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Live from IRCC On IRCC's 2026 category list

Education Express Entry Draws - Full History & CRS Cut-Offs

The latest Education draw was held on Sep 17, 2025. IRCC invited 2,500 candidates at a CRS cut-off of 462.

Last updated: September 18, 2026 IRCC Express Entry rounds of invitations (education category)

2 Total draws
0 Draws in 2026
471 Average CRS cut-off
366 Days since last draw
A diverse Canadian school teacher in a bright, modern classroom representing education Express Entry draws.

Education draws are category-based rounds for teachers and early childhood educators. IRCC narrows the pool to candidates whose recent work experience is in one of the education occupations on its list, then invites the highest-ranked among them.

The list is short and school-focused: it covers classroom teaching and early childhood roles, not post-secondary teaching. University professors and lecturers sit in a separate 2026 category for researchers with Canadian work experience.

Since these rounds began, IRCC has held 2 education-category draws, issuing 3,500 invitations in total.

All Education draw results

Draw #DateCategoryCRS Cut-offInvitations
Draw #367 Sep 17, 2025 Education occupations (Version 1) 462 2,500
Draw #344 May 1, 2025 Education occupations (Version 1) 479 1,000

Showing 1–2 of 2 draws

When is the next Education draw?

The usual gap between these rounds has already passed by about 227 days. Short gaps like this are common and do not mean the category has ended.

Projection from past rounds, not an IRCC dateThat reading is only the average gap across the last 2 rounds (May 1, 2025 – Sep 17, 2025) (about 139 days) added to the last round. IRCC does not announce rounds in advance, so do not plan travel or resignations around it.

Education draw history by year

Rounds held, invitations issued, and the range of CRS cut-offs within each year.

YearDrawsInvitationsLowest CRSHighest CRSAverage CRS
202523,500462479471

What changed for Education draws

Education was added to the category list in 2025 and kept for 2026, still on its original occupation list. It is one of the newer categories, so there is less history here than for healthcare or French, but it has run consistently since being introduced, which is more than STEM or transport can say.

IRCC category labelIn useRoundsInvitationsCRS range
Education occupations (Version 1) May 2025 - Sep 202523,500 462 - 479
Every version IRCC has run this round under, read from its published rounds of invitations.

Is a Education draw your route?

  • You teach at the school level, or work as an early childhood educator or instructor in a listed occupation.
  • You have 12 months in one listed education NOC.
  • Not you: college and university teaching staff. Those roles fall under researchers, which requires Canadian experience.
  • Worth knowing: this is one of the few categories added recently that has actually been used.

Who qualifies for Education draws?

Education joined the category list in 2025 and was renewed for 2026, reflecting shortages of teachers and early childhood educators across several provinces. The list is narrow, but the occupations on it are in persistent demand.

  • At least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work) in the past 3 years, in a single occupation from the list below. The 12 months do not have to be continuous, and they do not have to be Canadian.
  • That experience can sit under any listed NOC. It does not have to be the primary occupation on your Express Entry profile. You cannot combine two different NOC codes to make up the year.
  • An Express Entry profile in the pool, and eligibility for at least one of the three federal programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class.
  • A CRS score at or above the cut-off published for that specific round.
  • Work experience that genuinely matches the lead statement and most of the main duties of the NOC code. IRCC assesses duties, not job titles.

IRCC raised the work-experience bar for its occupational categories from 6 months to 12 months when it published the 2026 category list in February 2026. If you built your plan around the old 6-month rule, it is worth re-checking your profile.

The 5 occupations eligible for Education draws

These are the occupations IRCC lists for this category. Twelve months in one listed NOC is enough. It does not have to be the primary NOC on your profile. You cannot add two different codes together to make up the year. Teaching at a college or university is not included here. Those roles sit in the researchers category, which also requires Canadian work experience. Education is on the 2026 list; that is not a promise of a 2026 round.

Illustration depicting school teachers and early childhood educators eligible for Canadian immigration draws.
NOC 2021Occupation
41220Secondary school teachers
41221Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
42202Early childhood educators and assistants
42203Instructors of persons with disabilities
43100Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants

Not sure which code describes your job? Try the NOC Finder. Occupation list published by IRCC - Express Entry category-based selection.

How to be considered in an Education draw

  1. Check your NOC code against the list

    There are 5 occupations on the Education list, and the round is run against the version in force on the day. Most recently Education occupations (Version 1). Match the occupation you actually performed, not the job title on your contract: IRCC compares your duties with the lead statement and main duties of the NOC, and a mismatch is the most common reason a category never reaches someone.

  2. Confirm you meet the 12-month rule

    You need 12 months of full-time work, or the part-time equivalent, in a single listed occupation within the last 3 years. It does not have to be continuous, it does not have to be Canadian, and it does not have to be the primary NOC on your profile. You cannot combine two different codes.

