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That growing top-end competition was reflected in the most recent Canadian Experience Class<\/a> (CEC) draw on April 14, which issued just 2,000 invitations\u2014the smallest CEC draw of 2026\u2014at a CRS<\/a> cut-off of 515, six points higher than the previous draw.<\/p>\n What changes occurred in the Express Entry pool over the last four weeks?<\/p>\n Between March 15 (date of the previous pool update) and April 12, the Express Entry<\/a> pool grew from 231,362 to 233,555 profiles\u2014a net increase of 2,193. This marks the first time the pool has expanded rather than contracted since the start of February of this year.<\/p>\n The largest single gain came from the 461\u2013470 CRS range, which added 696 profiles. Every 10-point bracket between 401 and 480 grew, with increases ranging from 390 to 696 profiles per band. Taken together, the 401\u2013480 range accounted for a net gain of 3,895 profiles.<\/p>\n The 501\u2013600 range, specifically, grew by 571 profiles\u2014this is notable because this bracket had been shrinking consistently in previous updates due to regular CEC draws, suggesting a fast pace of new profiles entering the pool.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the 351\u2013400 range saw the largest single decline at 1,256 profiles, likely driven by French-language proficiency draws\u2014which this year, have targeted candidates with CRS scores as low as 393. The 481\u2013490 and 491\u2013500 score ranges also declined, losing 329 and 247 profiles, respectively.<\/p>\n Note: The pool composition data published on April 12 does not account for the three Express Entry draws<\/a> that took place between April 13 and 15, through which a total of 6,324 ITAs<\/a> were issued. This is discussed in further detail below.<\/p>\n In total, nine score ranges gained profiles, while the remaining six experienced declines:<\/p>\n \tCRS score range\u00a0March 15\u00a0April 12\u00a0Difference\u00a0<\/p>\n \t0\u2013300\u00a08,299\u00a08,253\u00a0-46\u00a0<\/p>\n \t301\u2013350\u00a018,903\u00a018,543\u00a0-360\u00a0<\/p>\n \t351\u2013400\u00a053,565\u00a052,309\u00a0-1,256\u00a0<\/p>\n \t401\u2013410\u00a011,437\u00a011,845\u00a0+408\u00a0<\/p>\n \t411\u2013420\u00a012,288\u00a012,753\u00a0+465\u00a0<\/p>\n \t421\u2013430\u00a012,471\u00a012,973\u00a0+502\u00a0<\/p>\n \t431\u2013440\u00a014,247\u00a014,775\u00a0+528\u00a0<\/p>\n \t441\u2013450\u00a014,195\u00a014,606\u00a0+411\u00a0<\/p>\n \t451\u2013460\u00a015,122\u00a015,512\u00a0+390\u00a0<\/p>\n \t461\u2013470\u00a015,272\u00a015,968\u00a0+696\u00a0<\/p>\n \t471\u2013480\u00a015,751\u00a016,246\u00a0+495\u00a0<\/p>\n \t481\u2013490\u00a012,992\u00a012,663\u00a0-329\u00a0<\/p>\n \t491\u2013500\u00a013,421\u00a013,174\u00a0-247\u00a0<\/p>\n \t501\u2013600\u00a013,039\u00a013,610\u00a0+571\u00a0<\/p>\n \t601\u20131200\u00a0360\u00a0325\u00a0-35\u00a0<\/p>\n \tTotal\u00a0231,362\u00a0233,555\u00a0+2,193\u00a0<\/p>\n These distributions are compared in the chart below for easier visualization:<\/p>\n Which draws have not been accounted for in the April 12 distribution?<\/p>\n Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada\u2019s<\/a> (IRCC\u2019s) latest Express Entry data does not consider the three draws that occurred between April 13 and 15\u2014totalling 6,324 ITAs:<\/p>\n \tDate\u00a0Round type\u00a0Invitations issued\u00a0CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited\u00a0<\/p>\n \tApril 15\u00a0French-Language\u00a0proficiency\u00a04,000\u00a0419<\/p>\n \tApril 14\u00a0Canadian Experience Class\u00a02,000\u00a0515\u00a0<\/p>\n \tApril 13\u00a0Provincial Nominee Program\u00a0324\u00a0786\u00a0<\/p>\n Based on these invitation results, these draws could correspond to significant changes in the candidate pool composition, to a minimum of:<\/p>\n 4,000 fewer profiles between the 411\u2013420 score range and above (French-language proficiency draw); The CRS cut-off for CEC candidates rose to 515\u2014up from 509 in the previous CEC draw on March 31\u2014and the tie-breaking date of June 10, 2025, reached back more than ten months. This suggests a deep backlog of candidates at the 515 score level, and that IRCC may be issuing fewer invitations per CEC round than earlier in the year.<\/p>\n Coupled with the fact that the previous CEC draw (on March 31) also issued far fewer ITAs, a trend of smaller invitation issuances for this group is starting to emerge.<\/p>\n See how competitive your Express Entry profile is What accounted for the changes in Express Entry profiles between March 15 and April 12?<\/p>\n Six Express Entry draws took place between March 15 and April 2, cumulatively issuing 13,968 ITAs across four different draw types:<\/p>\n \tDate\u00a0Round type\u00a0Invitations issued\u00a0CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited\u00a0<\/p>\n \tApril 2\u00a0Trades Occupations\u00a03,000\u00a0477\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMarch 31\u00a0Canadian Experience Class\u00a02,250\u00a0509\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMarch 30\u00a0Provincial Nominee Program\u00a0356\u00a0802\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMarch 18\u00a0French Language\u00a0proficiency4,000\u00a0393\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMarch 17\u00a0Canadian Experience Class\u00a04,000\u00a0507\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMarch 16\u00a0Provincial Nominee Program\u00a0362\u00a0742\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite nearly 14,000 ITAs being issued (including in the first Trades category draw of the year<\/a>) during this period, the pool still grew by 2,193 profiles. This indicates that approximately 16,000 new profiles entered the pool over the four-week period\u2014outpacing the rate at which candidates were being removed through draws and profile expiries.<\/p>\n This represents a shift from recent reporting periods, where the pool had been contracting.<\/p>\n![\"distribution](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-16-at-12.30.20\u202fAM.png\")
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\n2,000 fewer profiles between the 501\u2013600 score range and above (CEC draw); and
\n324 fewer profiles between the 601\u20131200 score range (PNP<\/a> draw).<\/p>\n
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