Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conducted a new Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry draw on September 28, 2026, sending 733 invitations to apply for permanent residence to candidates who hold valid provincial nominations.
The Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff for the lowest-ranked candidate selected in this round was 725 points.
That threshold is 9 points lower than the 734 recorded in the September 14 PNP draw that opened the earlier September cluster with 576 invitations.
The 733 invitations also represent a 27% increase in volume from that previous round, marking the largest PNP draw since the June 22 round that distributed 955 invitations at a CRS floor of 730.
This draw brings the 2026 total to 57 Express Entry rounds, with approximately 129,715 invitations issued across all draw categories so far this year.
Table of Contents
Full Express Entry Draw Details For September 28, 2026
IRCC selected candidates for this round from the Express Entry pool using the following parameters.
| Draw Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Draw Category | Provincial Nominee Program |
| Date of Draw (UTC) | September 28, 2026 |
| Number of Invitations Issued | 733 |
| CRS Score of Lowest-Ranked Candidate | 725 |
| Tie-Breaking Rule | September 17, 2026, at 01:36:00 UTC |
Candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 725 and an Express Entry profile submitted before 1:36 a.m. UTC on September 17, 2026, to receive an invitation in this round.
Any eligible PNP candidate scoring above 725 received an invitation regardless of profile creation date.
The tie-breaking timestamp determines priority among candidates who share the cutoff score of exactly 725 points.
Only those candidates at that score level who submitted their profiles before the specified timestamp received invitations in this draw.
What The CRS Cutoff Of 725 Signals For PNP Candidates
A CRS cutoff of 725 in a PNP draw is largely driven by the 600-point boost that provincial nominations add to an Express Entry profile.
The practical interpretation is that a nominated candidate needed a base CRS score of at least 125 to reach the 725-point cutoff, subject to meeting all applicable Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program eligibility requirements and the tie-breaking rule.
Provincial nominees receive 600 additional CRS points after accepting an Express Entry-aligned nomination, which is why PNP-specific draw cutoffs are substantially higher than those seen in many other Express Entry categories.
PNP cutoffs have fluctuated significantly throughout 2026, with the September 28 threshold of 725 ranking among the lower PNP cutoffs recorded since June.
These cutoffs reflect both the CRS distribution of eligible provincial nominees in the Express Entry pool and the number of invitations IRCC chooses to issue in a particular round.
Changes in the number of provincial nominees entering the pool can affect the candidate distribution, but nomination volumes alone do not determine the cutoff.
Latest CRS Score Distribution In The Pool
Below is the CRS score distribution of candidates in the pool 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 |
Steps After Receiving An Invitation To Apply
Candidates who received an invitation in the September 28 round have exactly 60 calendar days to submit a complete permanent residence application through their Express Entry account.
Failing to submit within this window causes the invitation to expire, and IRCC removes the profile from the pool entirely rather than returning it to the queue.
A candidate whose invitation expires must create a new Express Entry profile from scratch to re-enter the selection process.
The permanent residence application can require several supporting documents, including proof of qualifying work experience, valid language test results, police certificates, and an immigration medical examination.
Applicants relying on education completed outside Canada may also need a valid Educational Credential Assessment.
An ECA is required when foreign education is being used to qualify as the principal applicant under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or to claim CRS points for foreign education.
Police certificates are generally required for the applicant and family members aged 18 or older for every country where they stayed for six consecutive months or longer during the last 10 years, excluding time spent in Canada.
Application fees effective April 30, 2026, are $990 per adult for processing and $600 per adult for the right of permanent residence fee, bringing the total to $1,590 per adult applicant.
Dependent children under 22 pay $270 each, with no right of permanent residence fee applied. Biometrics cost $85 per individual or a maximum of $170 per family.
IRCC has a six-month service standard for Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program applications, but actual processing times can be longer and vary based on application volumes, annual admissions targets, background checks, and individual circumstances.
Applicants should check IRCC’s current processing-time tool for the latest estimate.
Candidates in Canada whose work permits are nearing expiry may be eligible for a bridging open work permit while their permanent residence application is being processed.
For Express Entry PNP applicants, eligibility conditions include being the principal applicant, living in Canada and intending to live outside Quebec, having submitted a complete permanent residence application that passed the completeness check, receiving an acknowledgement of receipt, and having no employment restrictions attached to the provincial nomination.
The September 28 Express Entry round delivered 733 permanent residence invitations to provincial nominees at a CRS threshold of 725, continuing the steady two-week PNP draw rhythm that has operated throughout the second half of 2026.
Candidates who hold a valid Express Entry-aligned provincial nomination remain strongly positioned in PNP-specific rounds because accepting the nomination adds 600 points to their CRS score.
Candidates still pursuing provincial nomination should monitor official provincial immigration program pages closely, as intake windows, targeted occupations, eligibility requirements, and remaining nomination availability can change throughout the year.
Invited candidates should prioritize assembling their application documents immediately, because the 60-day submission window does not allow for extensions and an expired invitation cannot be recovered.
For full coverage of every Express Entry draw, provincial program update, and IRCC processing time change, follow Immigration News Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens if I let my Express Entry invitation to apply expire without submitting an application?
If you do not submit a complete permanent residence application within the 60-day deadline, IRCC removes your profile from the Express Entry pool entirely. Your profile does not return to the queue for future draws. You would need to create a brand new Express Entry profile, submit updated language test results and educational credential assessments if they have expired, and wait to be selected again in a future round. This differs from declining an invitation while still eligible, which does return your profile to the pool.
Why is the CRS cutoff for PNP Express Entry draws so much higher than for CEC or category-based draws?
PNP draw cutoffs appear unusually high because candidates with an accepted Express Entry-aligned provincial nomination receive 600 additional CRS points.
A total CRS cutoff of 725 therefore means a nominated candidate with a base CRS score of 125 would reach 725 after receiving the nomination points, although the candidate must still satisfy all applicable immigration-program requirements and the tie-breaking rule.
CEC and most category-based candidates do not receive this automatic 600-point nomination bonus, so their published CRS cutoffs cannot be directly compared with PNP cutoffs as if they represented the same scoring circumstances.
How much does it cost to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry after receiving an invitation in 2026?
As of April 30, 2026, the total cost for an adult applicant is $1,590, which includes $990 for processing and $600 for the right of permanent residence fee. Each dependent child under 22 pays $270 with no right of permanent residence fee. Biometrics cost $85 per individual or a maximum of $170 per family. These fees do not include third-party costs such as medical examinations, police certificates, language testing, or educational credential assessments, which vary by country and provider.
Can I apply to multiple Provincial Nominee Programs at the same time to increase my chances of getting a nomination?
It depends on the rules of the individual provincial programs. A candidate may be able to pursue immigration opportunities in more than one province or territory at the same time, but each program has its own eligibility, expression-of-interest, application, and nomination requirements.
An Express Entry candidate can ultimately accept only one provincial nomination at a time and must genuinely intend to live in the province or territory that nominates them.
Candidates should review the rules of each provincial program before submitting multiple applications or expressions of interest.
How long does it take to receive permanent residence after being invited through an Express Entry PNP draw?
IRCC has a six-month service standard for Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program permanent residence applications, but that does not mean every application will be finalized within six months.
Actual processing times can vary based on application volumes, annual immigration targets, background and security checks, document completeness, and whether IRCC requests additional information.
IRCC’s published processing data has also shown that Express Entry PNP processing can run longer than the six-month service standard. Applicants should therefore check IRCC’s current processing-time tool for the latest estimate applicable to their case.
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