  3. Watch the trap specific to this category

    College and university teaching is not here. Those roles belong to the researchers category, which also requires Canadian work experience, so an academic checking this list will usually be looking at the wrong page.

  4. Confirm you are eligible for a federal program

    A category is a filter applied to the pool, not a way into it. You still need to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class.

  5. Create or update your Express Entry profile

    Enter the work history that evidences the category. There is no separate category application. IRCC selects from profiles as they stand when a round is run.

  6. Keep language results and documents valid

    Language results expire after two years. If they lapse while you wait, your profile can fall out of the pool entirely.

  7. Keep raising your CRS in the meantime

    Category rounds still rank by score. Education rounds have cleared anywhere between CRS 462 and 479, so the number you need depends entirely on which round you are caught by. Retaking a language test or pursuing a provincial nomination moves you up the queue inside the category; a job offer will not, since those CRS points were removed on 25 March 2025.

Education Express Entry Draws - Frequently Asked Questions

Education draws are category-based rounds for teachers and early childhood educators. IRCC narrows the pool to candidates whose recent work experience is in one of the education occupations on its list, then invites the highest-ranked among them.
They are not running on a regular rhythm at the moment. Across the last 2 rounds (May 1, 2025 – Sep 17, 2025) the average gap was about 139 days, and the most recent one was held on Sep 17, 2025. There are 2 rounds on record in total. IRCC publishes no schedule and has changed the mix of round types more than once. A category can stay on the official list without a round being held.
There is no fixed pass mark: the cut-off is simply the score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in that round. Historically this group has ranged from 462 to 479 CRS, averaging about 471, and the most recent round came in at 462. Treat the recent rounds in the table as your guide rather than the all-time low. If more than one person had that lowest score, IRCC ranked them by the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profile.
IRCC does not announce rounds of invitations in advance and publishes no schedule for them. All that can be read from the record is the pattern: across the last 2 rounds (May 1, 2025 – Sep 17, 2025) the gap has been about 139 days, and the most recent one was held on September 17, 2025. Treat that as historical context rather than a forecast, because IRCC has paused round types before without warning.
3,500 invitations across 2 rounds on record, including 0 so far in 2026. Those totals are recalculated every time this page loads.
IRCC lists 5 eligible occupations for the Education category, each tied to a specific NOC 2021 code. The full list is on this page. Twelve months in a single listed code is enough. It does not have to be the primary NOC on your profile, and IRCC compares your duties with the lead statement and main duties, not your job title. You cannot combine two different codes to make up the year.
At least 12 months of full-time work, or the part-time equivalent, in a single eligible occupation within the past 3 years. It does not have to be continuous. IRCC raised this from 6 months to 12 months with the 2026 category list published in February 2026, so older guides still quoting 6 months are out of date.
No. For most occupation-based categories, experience earned outside Canada counts, which is what makes these rounds reachable if you have never worked in Canada. The 2026 categories for physicians, senior managers and researchers are the exception. Those specifically require Canadian work experience.
No. This list is school-focused: secondary and elementary teachers, early childhood educators, instructors of persons with disabilities, and teacher assistants. University professors and lecturers (NOC 41200) and post-secondary teaching assistants (NOC 41201) sit in the researchers category, which also requires Canadian work experience.
This category does not itself require a job offer. You must still qualify for an Express Entry program: the Federal Skilled Trades Program requires either a qualifying job offer or a certificate of qualification. Job offers no longer add CRS points, but may still matter for federal-program or provincial-stream eligibility. The separate skilled military recruits category does require an offer from the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.
No, and there is no box to tick. IRCC works out which categories you fall into from the information already in your Express Entry profile at the moment it runs a round. That is why keeping your work history, NOC code and test results accurate and current matters more than any application step.
No. Post-secondary teaching sits in the researchers category, which also requires Canadian work experience. The education category covers school-level teaching, early childhood education and instructor roles.
Yes. Unlike the physicians, senior managers and researchers categories, education is an occupation category with no Canadian-experience requirement. Your 12 months in a listed occupation can have been worked anywhere.
Draw figures are copied from IRCC's published rounds. They were last updated from that feed on Sep 18, 2026. Nothing on these tables is entered by hand. The figures are IRCC's own published rounds of invitations, the same record behind our full Express Entry draw history. This is not an official IRCC tool. Always confirm your own eligibility and score in your Express Entry profile, or with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or immigration lawyer.

Official IRCC sources

Eligibility rules on this page were last checked against IRCC on September 15, 2026. Draw figures come from IRCC's published rounds and are not part of that review. This is not an official IRCC page.

Draw figures were last updated from IRCC on Sep 18, 2026.

Every Express Entry draw type we track

IRCC runs several different kinds of round. Each one below has its own cut-off history, its own rhythm, and its own rules about who is even in the running.