Canada offers several immigration pathways to invite immigrants to the country. The Express Entry program is the simplest and most accessible immigration pathway for Canadian immigration. IRCC holds Express Entry invitation rounds to welcome PRs to Canada. Candidates are chosen via the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
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Express Entry Rounds of Invitations
The IRCC conducts invitation rounds to invite candidates for Canada PR. These invitation rounds facilitate the IRCC to:
- Choose the type of invitation round to hold
- Decide on the count of candidates to invite
- Select candidates with higher ranks
- Issue ITAs to eligible candidates
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Types of Invitation Rounds
IRCC mainly has three types of invitation rounds held throughout the year. The three main rounds are mentioned below:
- General Invitation Rounds
IRCC issues ITAS to the highest-ranking general candidates who are considered eligible among the candidate pool. This includes applicants under all three programs managed under the Express Entry system.
- Program-specific rounds of invitations
In this round, IRCC only issues ITAs to eligible candidates for a specific Express Entry program, such as the Provincial Nominee Program or Quebec Skilled Worker program.
- Category-based Rounds of Invitation
The Immigration minister decides on a specific category for this round of invitations. Highest-ranking candidates eligible for that category receive ITAs for Canada PR.
Latest Express Entry Rounds of Invitations
The table below has the list of the latest Express Entry draws with the number of invitations issued:
|
Draw no. |
Date |
Immigration program |
Invitations issued |
| 390 | January 07, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 8,000 |
| 389 | January 05, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 574 |
| 388 | December 17, 2025 | French language proficiency | 6,000 |
| 387 | December 16, 2025 | Canadian Experience Class | 5,000 |
| 386 | December 15, 2025 | Provincial Nominee Program | 399 |
| 385 | December 11, 2025 | Healthcare and Social services occupations | 1,000 |
| 384 | December 10, 2025 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,000 |
| 383 | December 08, 2025 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,123 |
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