Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has resumed its weekly rhythm of Express Entry selections, issuing 733 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates in a draw held on September 28, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off was 725 points, slightly lower than the last PNP-only round in late August, signalling that provinces are replenishing their nominee inventories after an active summer of targeted selections. The September 28 draw brings the year-to-date total to 57 Express Entry rounds and 129,700 invitations—already surpassing the 2025 total with three full months left in the calendar year. While category-based draws for health care, trades and French-speaking talent dominated headlines earlier in 2026, the PNP remains a crucial pathway for employers trying to fill chronic labour shortages outside Canada’s largest cities. Provincial nominations add 600 CRS points to an applicant’s profile, making selection in a PNP draw the surest route to an ITA. For HR teams, the sustained PNP activity means that candidates who are already living and working in a particular province—often on employer-specific work permits—now have fresh opportunities to secure permanent residence before their current status expires. Employers should review upcoming expiries and, where appropriate, support staff in provincial nominee streams such as Ontario’s Employer Job Offer or British Columbia’s Skilled Worker categories, which have been issuing invitations on a bi-weekly basis. Companies that have historically relied on the Global Talent Stream or the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to access specialised talent are increasingly pairing those temporary pathways with the PNP to provide a long-term retention tool. Given that most provincial nomination certificates are valid for six months, mobility managers should coordinate application timelines carefully to avoid gaps in status. Finally, immigration counsel caution that processing under the PNP is highly document-driven; missing police certificates or out-of-date language tests can derail an otherwise strong application. Businesses are therefore advised to build in two to three weeks for document collection prior to submitting an electronic application for permanent residence (e-APR).
Source: CIC News
