Maple News reports that on January 7, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the year’s second Express Entry draw, issuing 8,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This marks the largest CEC-specific draw in years, signaling a renewed push to convert skilled temporary workers already in Canada into permanent residents.
The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required for this round was 511. In cases where multiple candidates shared the same CRS score, IRCC applied a tie-breaking rule with a timestamp of June 10, 2025, at 15:59:25 UTC. Only candidates who submitted their profiles before this specified date and time were invited.
This major draw follows the year’s first Express Entry round on January 5, 2026, which targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. That smaller draw issued just 574 ITAs, but required a significantly higher minimum CRS score of 711, reflecting the score boost typically associated with provincial nominations.
According to Maple News, this latest CEC-focused draw underlines Canada’s ongoing strategy to prioritize individuals with Canadian work experience, thereby addressing labor shortages and strengthening integration outcomes for new permanent residents. These candidates are generally viewed as well-positioned for long-term economic success.
With this latest outcome, two Express Entry draws have been held in 2026: one targeting the PNP and one targeting the CEC. For perspective, 2025 saw a robust 50 draws distributed across several categories, including 24 PNP, 15 CEC, nine French-language, seven healthcare, two educational, and one trade occupation draw. Canada issued a total of 113,998 ITAs through Express Entry in 2025, slightly below the all-time annual high of 114,431 in 2021.
CEC draws are especially important to international graduates and skilled workers currently in Canada on temporary permits, offering a more direct path to permanent status. Recipients of the latest 8,000 invitations now have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence.
Employers across Canada are encouraged to leverage tools such as the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or the PNP to secure and retain international talent. These pathways support long-term workforce planning and help address ongoing sector-specific labor shortages across provinces.
Looking ahead, securing a valid job offer remains one of the most strategic routes to obtaining an ITA. Candidates are advised to ensure their Express Entry profiles remain accurate and competitive, particularly as IRCC continues to fine-tune its selection criteria based on labor market demands.