Canada has invited 1,000 people to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class via its Express Entry system.
The invitation round took place on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the most recent ministerial instructions provided by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
According to the department, candidates must have a Comprehensive Ranking System score of 523 or higher to be invited.
“Number of invitations issued: 1,000,” the notice stated.
It further stated that candidates who were among the first 1,000 qualified foreign nationals in the group were eligible for invitations.
The round began at 10:13:44 UTC on August 18, with a tie-breaking rule set for August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC.
The tie-breaking rule stipulates that “If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.”
The invitations were issued under the Canadian Experience Class, one of the categories controlled by Canada’s Express Entry system.
The ministerial instructions, signed by Lena Metlege Diab, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in Ottawa on August 18, said that invitations might be issued between August 18 and August 19, 2026.
“Invitations may be issued to eligible foreign nationals who rank among the first 1,000 eligible foreign nationals in the group ranking,” the instructions stated.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary online method for processing permanent residency applications from skilled professionals.
It focuses on three federal economic immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Candidates construct profiles that are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System, which provides points based on age, education, language proficiency, work experience, and other human capital characteristics.
The top-ranked candidates are asked to apply in recurring rounds.
The Canadian Experience Class is intended for qualified workers with previous Canadian work experience who want to become permanent residents.
Eligibility typically requires at least one year (1,560 hours) of skilled work experience in Canada within the last three years in occupations classified as National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3, as well as a minimum level of language proficiency.
There is no educational qualification or need to show settlement monies. Applicants must intend to live outside Quebec.
The August 18 draw continued the pattern of many CEC-focused rounds in 2026. A prior Canadian Experience Class draw on August 5 resulted in 3,000 invites and a lower CRS cut-off of 516.
The latest round’s smaller volume and higher cut-off of 523 make it one of the most selective CEC invites thus far this year.
As of mid-August 2026, IRCC had already given over 113,000 invites via Express Entry, with a large proportion going to Canadian Experience Class candidates.
