Express Entry Update — June 25, 2026
Thursday, June 25, 2026
On June 23, 2026, IRCC issued 4,000 ITAs to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates with a CRS cut-off of 516 — the largest CEC draw since March 2026 and the 32nd Express Entry draw of the year.
The day after, on June 24, a Healthcare and Social Services category-based draw issued 4,000 ITAs with a CRS cut-off of 475, and on June 25 a Physicians with Canadian Work Experience draw issued 271 ITAs with a cut-off of 223.
CEC draw cut-offs in 2026 have stayed in a narrow range of 507–518 points across all draws, while French-language proficiency draws have ranged from 393–419, reflecting continued accessibility for bilingual candidates.
What You Should Do
- Check your current CRS score at canada.ca/express-entry and compare it to the 2026 CEC cut-off range of 507–518. If your score is below 507, identify point gaps (e.g., language scores, job offer, education) using the CRS calculator at ircc.canada.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp.
- If you work in healthcare, social services, or are a physician with Canadian work experience, review your eligibility for category-based draws — the June 24 Healthcare draw cut-off was 475 and the Physicians draw cut-off was 223. Log into your IRCC account at canada.ca to confirm your NOC code is correctly listed on your profile.
- If you have strong French language test scores (TEF Canada or TCF Canada), ensure your Express Entry profile reflects this — French-language proficiency draws have had cut-offs as low as 393 in 2026. Verify your language test results are uploaded and current (valid within 2 years) in your IRCC Express Entry profile.
- IRCC noted it resolved an issue affecting the French-language proficiency round #418 (May 28, 2026). If you were eligible for that draw and did not receive an ITA, log into your IRCC account at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/account.html to confirm your invitation status.
- Monitor the IRCC rounds of invitations page at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations.html for the next draw — IRCC has been holding draws approximately every 1–2 weeks in 2026.
Sources
Topics Covered
Category-Based Selection System: IRCC held three category-based draws in quick succession on June 23–25, 2026: a Healthcare and Social Services draw (CRS 475, 4,000 ITAs), a Physicians with Canadian Work Experience draw (CRS 223, 271 ITAs), and a French-language proficiency draw (CRS 409, 4,500 ITAs on May 28).
PNP Express Entry Draw Trends: The June 22, 2026 PNP draw issued 955 ITAs with a cut-off of 730 — the first PNP draw since May and the largest PNP draw of 2026 by ITAs issued. Earlier 2026 PNP draws ranged from 264–473 ITAs with cut-offs between 710–805.
CRS Cutoff Trends: CEC draw CRS cut-offs have remained stable in a narrow 507–518 range throughout all of 2026, with the June 23 draw landing at 516 despite a longer-than-usual gap between CEC draws. French-language proficiency draw cut-offs have ranged from 393–419, significantly lower than CEC.
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 rising PNP cutoff trend from 710 in March to 805 in late May 2026, combined with shrinking ITA volumes per draw, suggests the pool of Express Entry-linked nominees is thinning — which may indicate that the 91,500 PNP allocation is being absorbed primarily through direct provincial streams rather than the federal Express Entry pool.
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 — August 13, 2026
Aug 13, 2026
Express Entry Update — August 10, 2026
Aug 10, 2026
Express Entry Update — August 3, 2026
Aug 3, 2026
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