 228,724 |
Read that table with the category results in mind. The 71,112 profiles scoring between 451 and 500 are the pool that the French-language and healthcare rounds compete over; the 150 transport invitations in round #453 went to candidates at 477, drawing from that same dense band. The 787 profiles above 600 points are the ones a general round would reach first, which is another way of seeing why a general round, restored, would be a very different event from anything in the current pattern.
The pool is not shrinking at the margin that would make the wait short. It remains around 228,000 profiles, and candidates whose profiles expire leave the pool while new ones arrive.
How long should you expect to wait
Across the 65 rounds held in 2026, the average gap between rounds was 4.6 days. The longest gap was 25 days. Rounds have come in clusters — nine in March, eight in July, eight in August — followed by quieter stretches. A 13-day gap since 28 October sits inside the range IRCC has already produced this year, and nothing in the record makes it unusual.
What is missing is any signal about what comes next. IRCC does not pre-announce round types, and the categories it chooses depend on labour market priorities set through ministerial instructions. The categories used in 2026 have included French language, healthcare and social services, trades, transport, physicians, senior managers, skilled military recruits, and STEM and education categories in earlier versions of the year.
What to do while the next round is pending
- Keep your profile accurate. A change in marital status, a new language test result or a new credential can raise a score, and an inaccurate profile can be corrected before the next invitation.
- Check the language test validity dates. Results expire. A test that was valid at the last round may not be valid at the next one, and a French-language candidate in particular needs NCLC 7 in all four abilities at the time of the round, not the time of the test.
- Watch for category changes, not just rounds. A new or amended category changes who is eligible before it changes who is invited. The official category-based selection page is the reference for the current list.
- Re-run your CRS estimate. The Comprehensive Ranking System changed on 3 November 2026, and the CRSPoint CRS calculator reflects the current factors. The official CRS tool is the source of the scoring rules.
- Do not read the gap as a signal. A quiet week can be a scheduling matter, not a decision to delay, and it is not evidence that a specific category is next.
Frequently asked questions
What was the latest Express Entry draw?
Round #453, held on 28 October 2026 at 10:34:14 UTC. It was a category-based round for Transport Occupations, invited 150 candidates, and required a minimum CRS score of 477.
Has there been a new Express Entry round?
No. As of 10 November 2026 the official IRCC record of rounds ends at #453, and the draw tracker on this site is updated from that same record.
What CRS score was needed in the last draw?
477, with a tie-break at 4 June 2026 at 21:48:22 UTC for candidates at exactly that score.
How many invitations has IRCC issued in 2026?
149,409 invitations across 65 rounds up to and including round #453 on 28 October 2026.
When is the next Express Entry draw?
IRCC does not announce dates in advance and does not publish a schedule. Rounds have been held roughly every two weeks on average over the long run, and the gap between rounds in 2026 has ranged from one day to 25 days.
Are general rounds coming back?
There has been no general round since #294 on 23 April 2024, and no announcement of one. Every round since then has been program-specific or category-based.
How big is the Express Entry pool?
228,724 profiles as of 25 October 2026, the distribution IRCC published alongside round #453.
Does the cut-off in one round predict the next?
No. A cut-off moves with the size of the round, the category being invited and the composition of the pool at that date. It is a snapshot of one round, not a threshold for the program.
Official sources
- Express Entry rounds of invitations — the official historical record of every round, maintained by IRCC.
- Express Entry: Rounds of invitations — the latest round, the pool score distribution and how rounds work.
- Ministerial instructions for round #453 — the full text of the instruction behind the latest round.
- Category-based selection — the categories currently in use and their eligibility rules.
- Comprehensive Ranking System — the official scoring criteria.
Figures are taken from IRCC’s published rounds of invitations data. CRSPoint is independent of IRCC and the Government of Canada; this is general information, not advice on an individual application.
