Express Entry draw 449: 2,500 CEC invitations at CRS 519

IRCC issued 2,500 invitations to apply in Express Entry draw #449 on October 15, selecting Canadian Experience Class candidates with a minimum CRS score of 519.

The tie-breaking rule went to profiles submitted before September 21, 2026, 19:00:47 UTC. It was the third invitation round of October, following the Trades draw on October 1 (#447) and the PNP draw on October 13 (#448).

How it compares

Against the last CEC round – 2,000 invitations at CRS 518 on September 29 – the October 15 draw invited 25 per cent more candidates while the cutoff rose a single point. A bigger round doesn’t automatically mean an easier threshold: the cutoff lands wherever the pool’s density sits above the selection line.

CEC round	Invitations	CRS cutoff
#449 – Oct 15, 2026	2,500	519
#446 – Sep 29, 2026	2,000	518
#444 – Sep 15, 2026	2,000	519
#442 – Sep 1, 2026	2,000	521

IRCC held no general all-program draw in this window. The October 16 French-language round was subsequently confirmed as draw #450, with 5,000 invitations and a CRS cutoff of 435; see our draw #450 report.

Full history: Express Entry draw results – and more in Immigration.

Source: IRCC’s official invitation-round table.