IRCC invited 3,500 candidates in Express Entry Draw #447 on October 1, 2026. The round targeted Trades Occupations (2026-Version 3), and the lowest-ranked candidate invited had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 476. It is the largest single Express Entry round in the current run of draws and the second Trades round listed for 2026.

Draw #447 at a glance

• Round type: Trades Occupations, 2026-Version 3
• Date and time: October 1, 2026 at 12:47:55 UTC
• Invitations issued: 3,500
• Lowest CRS score invited: 476
• Tie-breaking rule: May 28, 2026 at 16:55:23 UTC

Primary source: IRCC, Express Entry rounds of invitations.

How it compares with the previous Trades round

The last Trades round on IRCC’s list was Draw #408 on April 2, 2026, which issued 3,000 invitations at a cut-off of 477. Draw #447 adds 500 invitations and lowers the cut-off by one point.

The two weeks around it

• #442, September 14, 2026. Provincial Nominee Program, 576 ITAs, CRS 734
• #443, September 15, 2026. Canadian Experience Class, 2,000 ITAs, CRS 519
• #444, September 16, 2026. Senior managers with Canadian work experience, 250 ITAs, CRS 389
• #445, September 28, 2026. Provincial Nominee Program, 733 ITAs, CRS 725
• #446, September 29, 2026. Canadian Experience Class, 2,000 ITAs, CRS 518
• #447, October 1, 2026. Trades Occupations, 3,500 ITAs, CRS 476

Across these six rounds IRCC issued 9,059 invitations between September 14 and October 1. The pattern is a CEC round and a PNP round roughly every two weeks, with a category-based round layered in.

What the pool looks like

IRCC’s score distribution, dated September 27, 2026 (a few days before the round), shows 229,904 candidates in the pool overall. Of those, 73,131 sit between 451 and 500, and 21,070 between 501 and 600. These counts cover every program in the pool, not only trades candidates, so they show how crowded the mid-range is rather than how many trades candidates were eligible for this round.

What advisors should take from it

• Check category eligibility before anything else. Trades rounds only invite candidates who meet the category definition in the Ministerial Instructions. Confirm occupation and work-experience requirements on canada.ca for each profile.
• Review clients who combine a business file with a trades background. Some founders and owner-operators hold trades experience alongside a C11 or ICT file. If a client’s profile is eligible, a 476 cut-off is lower than the 518 to 519 CEC rounds of the past three weeks.
• Keep profiles current. Rounds follow each other quickly, and profile details drive both eligibility and ranking.
• Plan for the next category round. IRCC has run category-based rounds between its CEC and PNP draws, so keep category-eligible clients ready.

Where GenesisLink fits

This round is skilled-trades focused and does not directly change business-immigration programs. We cover it because many RCICs and lawyers we work with handle mixed portfolios, and Express Entry timing affects how they sequence business-based files. GenesisLink supports the business side of those files: viability, business plans and financial modelling for C11, ICT and PNP business streams. To pressure-test an active business case, book a working session.

Source: IRCC, Express Entry rounds of invitations and Ministerial Instructions, accessed October 1, 2026. GenesisLink provides business consulting support for immigration professionals. We do not provide immigration advice or represent clients before IRCC or provincial nominee programmes.