Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued another round of invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence through Express Entry. On 31 August 2026, the department invited 562 candidates who already hold a provincial nomination.
This was a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) specific round — only profiles with a valid enhanced nomination in the Express Entry pool were considered. It is IRCC’s 50th Express Entry draw of 2026, and it produced the lowest PNP cut-off score recorded so far this year.
Latest draw at a glance
Date: 31 August 2026Draw type: Provincial Nominee ProgramInvitations issued: 562Minimum CRS score: 697Tie-breaking rule: Express Entry profile created before 4:32 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on 12 April 2026
Candidates at exactly 697 points were invited only if their profile was submitted before that timestamp. Anyone who created a profile at or after 4:32 a.m. UTC on 12 April 2026 was not selected in this round, even at the same CRS score.
Why this cut-off matters
The 697 cut-off is 63 points lower than the previous PNP-only round on 17 August 2026, which invited 442 candidates at 760. It is also the lowest PNP Express Entry cut-off of 2026 to date.
A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to an Express Entry profile. That means a candidate invited at 697 typically held a base score of about 97 before the nomination was uploaded. A drop like this usually means a fresh group of newly nominated candidates has entered the pool since the last PNP-specific round — and that IRCC is clearing a larger share of that nominated inventory.
For nominees already in the pool, the takeaway is simple: once the nomination is accepted and showing on the profile, an ITA in a PNP-specific round is now more reachable than it was earlier in the summer, when cut-offs sat in the mid-700s and above.
What invited candidates should do next
An ITA is not a permanent residence approval. It is a 60-calendar-day window to submit a complete electronic application for permanent residence. Missing the deadline causes the invitation to expire and the profile to be removed from the pool.
- Confirm the nomination certificate is still valid and matches the details in the Express Entry profile.
- Gather police certificates, medicals, proof of work experience, education credentials, language results, and proof of funds if required.
- Recheck language test expiry, job offer status, and any change in family composition before you submit.
- Pay the processing fees and, where applicable, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee.
If circumstances have changed since the profile was created — a new job, an expired test, or a withdrawn nomination — update the profile first. Submitting on outdated information is one of the most common reasons applications later run into procedural fairness letters.
How 2026 Express Entry selections have taken shape
Through 31 August 2026, IRCC has held 50 Express Entry rounds. Selections have favoured candidates already connected to Canada: provincial nominees, Canadian Experience Class workers, and people who meet category-based goals such as French-language proficiency or in-demand occupations.
By draw type, the year so far looks like this: 17 Provincial Nominee Program rounds, 14 Canadian Experience Class rounds, 10 French-language proficiency rounds, two healthcare and social services rounds, two rounds for physicians with Canadian work experience, two rounds for senior managers with Canadian work experience, one trades round, one transport round, and one skilled military recruits round.
Adding the invitations from those rounds gives a year-to-date total of 120,427 ITAs. French-language proficiency accounts for 50,500 invitations and the Canadian Experience Class for 49,250. Provincial nominees have received 7,961 invitations. Healthcare and social services draws have issued 8,000 invitations, trades 3,000, senior managers with Canadian work experience 750, physicians with Canadian work experience 662, transport 300, and skilled military recruits 4.
French-speaking candidates and CEC workers continue to receive the bulk of federal invitations. PNP-linked rounds remain smaller and more frequent — a regular clearing mechanism for people who already have a province or territory standing behind them.
Express Entry draws in 2026
Results below are listed as one line each: date — draw type — CRS cut-off — invitations issued.
