IRCC conducted its 5th CEC draw of 2026 on 17 March and invited 4000 candidates with a minimum score of 507. With this, the total number of candidates who have been invited in CEC draw in 2026 have reached to 28000. The CRS score of 507 in this draw is lowest in 2026 compared to the earlier draws where the CRS score had been between 508 to 511
Details of CEC draw March 17 2026
- Date of Draw: 17 March 2026
- Minimum CRS score required: 507
- Number of ITAs issued: 4000
- Tie-breaking rule: May 11, 2025 at 18:57:31 UTC
What is a CEC Program?
CEC or Canadian Experience Class as the name suggest is for those candidates who have worked in Canada for a minimum of 1 year within the last 3 years prior to the date of applying for CEC. The relevant work experience should be obtained in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 categories. The experience can be in multiple categories. It is important to know that work experience should be a paid one and not voluntary and should have been obtained inside Canada from a Canadian employer and candidate should be possessing a valid work permit while obtaining the work experience.
The other aspect of CEC program is the language part. The candidate who have worked in TEER 0 or 1 category should have obtained CLB 7 in all 4 categories reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Those in TEER 2 or 3 should have obtained a minimum of CLB 5 in all 4 categories. The English language test can be taken at IELTS or CELPIP and for French the recognized one are TEF or TCF. A Candidate who has knowledge of both English and French stands higher chances of scoring more CRS points.
Canada’s 2026 Immigration Focus:
Looking at the recent Govt announcements and with the types of draws happening it looks as if Canada is more focused on granting Permanent Residency to those who have worked and studied in Canada which is quite evident from the recent CEC and PNP draw trends. A total of 28000 ITAs have already been issued to CEC candidates. Further more the gradual decline in CRS cutoff scores from 515 in December 2025 to 507 in March 2026 suggests that IRCC is welcoming more and more candidates with Canadian work experience.
All CEC-Specific Express Entry Draws: 2025 & 2026
2026 CEC Draws
| Date | ITAs Issued | Min. CRS Score |
|---|---|---|
| March 17, 2026 | 4,000 | 507 |
| March 3, 2026 | 4,000 | 508 |
| February 17, 2026 | 6,000 | 509 |
| January 21, 2026 | 6,000 | 510 |
| January 7, 2026 | 8,000 | 511 |
2025 CEC Draws
| Date | ITAs Issued | Min. CRS Score |
|---|---|---|
| December 16, 2025 | 5,000 | 515 |
| December 10, 2025 | 6,000 | 520 |
| November 26, 2025 | 1,000 | 531 |
| October 29, 2025 | 1,000 | 533 |
| October 8, 2025 | 1,000 | 533 |
| September 17, 2025 | 1,000 | 534 |
| August 7, 2025 | 1,000 | 534 |
| July 8, 2025 | 3,500 | 518 |
| June 25, 2025 | 2,500 | 521 |
| June 12, 2025 | 3,000 | 529 |
| May 13, 2025 | 500 | 547 |
| February 5, 2025 | 4,350 | 521 |
| January 23, 2025 | 3,000 | 526 |
| January 8, 2025 | 2,000 | 542 |
Total draws held till 16 March.
A total of 16 draws have been held in this year till 17 March and a total of 49,604 ITAs have been isssued in various categories.
| Draw Type | No of draws held | ITAs Issued |
| Canadian Experience Class | 5 | 28000 |
| French-Language Proficiency | 2 | 14,000 |
| Healthcare and Social Services | 1 | 4,000 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 6 | 2,583 |
| Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 391 |
| Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 1 | 250 |
What to do After Receiving an ITA?
The first step for the candidate is to accept the ITA, it can be done by login to the IRCC portal and formally accept the invitation. After accepting applicant can have access to the PR applicant form which has to be submitted back within 60 days.
An applicant has 60 days window to complete his Permanent Residence application and submit it to IRCC. This deadline is very strict. If someone misses this deadline then they will have to again enter the express entry pool and wait for next draw. Hence it is important to keep all the documents handy so that 60 days window is sufficient to submit all of the docs.