FSW Cut-Off Score: What Number Is Actually "Enough" in 2026?

Updated September 17, 2026 · 4 min read

"What's the FSW cut-off?" has two honest answers, because two different scores gate the program — one that never moves, and one that moves every draw. People searching for the last draw score usually want the second and get quoted the first.

Cut-off #1: the 67, fixed forever

The eligibility cut-off is 67 out of 100 on the six selection factors grid. It is written into regulation and has not moved in two decades: 67 enters the pool, 66 does not, and no draw, quota or policy announcement changes it. If your question is "what score do I need to apply," this is the answer, and it's the score our calculator gives you.

Cut-off #2: the CRS score of the last draw

Once in the pool, invitations go by CRS rank, and "the last draw score" means the lowest CRS invited in the most recent round. The catch in 2026: there is no single FSW draw to quote. IRCC hasn't run a general all-program round since early 2024, so the relevant cut-off depends on which draw you can enter:

So the practical FSW cut-off in 2026 runs from the high 300s (French draws) to the mid-400s (occupation categories) — while candidates outside every category have no current round to target at all. The full landscape, and what to do about it, is in FSW draws in 2026.

What was the cut-off when general draws ran?

In their final stretch through 2023 and early 2024, all-program rounds cut off broadly in the 480s to 540s. Treat those numbers as history, not prediction — if general draws return, their cut-offs will reflect whatever the pool looks like then.

How to track the moving cut-off

IRCC publishes every round — date, type, invitations issued and minimum CRS — on its Express Entry rounds of invitations page, usually within hours of a draw. Checking it monthly is enough: rounds cluster every two to three weeks, and category patterns shift slowly. Keep your pool profile updated in the meantime; a new language result or completed credential recalculates your CRS immediately.

Which number to chase

Below 67 on the grid, the CRS is irrelevant — fix eligibility first, usually through language. At 67+, stop adding grid points (they're worthless past the threshold) and push CRS: French, a provincial nomination, or CLB 9–10 in your first language.