Category-based selection
Trade occupations draws
6 rounds on record, 10,350 invitations issued. At least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation, accumulated within the past 3 years.
Most recent round
477CRS cutoff
3,000 invitations on 2 April 2026, round #408.
- Lowest ever
- 388
- 3 August 2023
- Typical gap
- 196 days
- Rounds held
- 6
Cutoff history
The last 6 trade occupations rounds as a table
| Round | Date | CRS cutoff | Invitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| #261 | 3 August 2023 | 388 | 1,500 |
| #276 | 19 December 2023 | 425 | 1,000 |
| #300 | 4 July 2024 | 436 | 1,800 |
| #321 | 23 October 2024 | 433 | 1,800 |
| #368 | 18 September 2025 | 505 | 1,250 |
| #408 | 2 April 2026 | 477 | 3,000 |
Who qualifies
At least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation, accumulated within the past 3 years.
Occupations in this category
- · Bricklayers
- · Butchers - retail and wholesale
- · Cabinetmakers
- · Carpenters
- · Concrete finishers
- · Construction estimators
- · Construction managers
- · Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
- · Experience gained in Canada or abroad, within the past 3 years.
- · Full-time, or an equal amount of part-time. It does not have to be continuous, but it must all be in one occupation on the list.
Common questions
- Who qualifies for trade occupations draws?
- At least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation, accumulated within the past 3 years.
- What was the lowest trade occupations cutoff?
- CRS 388, in a round on 3 August 2023, which issued 1,500 invitations.
- How often does IRCC hold trade occupations draws?
- Over the last 6 trade occupations rounds, IRCC has held one typically every 196 days. The gap has ranged from 111 to 330 days.
Alert me about trade occupations rounds
We check every new round of invitations and email you the same day one lands.
Note: IRCC reviews its categories periodically and has revised, added and dropped them. Nothing here predicts which categories will be drawn from next.
Source: Express Entry rounds of invitations; IRCC — Category-based selection. Data current as of 7 August 2026.