Canada has invited 1,000 candidates through its Express Entry system to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The invitation round was conducted on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the latest ministerial instructions from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 523 to receive an invitation.
The draw was conducted 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 means that where candidates have the same lowest CRS score, priority is given based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.
The Canadian Experience Class is one of three federal economic immigration programmes managed through Express Entry. The others are the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Express Entry ranks candidates based on factors including age, education, language proficiency, work experience and other qualifications.
The highest-ranked candidates are then invited to apply for permanent residence.
Who qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class?
The CEC is designed for skilled workers who already have Canadian work experience.
Applicants generally need at least one year or 1,560 hours of skilled work experience in Canada within the previous three years in occupations classified under NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
They must also meet minimum language requirements:
CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 occupations
CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 occupations
There is no specific education requirement for the CEC, and applicants are not required to demonstrate settlement funds. Applicants must also plan to live outside Quebec.
The latest draw was smaller and more competitive than an earlier CEC draw on August 5, which issued 3,000 invitations with a CRS cut-off of 516.
As of mid-August 2026, IRCC had issued more than 113,000 Express Entry invitations in 2026, with a significant proportion going to Canadian Experience Class candidates.
