IRCC held two Express Entry rounds on Oct 26–27, 2026: 792 PNP invitations at CRS 761 and 5,000 French-language invitations at CRS 407.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held two Express Entry invitation rounds this week, according to its official rounds data. On October 26, 2026 (round #451) it invited 792 Provincial Nominee Program candidates with a minimum CRS score of 761, and on October 27 (round #452) it invited 5,000 candidates in the French-language proficiency category with a minimum score of 407. These are completed invitation rounds, not a rule change. The French-language cut-off of 407 is 28 points lower than the 435 required in the previous French round on October 16.
The two rounds at a glance
Figures as published by IRCC. The tie-breaking rule means candidates at exactly the cut-off score were invited only if they created their profile before that date and time.
| Round | Date | Category | Invitations | Minimum CRS | Tie-breaking rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #451 | Oct 26, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 792 | 761 | April 3, 2026, 18:00:26 UTC |
| #452 | Oct 27, 2026 | French-language proficiency | 5,000 | 407 | July 13, 2026, 19:22:00 UTC |
How the French-language cut-off has moved
All of the 2026 French-language rounds listed by IRCC since July invited 5,000 candidates each. The October 27 cut-off sits in the middle of that range:
| Date | Invitations | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2026 | 5,000 | 420 |
| Jul 22, 2026 | 5,000 | 399 |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 5,000 | 391 |
| Aug 19, 2026 | 5,000 | 382 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 5,000 | 435 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 5,000 | 407 |
Who is affected
- French-speaking candidates in the pool who were eligible for the French-language category and scored 407 or more (subject to the tie-break) should now have an invitation in their account.
- Provincial nominees with a nomination added to their profile: the PNP cut-off of 761 already includes the 600 points a nomination adds, and it was 11 points lower than the 772 needed on October 13.
- Candidates below these scores were not invited in these rounds.
Where the pool stood before these rounds
IRCC's score distribution, dated October 25, 2026, counted 228,724 profiles in the pool. About 20,535 had 501–600 points, 71,112 had 451–500, and 63,505 had 401–450. This snapshot was taken before the CRS changes described below.
What it does not change
These rounds do not change the November 3 rules. IRCC has said that from November 3, 2026 it changes how CRS points are awarded for Canadian work experience and job offers, that the system will recalculate existing profiles, which could take up to two weeks, and that invitation rounds will be paused during that time. Scores in these rounds are not a forecast of cut-offs after November 3.
What to do next
If you were invited, read the instructions in your account and prepare your documents well before the deadline shown there. Our document checklist after an ITA sets out what to gather and in what order. If you were not invited, check what your score will look like under the new rules with the CRS calculator, read who gains and who loses from the November 3 changes, and see our French-language Express Entry guide for the NCLC requirements. Past cut-offs are on our draw tracker.
Cut-off scores change from round to round and past rounds do not predict future ones. An invitation is not an approval, and IRCC processing times are estimates. Official source: IRCC's Express Entry rounds of invitations page.
Not sure how this applies to your situation? A licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) can review your profile with you.
