Express Entry Draws #399 to #402: Senior Managers Category Makes Its Debut

IRCC opened March 2026 with a burst of activity: four Express Entry draws in four days, issuing a combined 10,014 ITAs between March 2 and March 5. The biggest story is draw #402, which introduced a brand-new category-based stream for senior managers.

Draw #399: Provincial Nominee Program (March 2)

Draw #399: 710 CRS(PNP)

• CRS cutoff: 710
• ITAs issued: 264
• Tiebreaker: August 7, 2025 at 18:02:56 UTC

A typical PNP round. The 710 cutoff reflects the 600-point provincial nomination boost, meaning candidates needed roughly 110 base CRS points. The small invitation count (264) is consistent with recent PNP draws, which have been running between 200 and 800 ITAs per round since late 2025.

Draw #400: Canadian Experience Class (March 3)

Draw #400: 508 CRS(CEC)

• CRS cutoff: 508
• ITAs issued: 4,000
• Tiebreaker: June 24, 2025 at 22:35:48 UTC

Draw #400 was a milestone number with a healthy 4,000 ITAs. The 508 cutoff is slightly lower than the 511 seen in January's CEC draw (#390), continuing a modest downward trend in CEC cutoffs that started in late 2025. If you're a CEC candidate in the 500 to 515 range, conditions are favorable.

Draw #401: French Language Proficiency (March 4)

Draw #401: 397 CRS(French)

• CRS cutoff: 397
• ITAs issued: 5,500
• Tiebreaker: October 10, 2025 at 18:18:20 UTC

French-language draws continue to offer the most accessible CRS cutoffs in the Express Entry system. At 397, this is the lowest cutoff of any March draw by a wide margin. The 5,500 ITAs is a generous round, only slightly below the 8,500 issued in February's French draw (#394).

Draw #402: Senior Managers (March 5)

Draw #402: 429 CRS(Senior Managers)

• CRS cutoff: 429
• ITAs issued: 250
• Tiebreaker: August 19, 2025 at 15:10:18 UTC

This is the one to watch. Draw #402 introduced a new category-based stream: Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience. At 250 ITAs, it's a small round, but the 429 cutoff is notably lower than general and CEC draws.

This follows the pattern IRCC established with the Physicians category draw (#397 in February), where occupation-specific streams pull from smaller pools, resulting in lower cutoffs. Senior managers with Canadian experience now have a dedicated path alongside healthcare workers, trades, educators, and French-language candidates.

March trends so far

Three patterns stand out from this early batch:

1. New categories keep coming. After Physicians in February (#397), Senior Managers in March (#402) shows IRCC is still expanding the category-based system. Each new category creates a separate lane for qualifying candidates.
2. CEC cutoffs are drifting down. The 508 in draw #400 continues a gradual decline from the 520+ range seen in late 2025. Larger invitation counts (4,000+ per round) are pulling more candidates through.
3. French draws remain the best value. A 397 cutoff with 5,500 ITAs is hard to beat. Candidates with French proficiency have a significant advantage in the current system.

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