How many candidates are in the Express Entry pool?

229,456 as of October 12, 2026, according to IRCC’s latest CRS score distribution.

How many candidates have more than 500 CRS points?

22,387 (9.8% of the pool) as of October 12, 2026. Another 71,612 have 451 to 500.

Is 480 a good CRS score?

About 46,707 candidates (20.4%) score higher than 480. That is above most category-draw cut-offs in 2026 but below recent Canadian Experience Class cut-offs.

How often does IRCC publish the score distribution?

With each round of invitations, IRCC publishes a snapshot of the pool taken a few days before the draw.

CRS score distribution

How many Express Entry candidates sit in each CRS score range, from IRCC’s latest data.

Where does your score rank?

Your CRS score

Enter a score to see how many of the 229,456 candidates in the pool (as of October 12, 2026) are ahead of you.

Candidates by score range

As of October 12, 2026. Ranges in grey are part of the band above them.

CRS score distribution of candidates in the pool as of October 12, 2026
CRS score range	Candidates	Share
601–1200	749
501–600	21,638
451–500	71,612
491–500	12,136
481–490	12,184
471–480	16,220
461–470	16,221
451–460	14,851
401–450	63,528
441–450	13,749
431–440	13,474
421–430	12,467
411–420	12,201
401–410	11,637
351–400	47,167
301–350	17,123
0–300	7,639
Total in the pool	229,456

How the pool changed in 2026

From 236,554 candidates on January 4, 2026 to 229,456 on October 12, 2026.

Express Entry pool size and high scores over time
Snapshot	Candidates	501+	451–500	401–450
October 12, 2026	229,456	22,387	71,612	63,528
September 27, 2026	229,904	21,798	73,131	62,611
September 13, 2026	226,793	21,358	72,107	61,560
August 30, 2026	226,673	20,101	74,105	60,413
August 16, 2026	226,859	19,096	73,554	60,631
August 3, 2026	229,100	20,205	73,099	60,905
July 19, 2026	231,533	18,644	72,579	63,877
July 5, 2026	235,127	19,136	73,691	65,818
June 21, 2026	239,645	20,953	75,938	64,807
May 24, 2026	238,847	18,277	75,348	65,963
May 10, 2026	233,770	16,031	74,300	64,614
April 26, 2026	234,452	14,332	73,659	66,515
April 12, 2026	233,555	13,935	73,563	66,952
March 29, 2026	230,186	11,999	73,445	64,782
March 15, 2026	231,362	13,399	72,558	64,638
March 1, 2026	232,534	14,289	71,680	65,868
February 15, 2026	235,695	16,839	73,609	64,305
February 2, 2026	238,920	15,334	74,811	68,262
January 19, 2026	237,120	17,018	72,714	66,836
January 4, 2026	236,554	21,572	70,523	65,120

Common questions

How many candidates are in the Express Entry pool?: 229,456 as of October 12, 2026, according to IRCC’s latest CRS score distribution.
How many candidates have more than 500 CRS points?: 22,387 (9.8% of the pool) as of October 12, 2026. Another 71,612 have 451 to 500.
Is 480 a good CRS score?: About 46,707 candidates (20.4%) score higher than 480. That is above most category-draw cut-offs in 2026 but below recent Canadian Experience Class cut-offs.
How often does IRCC publish the score distribution?: With each round of invitations, IRCC publishes a snapshot of the pool taken a few days before the draw.

Source: IRCC rounds of invitations · Every 2026 draw · How CRS points add up

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