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Live from IRCC On IRCC's 2026 category list

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

The latest STEM draw was held on Apr 11, 2024. IRCC invited 4,500 candidates at a CRS cut-off of 491.

Last updated: September 19, 2026 IRCC Express Entry rounds of invitations (STEM category)

3 Total draws
0 Draws in 2026
486 Average CRS cut-off
891 Days since last draw
STEM Express Entry draws for eligible occupations in Canada

STEM draws are category-based rounds aimed at science, technology, engineering and mathematics occupations. IRCC narrows the pool to candidates with recent experience in the STEM occupations on its list, then invites the highest-ranked candidates in that group.

This category is worth reading carefully before you count on it. The current list is short and engineering-heavy, and it no longer covers the broad set of software and data roles that were included when category-based selection launched in 2023.

Since these rounds began, IRCC has held 3 STEM-category draws, issuing 10,900 invitations in total.

All STEM draw results

Draw #DateCategoryCRS Cut-offInvitations
Draw #293 Apr 11, 2024 STEM occupations (Version 1) 491 4,500
Draw #274 Dec 8, 2023 STEM occupations (Version 1) 481 5,900
Draw #254 Jul 5, 2023 STEM occupations (Version 1) 486 500

Showing 1–3 of 3 draws

When is the next STEM draw?

IRCC has not run one of these rounds since April 11, 2024, about 891 days ago. On the pattern before that they came far more often, so this round type looks paused rather than delayed against a schedule IRCC never published.

Projection from past rounds, not an IRCC dateWhile these rounds were running, the gap between them averaged about 141 days across the last 3 rounds (Jul 5, 2023 – Apr 11, 2024). IRCC has shifted the balance between round types more than once, and it neither announces rounds in advance nor confirms when a round type has ended, so no meaningful next date can be projected from this history.

STEM draw history by year

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

YearDrawsInvitationsLowest CRSHighest CRSAverage CRS
202414,500491491491
202326,400481486484

What changed for STEM draws

STEM is on IRCC's 2026 list but has not been re-versioned since the original 2023 occupation list, and no STEM round has been held since April 2024. Being named in the category list and actually being invited are two different things. This is the clearest example on the site of a category that looks active on paper and is dormant in practice.

IRCC category labelIn useRoundsInvitationsCRS range
STEM occupations (Version 1) Jul 2023 - Apr 2024310,900 481 - 491
Every version IRCC has run this round under, read from its published rounds of invitations.

Is a STEM draw your route?

  • You work in one of the listed engineering occupations, or as an architecture and science manager, cybersecurity specialist, or insurance agent or broker.
  • You are planning for a category that may return rather than one you can count on this year.
  • Not you: most software developers. The list is far narrower than the word STEM suggests. Check the exact NOC before assuming.
  • If you need an invitation this year, treat a provincial nomination or a French test as the realistic route and this as upside.

Who qualifies for STEM draws?

STEM was one of the original 2023 categories and remains on the 2026 list, but IRCC has narrowed it substantially rather than expanding it. Many candidates still assume any technology job qualifies; in practice the list below is what counts, and rounds in this category have been infrequent compared with healthcare or French.

  • 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 11 occupations eligible for STEM 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. Software developers, data scientists and most IT roles from the 2023 list are not on the current list. What remains is engineering-heavy, plus architecture and science managers, cybersecurity specialists, and insurance agents and brokers. Being on the 2026 list is not the same as IRCC actually holding a STEM round: the last one was in April 2024.

Illustration depicting civil engineers and cybersecurity specialists qualifying for STEM Express Entry draws.
NOC 2021Occupation
20011Architecture and science managers
21220Cybersecurity specialists
21300Civil engineers
21301Mechanical engineers
21310Electrical and electronics engineers
21321Industrial and manufacturing engineers
21331Geological engineers
22300Civil engineering technologists and technicians
22301Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
22310Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
63100Insurance agents and brokers

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 a STEM draw

  1. Check your NOC code against the list

    There are 11 occupations on the STEM list, and the round is run against the version in force on the day. Most recently STEM 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

    STEM is much narrower than the word suggests. Most general software-development and data-science roles are not on it. The current list is engineering-heavy, plus architecture and science managers, cybersecurity specialists, and insurance agents and brokers. Check the exact NOC before you build a plan around this category, and note that no STEM round has run since April 2024.

  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. STEM rounds have cleared anywhere between CRS 481 and 491, 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.

STEM Express Entry Draws - Frequently Asked Questions

STEM draws are category-based rounds aimed at science, technology, engineering and mathematics occupations. IRCC narrows the pool to candidates with recent experience in the STEM occupations on its list, then invites the highest-ranked candidates in that group.
They are not running on a regular rhythm at the moment. Across the last 3 rounds (Jul 5, 2023 – Apr 11, 2024) the average gap was about 141 days, and the most recent one was held on Apr 11, 2024. There are 3 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 481 to 491 CRS, averaging about 486, and the most recent round came in at 491. 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 has not run one of these rounds since April 11, 2024, about 891 days ago. On the pattern before that they came far more often, so this round type looks paused rather than delayed against a schedule IRCC never published. While these rounds were running, the gap between them averaged about 141 days across the last 3 rounds (Jul 5, 2023 – Apr 11, 2024). IRCC has shifted the balance between round types more than once, and it neither announces rounds in advance nor confirms when a round type has ended, so no meaningful next date can be projected from this history.
10,900 invitations across 3 rounds on record, including 0 so far in 2026. Those totals are recalculated every time this page loads.
IRCC lists 11 eligible occupations for the STEM 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.
Usually not. IRCC narrowed the STEM list; software developers, data scientists and most IT roles from the 2023 version are gone. The current list is engineering-heavy, plus architecture and science managers, cybersecurity specialists, and, surprisingly: insurance agents and brokers (NOC 63100). Check the table on this page before you plan around a STEM round.
Being on the minister's category list is not a promise that IRCC will hold a round. The last STEM round on record here was 11 April 2024. Treat the list as eligibility, not as a schedule.
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.
Draw figures are copied from IRCC's published rounds. They were last updated from that feed on Sep 19, 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 19, 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.