Express Entry competition rises despite slower pool growth, i.e., Canada’s Express Entry pool is continuing to become more competitive, even though overall growth in the pool has slowed sharply in recent weeks.
Between April 12 and April 26, the pool added only 897 new profiles. This is much lower than the previous reporting period, which saw growth of 2,193 profiles.
At the same time, competition among high-scoring candidates continues to increase.
The number of candidates in the 501 – 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score range increased by another 250 profiles during this period. This marks the second straight reporting period where this score range has grown after months of decline.
This growing competition at the top of the pool was reflected in the most recent Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw held on April 28.
That draw invited only 2,000 candidates and had a CRS cut-off score of 514. The tie-breaking rule reached back to September 24, 2025, meaning candidates had been waiting in the pool for more than seven months.
This suggests that there is still a large number of high-scoring candidates competing for invitations.
Changes Seen In The Express Entry Pool
From April 12 to April 26, the total number of profiles in the Express Entry pool increased from 233,555 to 234,452.
This means the pool grew by only 897 profiles overall.
One of the biggest changes during this period was seen in the mid-range CRS score bands.
Every score range between 421 and 460 lost candidates. Altogether, these ranges dropped by 1,317 profiles.
This likely happened because of recent Express Entry draws, especially the French-language proficiency draw held on April 15 and the Trades draw held earlier in the month.
The French-language draw had a CRS cut-off of 419, while the Trades draw had a cut-off of 477.
At the higher end of the pool, growth continued.
The 601 – 1,200 score range increased by 147 profiles. This was mainly caused by new Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates entering the pool with an extra 600 CRS points.
It is also important to note that the pool data published on April 26 does not include the three Express Entry draws held between April 27 and April 29.
Those three draws issued a total of 6,473 invitations.
Score Range Changes In The Pool
The following table shows how the pool changed between April 12 and April 26:
| CRS Score Range | April 26 | April 12 | Difference (April 12 – April 26) |
| 0–300 | 8,339 | 8,253 | +86 |
| 301–350 | 18,733 | 18,543 | +190 |
| 351–400 | 52,874 | 52,309 | +565 |
| 401–410 | 12,185 | 11,845 | +340 |
| 411–420 | 12,956 | 12,753 | +203 |
| 421–430 | 12,613 | 12,973 | -360 |
| 431–440 | 14,456 | 14,775 | -319 |
| 441–450 | 14,305 | 14,606 | -301 |
| 451–460 | 15,175 | 15,512 | -337 |
| 461–470 | 15,973 | 15,968 | +5 |
| 471–480 | 16,487 | 16,246 | +241 |
| 481–490 | 12,815 | 12,663 | +152 |
| 491–500 | 13,209 | 13,174 | +35 |
| 501–600 | 13,860 | 13,610 | +250 |
| 601–1200 | 472 | 325 | +147 |
| Total | 234,452 | 233,555 | +897 |
Canada’s Express Entry pool has seen only small overall changes in recent weeks, but competition remains strong among top-scoring candidates.
Draws Not Included In The April 26 Data
The April 26 pool figures do not include three draws that took place later in the month.
Those draws are listed below:
| Date | Round Type | Invitations Issued | CRS Score Of Lowest-Ranked Candidate Invited |
| April 29 | French-Language proficiency | 4,000 | 400 |
| April 28 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 514 |
| April 27 | Provincial Nominee Program | 473 | 795 |
These draws likely removed many candidates from the pool.
At minimum, they may have reduced the pool by:
- 4,000 profiles in the 401 – 410 score range and above
- 2,000 profiles in the 501 – 600 score range and above
- 473 profiles in the 601 – 1200 score range
Recent CEC draws have also become smaller.
After dropping to 507 in March, CEC cut-off scores have stayed above 510 in every draw since then.
Since April 14, the cut-offs have remained above 514.
Draws That Shaped The April 26 Pool Data
The latest pool composition was influenced mainly by three draws held between April 13 and April 15.
Together, these draws issued 6,324 invitations.
| Date | Round Type | Invitations Issued | CRS Score Of Lowest-Ranked Candidate Invited |
| April 15 | French-Language proficiency | 4,000 | 419 |
| April 14 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 515 |
| April 13 | Provincial Nominee Program | 324 | 786 |
Even after issuing more than 6,300 invitations, the pool still added 897 profiles.
This suggests that around 7,197 new candidates entered the pool during this period.
Current Competitiveness Of The Pool
The table below shows how competitive the Express Entry pool has become as of April 26.
| CRS Score Range | Number Of Candidates | Cumulative | Percentile Range | Percentage |
| 0–300 | 8,339 | 8,339 | 0.00%–3.56% | 3.56% |
| 301–350 | 18,733 | 27,072 | 3.56%–11.55% | 7.99% |
| 351–400 | 52,874 | 79,946 | 11.55%–34.10% | 22.55% |
| 401–410 | 12,185 | 92,131 | 34.10%–39.30% | 5.20% |
| 411–420 | 12,956 | 105,087 | 39.30%–44.82% | 5.53% |
| 421–430 | 12,613 | 117,700 | 44.82%–50.20% | 5.38% |
| 431–440 | 14,456 | 132,156 | 50.20%–56.37% | 6.17% |
| 441–450 | 14,305 | 146,461 | 56.37%–62.47% | 6.10% |
| 451–460 | 15,175 | 161,636 | 62.47%–68.94% | 6.47% |
| 461–470 | 15,973 | 177,609 | 68.94%–75.75% | 6.81% |
| 471–480 | 16,487 | 194,096 | 75.75%–82.79% | 7.03% |
| 481–490 | 12,815 | 206,911 | 82.79%–88.25% | 5.47% |
| 491–500 | 13,209 | 220,120 | 88.25%–93.89% | 5.63% |
| 501–600 | 13,860 | 233,980 | 93.89%–99.80% | 5.91% |
| 601–1200 | 472 | 234,452 | 99.80%–100.00% | 0.20% |
The percentile ranges show where candidates fall compared to others in the pool.
Overall, the latest data shows that even though pool growth has slowed, competition for top Express Entry scores remains very strong.
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