RismadarVoice Reporters, August 19, 2026
Canada has invited 1,000 skilled workers to apply for permanent residence through its Express Entry system under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The invitation round was conducted on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the latest ministerial instructions issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 523 to receive an invitation.
According to IRCC, the draw was conducted at 10:13:44 UTC on August 18, with a tie-breaking rule based on August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC.
The department explained that where multiple candidates have the same lowest CRS score, the cut-off is determined by the date and time their Express Entry profiles were submitted.
The invitations were issued under the Canadian Experience Class, one of the three federal economic immigration programmes managed through Express Entry.
The ministerial instructions, signed by Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lena Metlege Diab, stated that eligible candidates ranked among the first 1,000 in the draw could receive invitations to apply for permanent residence.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary immigration system for managing permanent residence applications from skilled workers.
The system covers three programmes: the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Under the system, eligible candidates create profiles that are ranked using the CRS. Points are awarded based on factors such as age, education, language proficiency, work experience and other human-capital characteristics.
Candidates with the highest scores are then invited to apply for permanent residence during periodic invitation rounds.
The Canadian Experience Class is designed for skilled workers who already have qualifying Canadian work experience and wish to become permanent residents.
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 National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0, 1, 2 or 3.
They must also meet minimum language requirements, including Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for TEER 0 or 1 occupations and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 occupations.
There is no specific education requirement under the Canadian Experience Class, while applicants are generally not required to provide proof of settlement funds. Applicants must also intend to live outside Quebec.
The August 18 draw followed another CEC-focused round held on August 5, when IRCC issued 3,000 invitations with a CRS cut-off of 516.
The draw therefore issued fewer invitations while requiring a higher CRS score of 523, making it a more selective round than the earlier August draw.
By mid-August 2026, IRCC had issued more than 113,000 invitations through the Express Entry system, with a significant share going to Canadian Experience Class candidates.
