Express Entry Category Draws in 2026: Which Categories, and What Scores?

Short answer: ten categories are running as of August 2026, and most of them require at least 12 months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) work experience in a listed occupation within the past 3 years. Meeting a category does not get you invited — you still compete on CRS inside it. In 2026 the cut-offs have ranged from 391–420 for French-language proficiency to 467–475 for healthcare and social services.

Clearing up the usual misreadings

• Category eligibility is not an invitation. Only top-ranked candidates inside the category are invited. Eligible and selected are different things.
• You must first be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs (CEC, FSW, FST) and be in the pool.
• The 12 months do not need to be continuous, and the listed occupation does not have to be your primary occupation.
• A category round is not guaranteed. IRCC states it may not need a category round if enough top-ranking candidates in that category are already being invited through general or program-specific rounds.
• Three categories count Canadian experience only — physicians, senior managers, researchers.

The ten categories running in 2026

For what NCLC 7 means on your test, see the CLB and NCLC conversion chart.

Every 2026 round to date (January 5 – August 17, 2026)

What the table actually tells you

• French is the lowest door and has stayed that way. French-language rounds cut off at 391–420 in 2026 while general CEC rounds ran 507–518 — a gap of more than 100 points.
• PNP rounds show the highest cut-offs (708–805). Those rounds invite candidates who already hold a provincial or territorial nomination, so the numbers are not comparable to a candidate without one.
• STEM and education categories have not run at all in 2026. Being listed as a category and having a round are separate things.
• Physician rounds are small with very low cut-offs (169 and 223), because the eligibility pool itself is narrow.

FAQ

Does an LMIA-backed job offer help in a category round? Category eligibility turns on occupation, language and experience. A job offer is a separate CRS factor — see does an LMIA job offer get me PR.

How are the 12 months counted? Full-time or an equal amount of part-time, accumulated within the past 3 years. The rule differs from CEC eligibility counting — see counting CEC hours.

When do categories change? IRCC announces categories in advance and reports annually to Parliament on the categories chosen, why, and how many invitations each received. There is no fixed change date, so re-check before you act.

Official sources

• IRCC — Express Entry: Category-based selection (eligibility and occupation lists, modified 2026-06-22)
• IRCC — Ministerial instructions respecting invitations to apply (full round record)
• IRCC — Express Entry: Rounds of invitations