The Express Entry candidate pool has seen a decrease in profiles, resulting in reduced competition as 1,172 profiles exited the pool in the latest two weeks as of March 15.

The most recent data on the pool’s composition does not reflect recent draws that issued over 8,000 additional invitations to apply (ITAs) in just three days from March 16 to 18.

We previously estimated that the number of top-scoring profiles in the Express Entry pool could be as low as 10,000, with recent data suggesting a further reduction to around 9,000 profiles in the 501–600 scoring range.

This article delves into the changes in the pool as of March 15, 2026, the impact of unaccounted-for draws, and the evolving chances of candidates to receive an ITA.

Key Changes in the Express Entry Pool

Between March 1 and March 15, a net total of 1,172 profiles exited the Express Entry pool, with the largest decrease seen in the 501–600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score range.

The 501–600 range has consistently decreased due to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws, with significant reductions also observed in other score ranges, such as 401–410, 421–430, and 431–440.

Notably, the data on March 15 does not include the impact of three Express Entry draws that occurred between March 16 and 18, resulting in 8,362 ITAs being issued.