Express Entry: IRCC Invites 334 Provincial Nominee Candidates

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has held another Express Entry draw for Provincial Nominee Program candidates, issuing 334 invitations to apply for permanent residence.

The May 25 draw was the second Provincial Nominee Program draw in a row. Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 805 to receive an invitation.

They also had to create their Express Entry profile before 6:16 p.m. Universal Coordinated Time on Oct. 16, 2025.

Second draw in May

The latest round was Canada’s 28th Express Entry selection draw of 2026 and only the second draw held in May.

It followed a May 11 Provincial Nominee Program draw, in which IRCC invited 380 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 798.

So far this year, Canada has continued to focus heavily on candidates already connected to the country. Provincial nominees and Canadian Experience Class candidates have received regular invitations through Express Entry.

Provincial nominees remain a key focus

Provincial Nominee Program candidates usually have high CRS scores because a provincial nomination adds 600 points to their Express Entry profile.

This helps explain the high cut-off scores in recent PNP draws. On April 27, the CRS cut-off was 795, with 473 invitations issued. On April 13, IRCC invited 324 candidates with a cut-off score of 786. On March 30, the department issued 356 invitations with a cut-off of 802.

In total, IRCC has held 11 Provincial Nominee Program draws in 2026, making it the most frequent draw type so far this year.

Other Express Entry categories

Canadian Experience Class draws have also been common. IRCC has held eight such draws in 2026, issuing a total of 34,250 invitations.

French-language proficiency draws have taken place five times and have resulted in 26,000 invitations. These draws have had much lower CRS cut-offs, including 400 on April 29, when 4,000 invitations were issued, and 393 on March 18, when another 4,000 candidates were invited.

Other targeted draws have included health care and social services, trades, physicians with Canadian work experience, and senior managers with Canadian work experience.

The health care and social services draw issued 4,000 invitations on Feb. 20 with a CRS cut-off of 467. The trades draw on April 2 issued 3,000 invitations with a cut-off of 477.

A draw for physicians with Canadian work experience took place on Feb. 19 and issued 391 invitations with a cut-off score of 169. A senior managers draw on March 5 invited 250 candidates with a cut-off score of 429.

More than 72,000 invitations issued

IRCC has issued 72,341 Express Entry invitations so far in 2026.

Canadian Experience Class candidates have received the largest share, with 34,250 invitations. French-language candidates follow with 26,000. Provincial Nominee Program candidates have received 4,450 invitations.

The remaining invitations went to health care and social services candidates, trades candidates, physicians with Canadian work experience, and senior managers with Canadian work experience.