IRCC issued 562 ITAs on August 31, 2026 in a Provincial Nominee Program draw at a CRS cutoff of 697 — the lowest PNP cutoff of the year and the first under 700.
On August 31, 2026, IRCC issued 562 ITAs in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw at a CRS cutoff of 697 — the lowest PNP cutoff of 2026, and the first PNP round all year to clear below 700. If you're a provincial nominee who's been watching cutoffs sit in the 700s and 800s for months, this is the easiest a PNP round has been to clear since the program's Express Entry rounds began this year.
IRCC issued 562 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates holding a provincial nomination, requiring a minimum CRS score of 697. This was the 438th Express Entry round since the program launched, and roughly the 50th of 2026, following two straight PNP rounds earlier in August at 768 and 760.
A provincial nomination adds a flat 600 CRS points, so PNP cutoffs are normally driven by the roughly 100-200 points candidates bring from age, education, language, and work experience on top of that boost. Every PNP round in 2026 before this one landed at 708 or higher — the cutoff had never dropped into the 600s.
A cutoff this low usually means one of two things: either the pool of newly nominated candidates skews younger and more recently arrived (lower human-capital points on top of the 600-point nomination boost), or provinces have been nominating candidates faster than IRCC is clearing them, letting lower-scoring nominees stack up in the pool until a bigger round sweeps them in. Given how active provincial programs have been through August — including large Alberta AAIP, BC PNP, and Manitoba rounds — the second explanation is the more likely one here.
If you hold a provincial nomination with a CRS score of 697 or higher: you should have been invited in this round, provided your profile was in the pool before IRCC's cutoff time for the draw. If you weren't invited and believe you qualified, double-check that your nomination is correctly reflected in your Express Entry profile.
If you're waiting on a provincial nomination and your human-capital score (age, education, language, work experience) is on the lower side: this draw is the best evidence yet that a nomination alone — without a strong underlying CRS score — can now be enough to clear a PNP round. See our guide to how a provincial nomination affects your CRS score for the math.
If you're not pursuing a provincial nomination: this drop doesn't change your eligibility, but it's a signal that PNP rounds are currently the most accessible pathway into the pool of any Express Entry draw type. Check whether your profile fits an active stream in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, or Ontario.
Tip
A PNP cutoff this far below the rest of 2026's rounds is worth watching, not assuming as a new normal. If your provincial nomination is still pending, don't bank on a sub-700 cutoff repeating — the last three PNP rounds moved 768 → 760 → 697, which is a bigger single-round swing than IRCC has shown all year.
You have 60 days from August 31 — until around October 30, 2026 — to submit a complete permanent residence application. You'll need your language test results, an ECA if any of your education is foreign, police certificates from every country you've lived in for 6+ months since age 18, an immigration medical exam, and proof of funds if you're not applying under CEC.
August produced three PNP rounds (August 4, 17, and 31), alongside CEC, French, and Transport draws. IRCC does not publish a draw calendar, so treat the pattern as a guide rather than a guarantee — but if provincial nomination volume stays elevated into September, another sub-750 PNP round in the next two to three weeks wouldn't be a surprise.
Where do you stand? CRS Calculator | All Express Entry Draws | How a Provincial Nomination Affects Your CRS Score | PNP Guide
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.