Canada has held a new Express Entry draw for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, issuing 733 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence on September 28, 2026.
The draw required candidates to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 725. Candidates also had to have created their Express Entry profile before the September 17, 2026 tie-breaking cut-off.
The latest draw is another reminder that receiving a provincial nomination can significantly change an Express Entry candidate’s position in the pool.
What happened in the September 28 Express Entry draw?
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 733 candidates who had received a provincial nomination and were eligible for an Express Entry PNP round.
The key figures were:
| Detail | September 28, 2026 draw |
|---|---|
| Immigration program | Provincial Nominee Program |
| Invitations issued | 733 |
| Minimum CRS score | 725 |
| Tie-breaking date | September 17, 2026 |
| Invitation type | Express Entry PNP |
The 725 CRS threshold is substantially higher than the scores candidates normally see in Canadian Experience Class, French-language or occupation-based category draws.
That difference is largely explained by how a provincial nomination affects the CRS score.
Why was the CRS cut-off 725?
A provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked PNP gives an eligible candidate an additional 600 CRS points.
That means a candidate who had a base CRS score of 125 before receiving the nomination would have a CRS score of 725 after the nomination.
The important point is that the 725 cut-off does not mean applicants needed to independently earn 725 points through age, education, language ability and work experience.
The provincial nomination itself accounts for most of the increase.
This is why PNP Express Entry draws tend to have much higher CRS cut-offs than some other Express Entry categories.
A provincial nomination does not automatically mean an ITA
Receiving a provincial nomination and receiving an Invitation to Apply are two separate stages.
A candidate must first qualify for a provincial immigration stream and receive a nomination from a participating province or territory.
For an Express Entry-linked nomination, the candidate can then receive the additional CRS points after accepting the nomination in their Express Entry profile.
The candidate remains in the Express Entry pool and can subsequently be invited through an appropriate draw.
The September 28 draw demonstrates how this process can work in practice: candidates with provincial nominations were selected in a dedicated PNP round rather than competing in a general draw.
Why provincial nomination is becoming more important
Canada’s Express Entry system is no longer simply about having the highest CRS score possible.
IRCC currently uses several types of selection, including program-specific and category-based rounds. Its category-based selection system includes French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, physicians with Canadian work experience, senior managers with Canadian work experience, researchers with Canadian work experience and skilled military recruits.
Provincial nomination provides another route into the system.
Instead of relying entirely on a candidate’s federal CRS profile, provinces can select people according to their own labour-market priorities and eligibility requirements.
That can make provincial programs particularly important for candidates whose CRS score would otherwise leave them with limited opportunities in some federal draws.
What today’s draw means for applicants outside Canada
For people applying from countries such as Nigeria, the latest draw does not mean that everyone should simply try to obtain a provincial nomination.
The first question is whether the applicant actually qualifies for a provincial program.
Each province has its own requirements.
Some streams focus on people already working in the province. Others target graduates, specific occupations, entrepreneurs, French-speaking applicants, healthcare workers, technology workers or people with connections to particular communities.
An applicant therefore needs to look at the requirements of the specific province and stream rather than treating PNP as a single immigration program.
What applicants should check before pursuing a PNP
Before creating a provincial strategy, candidates should examine several parts of their profile.
1. Occupation
Some provinces prioritize occupations experiencing labour shortages or specific economic needs.
Your National Occupational Classification (NOC), job duties and work experience therefore matter.
Having a job title that sounds relevant is not enough. The actual duties performed must correspond with the requirements of the applicable occupation.
2. Work experience
Provincial streams may require Canadian or foreign work experience, depending on the program.
Some also require applicants to be currently working in the province.
This is one reason why a provincial program that appears suitable at first glance may not actually be available to an applicant living outside Canada.
3. Job offer
Some provincial programs require a valid job offer from an eligible Canadian employer, while others do not.
Where a job offer is required, applicants need to examine the employer, position, wage, occupation and other conditions carefully.
4. Language ability
Language results can be important even where an applicant already meets the minimum federal Express Entry requirement.
A provincial stream may have its own language threshold, and stronger language results can sometimes affect eligibility or ranking within a provincial system.
5. Education
Education requirements vary between streams.
Candidates should confirm whether their foreign education requires an Educational Credential Assessment and whether the particular provincial stream has additional education requirements.
6. Connection to the province
Some programs give importance to previous study, employment, family connections, community connections or other ties to the province.
This is particularly important because a candidate cannot simply select any province they like after entering the Express Entry pool.
The province must have a stream for which the candidate qualifies.
What happens after an Express Entry ITA?
An Invitation to Apply is not the same thing as permanent residence approval.
Candidates who receive an ITA must submit their permanent residence application within the applicable deadline and provide supporting documentation.
IRCC will assess the application based on the information and documents provided.
This means candidates should not treat the ITA as the final stage.
Applicants need to ensure that the information in their Express Entry profile is accurate and that they can substantiate their education, work experience, language results, identity documents and other claimed factors.
Providing inaccurate information can create serious problems during processing.
The bigger lesson from the September draw
The September 28 draw shows why Canadian immigration applicants should not build their entire strategy around one CRS score.
A candidate might look at a high PNP cut-off of 725 and assume that Express Entry is inaccessible.
But the 725 figure includes the 600-point provincial nomination component.
The more useful question is not simply:
“Is my CRS score high enough?”
It is:
“Which Canadian immigration pathways am I actually eligible for, and what can I do to strengthen that profile?”
For some applicants, that may involve improving language scores or education.
For others, it may mean gaining additional skilled work experience, pursuing a qualifying job opportunity, exploring a provincial program or considering whether their occupation fits an Express Entry category.
Canada’s current Express Entry framework gives applicants several possible routes, but each route has its own eligibility requirements.
What Nigerian applicants should do now
Nigerian applicants considering Express Entry should start with an accurate assessment of their profile rather than choosing a province based only on the latest draw score.
Review your age, education, Educational Credential Assessment status, language results, work experience, occupation, marital status and Canadian connections.
Then determine which federal and provincial pathways actually fit those circumstances.
For applicants considering a PNP, it is also important to understand whether the nomination is connected to Express Entry or is a base nomination outside Express Entry. The two routes do not work in exactly the same way.
A strong immigration strategy should therefore be based on eligibility first and draw trends second.
Final thoughts
Canada’s September 28 Express Entry draw issued 733 invitations to provincial nominees at a CRS cut-off of 725.
The number itself is useful, but the bigger takeaway is how provincial nomination continues to function within Canada’s permanent residence system.
A provincial nomination can add 600 CRS points to an eligible Express Entry profile, potentially moving a candidate into range for a PNP-specific invitation round.
However, obtaining that nomination requires meeting the requirements of a particular provincial stream.
For prospective immigrants, the most useful next step is therefore not simply watching the next CRS cut-off. It is understanding which pathway fits their education, occupation, work experience, language ability and circumstances.
Worldbridge Immigration can help prospective immigrants assess Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs and other Canadian immigration pathways before they decide which route to pursue.
Disclaimer: Worldbridge Immigration is a private immigration consultancy and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Canada or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Canadian immigration policies, eligibility requirements and processing procedures can change. Applicants should verify the latest requirements before submitting an application.