August 2026
31 August 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 697 — 562 ITAs
19 August 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 382 — 5,000 ITAs
18 August 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 523 — 1,000 ITAs
17 August 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 760 — 442 ITAs
7 August 2026 — Transport — CRS 470 — 300 ITAs
6 August 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 391 — 5,000 ITAs
5 August 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 516 — 3,000 ITAs
4 August 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 768 — 507 ITAs
July 2026
23 July 2026 — Skilled military recruits — CRS 368 — 4 ITAs
22 July 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 399 — 5,000 ITAs
21 July 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 516 — 2,000 ITAs
20 July 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 744 — 511 ITAs
10 July 2026 — Senior managers with Canadian work experience — CRS 392 — 500 ITAs
9 July 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 420 — 5,000 ITAs
7 July 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 517 — 2,000 ITAs
6 July 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 708 — 534 ITAs
June 2026
25 June 2026 — Healthcare and social services — CRS 475 — 4,000 ITAs
24 June 2026 — Physicians with Canadian work experience — CRS 223 — 271 ITAs
23 June 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 516 — 4,000 ITAs
22 June 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 730 — 955 ITAs
May 2026
28 May 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 409 — 4,500 ITAs
27 May 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 518 — 3,000 ITAs
25 May 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 805 — 334 ITAs
11 May 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 798 — 380 ITAs
April 2026
29 April 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 400 — 4,000 ITAs
28 April 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 514 — 2,000 ITAs
27 April 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 795 — 473 ITAs
15 April 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 419 — 4,000 ITAs
14 April 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 515 — 2,000 ITAs
13 April 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 786 — 324 ITAs
2 April 2026 — Trades — CRS 477 — 3,000 ITAs
March 2026
31 March 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 509 — 2,250 ITAs
30 March 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 802 — 356 ITAs
18 March 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 393 — 4,000 ITAs
17 March 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 507 — 4,000 ITAs
16 March 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 742 — 362 ITAs
5 March 2026 — Senior managers with Canadian work experience — CRS 429 — 250 ITAs
4 March 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 397 — 5,500 ITAs
3 March 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 508 — 4,000 ITAs
2 March 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 710 — 264 ITAs
February 2026
20 February 2026 — Healthcare and social services — CRS 467 — 4,000 ITAs
19 February 2026 — Physicians with Canadian work experience — CRS 169 — 391 ITAs
17 February 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 508 — 6,000 ITAs
16 February 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 789 — 279 ITAs
6 February 2026 — French-language proficiency — CRS 400 — 8,500 ITAs
3 February 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 749 — 423 ITAs
January 2026
21 January 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 509 — 6,000 ITAs
20 January 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 746 — 681 ITAs
7 January 2026 — Canadian Experience Class — CRS 511 — 8,000 ITAs
5 January 2026 — Provincial Nominee Program — CRS 711 — 574 ITAs
How an enhanced PNP nomination works with Express Entry
Most provinces and territories run “enhanced” streams aligned with Express Entry. A candidate creates a federal Express Entry profile, then seeks a nomination from a province or territory. When that nomination is issued and accepted in the federal account, the profile receives 600 extra CRS points.
Those 600 points almost always move the profile into the range used for PNP-specific invitation rounds. IRCC then invites nominated candidates in dedicated PNP draws, separate from Canadian Experience Class and category-based selections.
After the ITA, the permanent residence application is assessed by the federal government. The province has already nominated the person; IRCC still reviews admissibility, supporting documents, and whether the applicant continues to meet the program requirements.
What candidates still waiting should take from this round
If you already have a nomination in the pool, keep the profile accurate and watch for the next PNP-specific round. Cut-offs can move quickly when new nominations arrive, as this 63-point drop shows.
If you do not yet have a nomination, a PNP strategy is still one of the most reliable ways to reach an ITA when a federal CEC or all-program cut-off is out of range. Provinces set their own occupation lists, job-offer rules, and Expression of Interest scores. Aligning work experience, language results, and settlement plans with a specific province is usually more effective than waiting for a general federal draw.
French-language ability remains the other high-volume federal route this year. Candidates who can reach NCLC 7 in all four abilities should treat that as a parallel plan, not an afterthought.
Career Brick takeaway
The 31 August round confirms the pattern of 2026: IRCC is issuing large volumes of invitations overall, but PNP draws stay targeted and relatively small. The value of a nomination has not changed — 600 points still separate most nominees from the rest of the pool — but the score needed on top of those points is the lowest it has been all year.
If you received an ITA in this draw, treat the next 60 days as a document sprint. If you are still building a profile or waiting on a provincial nomination, now is the time to review CRS math, language tests, and which provincial streams actually match your occupation and work history.
Career Brick Consultant advises skilled workers, students, and families on Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, and post-ITA applications. Draw results are published by IRCC and can change from round to round. This update is for general information and is not legal advice for any individual case.
