Provincial Nominee Program Update — August 27, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
On August 4, IRCC held a PNP-specific Express Entry draw inviting 507 candidates with a CRS cutoff of 768 (reflecting the 600-point nomination bonus); a second PNP draw on August 17 invited 442 candidates at a cutoff of 760.
On August 7, IRCC held the first-ever draw under the rebuilt Transport Occupations category, issuing 300 invitations at a CRS cutoff of 470 — the highest Transport draw cutoff on record — limited to four NOC codes.
Ontario opened its new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream expression of interest (EOI) portal on August 4, 2026, covering job offers in all NOC TEER categories and self-employed physicians.
What You Should Do
- If you hold a provincial nomination, log into your Express Entry profile at canada.ca/express-entry and confirm your CRS score reflects the 600-point nomination bonus. Recent PNP draw cutoffs are 760–768, so ensure your profile is up to date before the next draw (draws occur approximately every two weeks).
- If you work in a Transport occupation, check whether your NOC code is among the four eligible for the Transport Occupations category draw. Visit canada.ca/express-entry to review eligible NOC codes. The August 7 draw cut off at CRS 470 with a profile submission deadline of October 11, 2025 — ensure your profile is active for future rounds.
- If you are interested in Ontario's new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, visit ontario.ca/page/ontario-immigrant-nominee-program and review the eligibility criteria. The EOI portal opened August 4, 2026 — submit an expression of interest as soon as possible to be considered in early selection rounds.
- Use the free CRS score calculator at itciland.com/en/draws or canadavisa.com to compare your score against the latest draw cutoffs and sign up for draw alerts to be notified on every draw day.
Sources
Topics Covered
PNP Express Entry Draw Trends: Two PNP-specific Express Entry draws were held in August 2026 (August 4 and August 17), inviting 507 and 442 candidates respectively, with cutoffs of 768 and 760. By August 4, IRCC had held 15 PNP-specific draws in 2026, issuing 6,957 invitations total.
Category-Based Selection System: The Transport Occupations category returned with its first draw under a rebuilt, narrower framework on August 7, 2026, issuing 300 invitations at a record-high cutoff of 470 CRS, restricted to four NOC codes. A French Language Proficiency draw on August 19 issued 5,000 invitations at a cutoff of 382.
PNP Federal-Provincial Authority Transfer: Ontario launched a new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream on June 26, 2026, opened its EOI portal on August 4, 2026, and updated its program webpages to reflect new eligibility criteria covering all NOC TEER categories and self-employed physicians.
More Provincial Nominee Program Updates
Provincial Nominee Program Update — August 31, 2026
Aug 31, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — August 24, 2026
Aug 24, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — August 17, 2026
Aug 17, 2026
Get immigration updates in your inbox
Weekly analysis. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.