A new Express Entry draw was held by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on April 27, 2026, focusing on candidates having a provincial nomination.
In this draw, the IRCC issued 473 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for PR with a minimum score of 795 CRS points, a rise of 9 points compared to the previous draw.
It is the ninth draw of 2026 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and comes after the draw on April 13 when IRCC issued 324 ITAs to candidates with a CRS cut-off of 786.
IRCC increased the number of invitations by 149 from 324 in the previous draw.
Complete Details Of The April 27 Express Entry Draw
The below-given table contains all the official information about this PNP Express Entry draw.
| Draw Detail | Information |
| Program | Provincial Nominee Program |
| Number of Invitations Issued | 473 |
| Date and Time of Round | April 27, 2026 at 10:47:44 UTC |
| CRS Score of Lowest Ranked Candidate | 795 |
| Tie-Breaking Rule | April 13, 2026 at 23:10:05 UTC |
| Rank Required to Be Invited | 473 or above |
The tie-breaking rule implies that only candidates whose CRS score is 795 and who submitted their Express Entry profile by April 13, 2026 at 23:10:05 UTC got invited during this draw.
The cutoff CRS score in the latest draw held on April 27 was 795, meaning that it was 9 points higher compared to the 786 cutoff CRS score in the previous draw on April 13.
CRS cutoff score in PNP draws may be considered high because all PNP nominees automatically get 600 extra points to their CRS score.
If a candidate has 195 CRS base score, he will be able to reach 795 points after becoming a PNP nominee.
Every PNP Express Entry Draw In 2026
Below is the table that provides a list of all PNP draws that have been held in 2026, along with the changes in the CRS cutoff and the number of invitations.
| # | Date | Round type | Invitations issued | CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited |
| 412 | April 27, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 473 | 795 |
| 409 | April 13, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 324 | 786 |
| 406 | March 30, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 356 | 802 |
| 403 | March 16, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 362 | 742 |
| 399 | March 2, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 264 | 710 |
| 395 | February 16, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 279 | 789 |
| 393 | February 3, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 423 | 749 |
| 391 | January 20, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 681 | 746 |
| 389 | January 5, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 574 | 711 |
The CRS cutoff has varied between 710 and 802 in 9 PNP draws held this year.
The number of invitations grew from 324 to 473 in the most recent draw, signaling the turning point.
CRS Score Distribution In The Express Entry Pool
There were 234,452 candidates in the Express Entry pool as of April 26, 2026, a day before this draw.
Below is the full distribution table for the CRS scores in all bands within the Express Entry pool.
| CRS score range | Number of candidates |
|---|---|
| 601-1200 | 472 |
| 501-600 | 13,860 |
| 451-500 | 73,659 |
| 491-500 | 13,209 |
| 481-490 | 12,815 |
| 471-480 | 16,487 |
| 461-470 | 15,973 |
| 451-460 | 15,175 |
| 401-450 | 66,515 |
| 441-450 | 14,305 |
| 431-440 | 14,456 |
| 421-430 | 12,613 |
| 411-420 | 12,956 |
| 401-410 | 12,185 |
| 351-400 | 52,874 |
| 301-350 | 18,733 |
| 0-300 | 8,339 |
| Total | 234,452 |
The highest number of candidates is in the 451-500 CRS band, as there are 73,659 of them.
In total, only 472 candidates have more than 601 CRS points, which are the points after the 600 point bonus that many PNPs give to their candidates.
The low number of candidates in this band explains why there have been fewer draws among provincial nominees than at the beginning of the year.
How PNP Draws Fit In The 2026 Express Entry Landscape
There are several kinds of Express Entry draws made by IRCC to ensure that applicants from various programs and categories can be selected to immigrate to Canada.
CEC draws have shown the CRS cutoff scores between 507 and 515 throughout 2026, with the latest CEC draw held on April 14 achieving 515.
Draws for French language skills have provided the lowest CRS scores among all categories; the latest French draw held on March 18 achieved only 393.
Since the beginning of 2026, IRCC has sent out invitations to more than 65,000 people through 23 draws, making it likely that it will surpass its previous record of sending 114,000 invites in 2025.
Under the Immigration Levels Plan for 2026 to 2028, the PNP admissions target in 2026 is set at 91,500, a 66% growth compared to the 55,000 admissions in 2025.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege-Diab also announced the start of public consultations regarding the new Express Entry reforms.
In particular, the government plans to introduce changes to the program, including the unification of all three Express Entry programs into one and updating the CRS scoring system.
What Invited Candidates Should Do Next
For those candidates who receive an invitation to apply in this draw, there is only one opportunity to make a submission for permanent residency within 60 days of receiving this notice.
No exceptions can be made under any circumstances regarding this deadline.
The entire application package should also contain all supporting documentation, including test scores for English or French proficiency, an assessment of your educational qualifications, police clearance documents, and medical exams.
Provincial nominations usually expire within six to 12 months.
Candidates need to confirm whether their provincial nomination still holds validity prior to sending their permanent residence application to IRCC.
If the applicant does not submit their application within 60 days, their application will be withdrawn and their profile will be re-entered into the Express Entry pool.
What Candidates Without A Nomination Can Do
For those who are in the pool for Express Entry and do not have a nomination at present, the best way to improve their chances is through getting nominated through a Provincial Nominee Program.
Through the provincial nomination, you gain additional 600 CRS points, which makes your entry practically certain in the next PNP draw.
It would be a good idea to increase your language proficiency score, since each additional CLB level grants 80 CRS points.
Knowing French will allow you to participate in the French language proficiency draws for Express Entry, with CRS cuts as low as 393 in 2026.