Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held Express Entry Round 448 on 13 October, inviting 752 candidates who already hold a provincial nomination to apply for permanent residence. Because a nomination confers an automatic 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, the minimum cut-off landed at a lofty 772. A tie-break applied to profiles submitted before 15 July 2026 at 13:57:33 UTC. The numbers align with IRCC’s recent pattern of alternating modest PNP-only draws with larger category-based or Canadian Experience Class rounds. The previous PNP invitation on 23 September issued 761 ITAs with a 754 cut-off, indicating Ottawa is holding volume relatively steady while minor score fluctuations reflect pool composition. For employers and provincial governments, the draw confirms that nomination certificates remain a powerful tool to secure PR for in-demand workers. In the year to date, PNP-only rounds have accounted for 14 percent of Express Entry invitations despite representing less than 2 percent of the candidate pool. Candidates without a nomination continue to face uncertain timelines as overall intake targets stabilise under the 2026–28 Immigration Levels Plan. IRCC has also promised a review of category-based selection results by year-end. Observers anticipate provinces will lobby for a larger PNP share, arguing it allows them to match immigrants to local labour needs. Meanwhile, clients with CRS scores under 520 increasingly look to provincial streams as the surest route to an ITA. With back-to-back ministerial speeches stressing “targeted” immigration, the steady cadence of PNP-only draws suggests these rounds will remain a fixture, reinforcing the importance of keeping provincial profiles active and up-to-date.
Source: IRCC.com
