Date: March 3, 2026
Draw Type: Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Meta Description: IRCC held Express Entry Draw #400 on March 3, 2026, issuing 4,000 ITAs to CEC candidates at a CRS cut-off of 508. Key details for Canadian immigration practitioners.

Draw Details at a Glance

What Practitioners Need to Know

On March 3, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted Express Entry Draw #400, a CEC-specific round issuing 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

The CRS cut-off of 508 held steady from the previous CEC-targeted draw, signalling continued consistency in score thresholds for this category. The tie-breaking rule was set at June 24, 2025 at 22:35:48 UTC, meaning candidates with a score of 508 who submitted their profile before that timestamp received an ITA.

2026 Express Entry Totals to Date

As of this draw, IRCC has issued a total of 39,112 Express Entry invitations in 2026, with 24,000 directed specifically to CEC candidates. The Express Entry pool stood at 232,534 profiles as of March 1, 2026.

Practitioner Takeaways

• CEC-only draws remain the dominant draw type in 2026. Advise eligible CEC clients to ensure their profiles are active, complete, and optimized for the current score range.
• A CRS of 508 remains the threshold to target. Clients near this score should be counselled on available CRS-boosting factors, including provincial nominations, job offers, and French-language proficiency.
• Pool size remains large at 232,534, so competition for ITAs is significant. Profile expiry management is essential — profiles are valid for 12 months from the date of submission.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). For official draw results, visit Canada.ca – Express Entry rounds of invitations.