Canada has conducted a new Express Entry draw targeting the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), issuing 534 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) on July 6, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 708 — a drop of 22 points from the previous PNP-specific round on June 22, which issued 955 ITAs at a cutoff of 730.
The most recent Express Entry draw of any kind before July 6 was a Healthcare and Social Services Occupations round held on June 25, which issued 4,000 ITAs at a minimum CRS score of 475. The July 6 round is the first Express Entry draw of July 2026 and the 13th PNP-specific round of the year.
How PNP-Specific Draws Reach Lower Base Scores
Provincial Nominee Program rounds invite only candidates in the Express Entry pool who already hold a provincial or territorial nomination. A nomination is worth an additional 600 CRS points, which is why PNP cutoffs sit far above general or category-based rounds — the 708 figure reflects those 600 nomination points stacked on top of a candidate’s core human-capital score. In practice, a candidate invited in this round could have a base CRS score close to 108 before the nomination bonus was applied.
The 22-point decline from the June 22 cutoff of 730, paired with a smaller round size (534 versus 955), suggests IRCC drew from a more targeted group of nominated candidates this time. Cutoffs in PNP rounds move with the mix of nominations flowing in from the provinces rather than with broad competition across the pool.
Express Entry Draws So Far in 2026
With the July 6 round, Canada has now conducted the following Express Entry draws in 2026:
- 13 Provincial Nominee Program draws
- 10 Canadian Experience Class draws
- 6 French-language proficiency draws
- 2 Healthcare and Social Services occupation draws
- 2 Physicians (Canadian work experience) draws
- 1 Senior Managers (Canadian work experience) draw
- 1 Trades occupation draw
IRCC has issued more than 89,600 ITAs across 35 rounds so far in 2026.
By comparison, Canada conducted the following Express Entry draws in 2025:
- 24 Provincial Nominee Program draws
- 14 Canadian Experience Class draws
- Eight French-language proficiency draws
- Seven Healthcare and Social Services occupation draws
- Two Education occupation draws
- One Trades occupation draw
Tie-Breaking Rule and Round Number
The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 4, 2026 at 14:49:51 UTC. If more than one candidate held the minimum CRS score of 708, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before that date and time received invitations.
This was the 35th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2026 and the 423rd overall since the system launched in January 2015. Candidates who received an ITA have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence, which is typically processed within the six-month service standard.
Where the Express Entry Pool Stands
According to IRCC’s pool snapshot as of July 5, 2026, there were 235,127 candidates in the Express Entry pool. The largest concentration sat in the 451–500 CRS band with 73,691 candidates, followed by 65,818 in the 401–450 band — meaning almost 60% of all profiles fall between 401 and 500 points. Because PNP rounds invite only nominated candidates, the size of the general pool has little direct bearing on the PNP cutoff.
What Should Candidates Do Next?
If you are already in the Express Entry pool, a provincial nomination remains the single most powerful way to secure an invitation — its 600 points effectively move a candidate to the front of the line regardless of base score, which is how PNP rounds reach candidates who would not be competitive in general draws. Candidates without a nomination should focus on the highest-leverage CRS gains: a stronger language test result, additional Canadian work experience, or pursuing a provincial nomination.
The clearest way to understand where you stand is to calculate your CRS score with our free Express Entry CRS calculator and compare it against recent cutoffs. Knowing your exact score is the first step to identifying which programs and categories you are competitive for.
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