Canada immigration news: Express Entry Draws have stopped for now, and the pause is not a policy freeze but a system reset, with IRCC recalculating every profile in the pool before invitations start again.
Express Entry Draws are paused while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recalculates every candidate profile under new scoring rules that took effect November 3. No draw has run since October 28, no restart date is published, and the earliest invitations could resume is around November 17.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 12, 2026
Sources: Life’s Little Corner, Wild Mountain Immigration, IRCC | Last updated: November 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- No Express Entry round since October 28, 2026, Round 453, a Transport Occupations draw that invited 150 people at a CRS cut off of 477.
- The pause began November 3, when new CRS scoring took effect, and IRCC needs up to two weeks to recalculate every profile.
- The earliest resumption is around November 17, but no restart date has been published.
- The new Labour Market Integration factor gives points for either Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high wage occupation, not both, up to 150 points without a spouse or partner and 140 with one.
- The maximum CRS score is now 1,270, and a qualifying job offer no longer needs an LMIA.
- In 2026 through October 28, Express Entry Draws ran 65 rounds and issued about 149,400 invitations.
How long have Express Entry Draws been paused?
The last draw was October 28, a Transport Occupations round that invited 150 candidates at a CRS cut off of 477. Since then, silence. The pause began November 3, the day the new scoring rules took effect, and it has now stretched past two weeks with no new invitation round of any kind.
For candidates watching the pool, that silence is unusual. Through October 28 this year, Express Entry Draws ran 65 rounds and issued about 149,400 invitations. The October 15 Canadian Experience Class draw alone invited 2,500 people at a CRS cut off of 519. Then the tap shut off, and it has stayed off while the department rebuilds the scores underneath every profile.
What is IRCC doing during the pause?
Recalculating everything. The new scoring replaced the old job offer points with a Labour Market Integration factor that rewards either eligible Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer in a high wage occupation, never both. Points now run up to 150 without a spouse or partner and 140 with one, and the maximum CRS score is 1,270. A qualifying job offer no longer needs an LMIA, and an LMIA on its own gives no extra points. Job offer points now sit at 50, 70 or 100 by wage tier, tied to 1.3 times, 1.5 times or 2 times the national median wage, while Canadian work experience is worth 20, 40 or 70 points.
The system itself is still catching up. IRCC profiles still ask applicants for a positive LMIA, even though the new rules no longer require one, and applicants have been told to enter placeholder LMIA details for now. That mismatch is part of why the pause is taking up to two weeks: the scores have to be rebuilt and the system has to learn the new rules before invitations can go out again.
Related: P.E.I. Picks 192 Workers in Surprise Draw — 2026 Total Hits 1,675
Canadian passports from the old and new series. Photo: Jusfiq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What should candidates do while they wait?
First, do not panic about the silence. A pause in Express Entry Draws for rescoring is not a cut to immigration levels, and the draws that ran this year were all targeted rounds, Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program, French language and occupation categories, with no general draw since August 2025. The pattern of targeted draws is expected to continue once the system restarts.
Second, check the profile. Candidates with Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer should make sure their profile reflects it, since the new factor rewards one or the other and the points are large enough to move a candidate across a cut off line. Provincial draws, meanwhile, are still running, as Prince Edward Island showed with its surprise November 9 round, so a provincial nomination remains a live path while Ottawa recalculates.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Express Entry Draws restart?
No restart date for Express Entry Draws has been published. IRCC needs up to two weeks from November 3 to recalculate every profile, which puts the earliest resumption around November 17.
Does the pause change my CRS score?
It can. Every profile is being recalculated under the new rules, and the new Labour Market Integration factor can add up to 150 points for Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer, while the maximum score is now 1,270.
Are provincial nominee draws affected?
No. Provincial draws run on their own schedules and are still happening while Express Entry Draws are paused, including Prince Edward Island’s unscheduled November 9 round.
Passport stamps from Ethiopia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States in a Canadian passport. Photo: Jon Evans, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maplestime will provide updates from this Express Entry pause as announcements are made.
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Waiting on an invitation while Ottawa recalculates your score, is two weeks of silence a fair price for a fairer system? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Express Entry candidate you know.
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