Express Entry draw #396: Canadian Experience Class
On February 17, 2026, IRCC held Express Entry round #396, a Canadian Experience Class round. It issued 6,000 invitations to apply (ITAs), and the lowest-ranked candidate invited had a CRS score of 508. Compared with the previous Canadian Experience Class round (#392 on January 21, 2026, CRS 509), the cutoff fell 1 point, with the same number of invitations.
Tie-breaking rule: candidates with exactly 508 points were invited only if they submitted their profile before March 16, 2025 at 09:35:59 UTC.
IRCC’s pool snapshot of February 15, 2026 counted 235,695 profiles, of which roughly 15,680 scored 508 or more (estimated from score bands, all programs combined).
Who this round was for
Candidates in the pool who are eligible for the Canadian Experience Class: at least one year of skilled work in Canada in the last three years, with CLB 7 (TEER 0/1) or CLB 5 (TEER 2/3).
Other rounds that week
Official sources
- canada.caExpress Entry rounds of invitations (IRCC)Checked 2026-10-01
- canada.caMinisterial Instructions for each round (IRCC)Checked 2026-10-01
Figures are copied from IRCC’s published rounds data. The tie-breaking time is shown as published by IRCC (UTC).