Express Entry data
CRS cutoff history since 2015
- Draws
- 454
- Latest: #453
- Invitations
- 1,066,657
- Since 2015
- Lowest cutoff
- 75
- February 13, 2021
- Highest cutoff
- 902
- May 30, 2018
What the data shows
- 2026 is already the biggest year on record, with 149,409 invitations in 65 draws so far. The next biggest is 2021, with 114,224.
- The lowest cutoff and the largest draw are the same round. Draw #176 on February 13, 2021 (Canadian Experience Class) invited 27,332 candidates with a cutoff of 75. No other draw has invited more than 8,500.
- There has been no General draw since April 23, 2024, 918 days before the latest draw. The longest gap before that was 560 days, from December 23, 2020 to July 6, 2022.
- Category-based draws made up 54% of invitations in 2026 so far, up from 23% in 2023, the year they began (first draw: June 28, 2023).
- Median cutoffs in 2026 so far: 516 for CEC draws and 404 for category-based draws, 112 points apart. PNP draws: 749.
- The median CEC cutoff has ranged from 401 in 2021 to 531 in 2025, across the 5 years with at least two CEC draws.
Median CRS cutoff by year
General, CEC and category-based draws. PNP medians are in the table below: they run far higher, because a nomination adds 600 points. A gap means fewer than two draws of that type that year.
- General
- CEC
- Category-based
Every draw
Each dot is one round of invitations. Hover or tap for details.
- General
- CEC
- Category-based
- PNP
- FSW and FST
Invitations by year
- General
- CEC
- Category-based
- PNP
- FSW and FST
Year by year
Medians are the middle cutoff among that year’s draws of each type, rounded to a whole point; a dash means no draw of that type.
| Year | Draws | Invitations | General | CEC | Category | PNP | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026so far | 65 | 149,409 | – | 516 | 404 | 749 | 169 | 805 |
| 2025 | 58 | 113,998 | – | 531 | 462 | 748 | 379 | 855 |
| 2024 | 52 | 98,903 | 535 | 519 | 433 | 716 | 336 | 816 |
| 2023 | 42 | 110,266 | 496 | – | 435 | 748 | 354 | 791 |
| 2022 | 24 | 46,539 | 510 | – | – | 754 | 491 | 808 |
| 2021 | 42 | 114,224 | – | 401 | – | 739 | 75 | 813 |
| 2020 | 37 | 107,350 | 472 | 450 | – | 719 | 415 | 808 |
| 2019 | 26 | 85,300 | 461 | – | – | – | 332 | 475 |
| 2018 | 28 | 89,800 | 442 | – | – | 902 | 284 | 902 |
| 2017 | 30 | 86,023 | 439 | – | – | 724 | 199 | 775 |
| 2016 | 27 | 33,782 | 479 | – | – | 786 | 453 | 786 |
| 2015 | 23 | 31,063 | 469 | 808 | – | – | 450 | 886 |
Download and cite
Download every draw as CSV (454 rounds, one per row)
Writing about Express Entry? Please credit the data like this:
Express Entry Draws, “CRS cutoff history since 2015”, https://expressentrydraws.com/crs-cutoff-history. Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, through October 28, 2026.
How this is built
Every figure is computed from IRCC’s published rounds of invitations, read from its public data feed. This page updates within the hour of a new draw, and nothing is estimated or filled in.
- General groups the draws IRCC named “General” and “No Program Specified”.
- CEC is the Canadian Experience Class, and PNP the Provincial Nominee Program.
- Category-based covers French, healthcare, trades, STEM, education, transport, agriculture, senior managers, physicians and military recruits.
- FSW and FST are the program draws for the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs.
Medians are used for the trend because a single unusual draw barely moves them, where it would drag an average. A cutoff also isn’t a fixed bar: it depends on the size of that draw and who is in the pool that day, and IRCC has changed the points over time. It removed job offer points on March 25, 2025, and new rules began on November 3, 2026, so compare scores across those dates with care.
This is a record of past draws, not a forecast or immigration advice. See the full list of draws or work out your own score.
Free reminders
Email me when there’s a new Express Entry draw
A short email after each round of invitations: the program, the CRS cutoff and how many people were invited. Plus a heads-up when IRCC changes the rules.
Questions people ask
What is the lowest CRS cutoff ever?
75, in draw #176 on February 13, 2021, a Canadian Experience Class draw that invited 27,332 candidates.
What is the highest CRS cutoff ever?
902, in draw #91 on May 30, 2018, a Provincial Nominee Program draw that invited 200 candidates.
Are CRS cutoffs going up or down?
It depends on the draw type, so one number hides the trend. Median cutoffs in 2026 so far: 516 for CEC draws (531 in 2025), 404 for category-based draws (462 in 2025), 749 for PNP draws (748 in 2025). Past cutoffs don’t predict the next draw: each depends on its size and on who is in the pool that day.
Why are PNP cutoffs so much higher?
A provincial or territorial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate’s CRS score, so PNP draws run far above the others. That is why this page keeps them apart in the trend chart.
Can I use this data?
Yes. The draw results are IRCC’s, so credit IRCC as the source, and link to this page if you use the charts or yearly tables. The CSV has every round, one per row.
More tools
- Express Entry draw history Every round of invitations since 2015, filterable by program and year.
- CRS score distribution How many candidates are in the pool at each CRS score.
- CRS calculator Your Comprehensive Ranking System score, under today’s rules and the November 3, 2026 rules.
- CLB calculator IELTS, CELPIP, PTE Core, TEF and TCF scores to CLB and NCLC levels.
- High-wage occupations list The NOC codes that earn the new high-wage and job offer points from November 3, 2026.
Compare CRS calculators, the November 2026 rules and language tests