Dear future neighbour,
Holding a provincial nomination and wondering when your invitation would come? For 733 candidates, the wait ended on September 28, 2026, when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a draw just for Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination.
Let’s walk through what happened, what it means, and what to do next if you were invited or hope to be in the next round.
The draw at a glance
| Draw Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Draw Category | Provincial Nominee Program |
| Date of Draw | September 28, 2026 |
| Number of Invitations Issued | 733 |
| CRS Score of Lowest-Ranked Candidate | 725 |
| Tie-Breaking Rule | September 17, 2026 |
To get an invitation, a candidate needed a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 725.
The profile date only mattered for people who scored exactly 725. Anyone above 725 received an invitation no matter when they created their profile. Among those at exactly 725, only profiles submitted before that timestamp made the cut.
Why is the score so high?
A cutoff of 725 looks scary until you know the trick behind it. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate’s CRS score. So a nominated candidate with a base score of around 125 could reach that cutoff, as long as they met every program requirement and the tie-breaking rule.
That is also why you should never compare a provincial nominee cutoff with the cutoff for the Canadian Experience Class or a category-based draw. Those candidates don’t get the 600-point boost, so the numbers don’t measure the same thing.
How this draw compares to the last one
The previous provincial nominee draw was on September 14. It invited 576 candidates with a cutoff of 734. This time, the cutoff dropped by 9 points to 725, and the number of invitations rose by about 27%.
It was also the biggest provincial nominee draw since June 22, when 955 candidates were invited at a cutoff of 730. Looking at the calendar, these draws have been landing roughly every two weeks since July.
Express Entry draws so far in 2026
The September 28 round was the 57th Express Entry draw of the year. Here is the full list.
| Date | Draw Type | CRS cut-off score | ITAs issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 28 | Provincial Nominee Program | 725 | 733 |
| September 16 | Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 389 | 250 |
| September 15 | Canadian Experience Class | 519 | 2,000 |
| September 14 | Provincial Nominee Program | 734 | 576 |
| September 4 | Healthcare and social services | 475 | 3,500 |
| September 3 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 198 | 229 |
| September 1 | Canadian Experience Class | 521 | 2,000 |
| August 31 | Provincial Nominee Program | 697 | 562 |
| August 19 | French-Language proficiency | 382 | 5,000 |
| August 18 | Canadian Experience Class | 523 | 1,000 |
| August 17 | Provincial Nominee Program | 760 | 442 |
| August 7 | Transport | 470 | 300 |
| August 6 | French-Language proficiency | 391 | 5,000 |
| August 5 | Canadian Experience Class | 516 | 3,000 |
| August 4 | Provincial Nominee Program | 768 | 507 |
| July 23 | Skilled Military Recruits | 368 | 4 |
| July 22 | French-Language proficiency | 399 | 5,000 |
| July 21 | Canadian Experience Class | 516 | 2,000 |
| July 20 | Provincial Nominee Program | 744 | 511 |
| July 10 | Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 392 | 500 |
| July 9 | French-Language proficiency | 420 | 5,000 |
| July 7 | Canadian Experience Class | 517 | 2,000 |
| July 6 | Provincial Nominee Program | 708 | 534 |
| June 25 | Healthcare and social services | 475 | 4,000 |
| June 24 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 223 | 271 |
| June 23 | Canadian Experience Class | 516 | 4,000 |
| June 22 | Provincial Nominee Program | 730 | 955 |
| May 28 | French-Language proficiency | 409 | 4,500 |
| May 27 | Canadian Experience Class | 518 | 3,000 |
| May 25 | Provincial Nominee Program | 805 | 334 |
| May 11 | Provincial Nominee Program | 798 | 380 |
| April 29 | French-Language proficiency | 400 | 4,000 |
| April 28 | Canadian Experience Class | 514 | 2,000 |
| April 27 | Provincial Nominee Program | 795 | 473 |
| April 15 | French-Language proficiency | 419 | 4,000 |
| April 14 | Canadian Experience Class | 515 | 2,000 |
| April 13 | Provincial Nominee Program | 786 | 324 |
| April 2 | Trades | 477 | 3,000 |
| March 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 509 | 2,250 |
| March 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 802 | 356 |
| March 18 | French-Language proficiency | 393 | 4,000 |
| March 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 507 | 4,000 |
| March 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 742 | 362 |
| March 5 | Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 429 | 250 |
| March 4 | French-Language proficiency | 397 | 5,500 |
| March 3 | Canadian Experience Class | 508 | 4,000 |
| March 2 | Provincial Nominee Program | 710 | 264 |
| February 20 | Healthcare and social services | 467 | 4,000 |
| February 19 | Physicians with Canadian work experience | 169 | 391 |
| February 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 508 | 6,000 |
| February 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 789 | 279 |
| February 6 | French-Language proficiency | 400 | 8,500 |
| February 3 | Provincial Nominee Program | 749 | 423 |
| January 21 | Canadian Experience Class | 509 | 6,000 |
| January 20 | Provincial Nominee Program | 746 | 681 |
| January 7 | Canadian Experience Class | 511 | 8,000 |
| January 5 | Provincial Nominee Program | 711 | 574 |
The pattern is clear. Candidates with existing ties to Canada, meaning provincial nominees and people with Canadian work experience, have featured heavily in 2026 selections. Here is how the year has looked by draw type.
| Draw Type | Number of Draws |
|---|---|
| Provincial Nominee Program | 19 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 16 |
| French-Language proficiency | 10 |
| Physicians with Canadian work experience | 3 |
| Healthcare and social services | 3 |
| Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 3 |
| Trades | 1 |
| Transport | 1 |
| Skilled Military Recruits | 1 |
In total, IRCC has issued 129,715 invitations to apply (ITAs) this year.
| Draw Type | ITAs Issued |
|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class | 53,250 |
| French-Language proficiency | 50,500 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 9,270 |
| Healthcare and social services | 11,500 |
| Trades | 3,000 |
| Transport | 300 |
| Physicians with Canadian work experience | 891 |
| Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience | 1,000 |
| Skilled Military Recruits | 4 |
Where everyone else stands in the pool
Not everyone in the pool was competing in this draw, so it helps to see the bigger picture. This is how candidates were spread across CRS scores as of September 27, 2026.
| CRS score range | Number of candidates |
|---|---|
| 601-1200 | 728 |
| 501-600 | 21,070 |
| 451-500 | 73,131 |
| 491-500 | 12,745 |
| 481-490 | 12,817 |
| 471-480 | 16,465 |
| 461-470 | 16,257 |
| 451-460 | 14,847 |
| 401-450 | 62,611 |
| 441-450 | 13,677 |
| 431-440 | 13,419 |
| 421-430 | 12,173 |
| 411-420 | 11,888 |
| 401-410 | 11,454 |
| 351-400 | 47,298 |
| 301-350 | 17,359 |
| 0-300 | 7,707 |
| Total | 229,904 |
You got an invitation. What now?
First, take a breath, then get moving. You have exactly 60 calendar days to submit a complete permanent residence application through your Express Entry account. There are no extensions. If the deadline passes, the invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool. You would then have to build a brand new profile and wait to be selected again.
Start gathering your documents right away. Depending on your situation, you may need:
- Proof of your work experience
- Valid language test results
- Police certificates
- An immigration medical exam
- An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), if you are using education completed outside Canada to qualify or to claim CRS points
Then there is the money side. Since April 30, 2026, the government fees are:
- $990 per adult for processing, plus $600 per adult for the right of permanent residence fee. That is $1,590 per adult.
- $270 for each dependent child under 22, with no right of permanent residence fee.
- $85 per person for biometrics, capped at $170 per family.
These figures don’t cover third-party costs like medical exams, police certificates, language tests, or ECAs, which vary by country and provider.
IRCC has a six-month service standard for Express Entry provincial nominee applications. Real processing times can run longer depending on application volumes, background checks, and how complete your file is. Always check IRCC’s processing-time tool for the latest estimate.
If you are already working in Canada and your work permit is close to expiring, a bridging open work permit may keep you working while your PR application is processed. For provincial nominees, the usual conditions are:
- You are the principal applicant.
- You live in Canada and plan to live outside Quebec.
- You submitted a complete PR application that passed the completeness check, and you received an acknowledgement of receipt.
- Your provincial nomination doesn’t attach any employment restrictions.
If your current permit runs out before the bridging permit is approved, you may be able to keep working under the same conditions through maintained status, as long as you stay in Canada. Family members may also qualify for a bridging open work permit.
Not nominated yet? Here’s what to do
Provincial nominees are still in a strong position in these draws because of that 600-point boost. If you don’t have a nomination yet, keep a close eye on the official provincial immigration pages. Intake windows, targeted occupations, eligibility rules, and nomination spots can change during the year.
You can pursue more than one province at the same time, depending on each program’s rules. Just remember that you can accept only one provincial nomination at a time, and you must truly plan to live in the province that nominates you.
Ready to Turn a Nomination Into Permanent Residence?
A cutoff score, a 60-day deadline, and a stack of documents can make the process feel like a maze. One missed form or expired document can cost you months. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
At Ese Umoh Immigration, we support clients through provincial nomination, Express Entry, work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, school admissions, and more. Whether you are waiting on a nomination, holding an invitation, or still deciding which pathway fits you, we can look at your situation and give you a clear next step.
The September 28 draw invited 733 provincial nominees at a cutoff of 725, the biggest nominee round since June. Holding an invitation means the clock is ticking, and not having one yet means the right strategy matters even more. Whichever side you are on, book your consultation here and let’s plan your next move together: https://euiacademy.selar.com/60minutes