Express Entry Draws September 2026: CEC 518, PNP 725

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 2,733 Express Entry invitations across two rounds on September 28 and 29, 2026. The September 28 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) round invited 733 candidates at a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff of 725; the September 29 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) round invited 2,000 candidates at CRS 518 (IRCC’s official round results). The same IRCC site reports 229,904 profiles in the overall Express Entry pool as of September 27, a snapshot taken before these invitations rather than a live count of candidates still waiting afterward (IRCC’s rounds and pool page).

The headline is encouraging for some CEC candidates, but it is not a prediction that the next cutoff will fall. PNP and CEC are different program-specific selections, so their CRS thresholds should not be read as comparable measures of the same competition (IRCC’s explanation of round types).

Express Entry draws on September 28 and 29 at a glance

IRCC’s September 29 latest-round record gives the CEC round time as 10:19:21 UTC and the tie-breaking timestamp as February 13, 2026, at 20:48:08 UTC (IRCC’s latest-round details). For candidates at the lowest invited score of 518, the tie-break uses the time their Express Entry profiles were submitted; a candidate’s score alone does not establish that an invitation was issued (IRCC’s tie-breaking explanation). Check the actual invitation message in the IRCC account rather than inferring an invitation from a published cutoff (IRCC’s application instructions).

Is the CEC cutoff falling?

The September 29 CEC cutoff of 518 is one point below the September 15 CEC cutoff of 519 and three points below the September 1 cutoff of 521. Each of those rounds issued 2,000 invitations, according to IRCC’s round-by-round results. Those are observations about three completed rounds, not a forecast: IRCC chooses the round type and number of invitations before selecting the highest-ranked eligible candidates, while profiles can enter or leave the pool between rounds (IRCC’s explanation of selection and pool changes).

For historical context, read VG Immigration’s September 15 CEC draw analysis. A person at CRS 517 has not reached the September 29 CEC cutoff, while a person at 518 must also consider the tie-break and CEC eligibility; neither position guarantees a future invitation (IRCC’s latest-round details).

Why the PNP score of 725 does not mean CEC candidates need 725

The September 28 PNP round considered eligible provincial nominees, not all CEC candidates. Under IRCC’s Express Entry nomination process, an eligible nomination confirmed by the province or territory and accepted by the candidate adds 600 CRS points, subject to the system’s maximum for additional points (IRCC’s nomination instructions). The PNP cutoff of 725 therefore sits in a ranking shaped by the nomination bonus; it is not a new general Express Entry eligibility score or a threshold CEC candidates need to match (IRCC’s PNP round results; IRCC’s nomination instructions).

The previous PNP round on September 14 invited 576 candidates at CRS 734, so the September 28 round was larger and had a nine-point lower cutoff (IRCC’s round-by-round results). That difference cannot, on its own, establish that a province has relaxed its nomination criteria: a PNP-specific Express Entry round selects from candidates already eligible for that federal program, while provincial nomination is a separate step (IRCC’s description of round types; IRCC’s nomination process). VG Immigration’s September 14 PNP draw analysis provides the earlier-round context.

What the September 27 Express Entry pool data actually shows

The latest official snapshot lists 229,904 candidates in the entire Express Entry pool on September 27, 2026. It reports 728 candidates at CRS 601–1,200; 21,070 at 501–600; 73,131 at 451–500; 62,611 at 401–450; 47,298 at 351–400; 17,359 at 301–350; and 7,707 at 0–300 (IRCC’s CRS pool distribution). The sub-bands within 451–500 and 401–450 are breakdowns of those broader bands, not additional candidates to add to the total (IRCC’s table note).

Adding the two bands above 500 gives 21,798 profiles, or about 9.5% of the September 27 pool, while 73,131 profiles, about 31.8%, were in the 451–500 band; these percentages are calculated from IRCC’s September 27 figures. But the 501–600 band does not isolate how many people were at 518 or above, and the table does not say which people qualify for CEC, hold accepted nominations or meet a category’s requirements (IRCC’s pool table and round-type explanation). It would be misleading to divide 2,000 invitations by 21,798 profiles and present the result as a CEC candidate’s chance of selection.

This is also a pre-draw snapshot, not proof that 2,733 profiles were simply removed from a static pool. IRCC warns that pool counts change when new profiles arrive and others expire, and different round types select only their eligible candidates (IRCC’s pool methodology and round-type explanation).

What should a CEC candidate do now?

The CEC is for candidates with qualifying Canadian skilled work experience, not everyone who has worked in Canada. IRCC requires at least one year or 1,560 hours of paid, authorized Canadian work in the three years before applying, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, with duties matching the claimed NOC; work during full-time study, unpaid work and most self-employment do not count, although IRCC identifies an exception for some physicians (IRCC’s CEC eligibility page). The CEC minimum language level is CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3, while meeting that minimum does not itself confer the CRS points needed for a particular invitation round (IRCC’s program comparison; IRCC’s ranking explanation).

Candidates close to the cutoff should review their current CRS calculation, approved language-test results, education and any valid educational credential assessment, Canadian work history, NOC duties, and profile accuracy before assuming a future invitation. These are factors reflected in IRCC’s CRS calculator, and IRCC assesses the accuracy of profile information at the permanent-residence application stage (IRCC’s category-selection process). A candidate considering a provincial pathway should check the specific province’s requirements: a notification of interest is not a nomination, and the 600 points follow confirmation and acceptance of an eligible nomination (IRCC’s PNP nomination process).

Category-based rounds can create another route for people who actually meet a category’s criteria, but a lower category cutoff is not available to every profile. IRCC first identifies candidates eligible for that category within the Express Entry pool and then ranks those eligible profiles; program eligibility and the applicable category conditions both matter (IRCC’s category-based selection rules). Do not claim a category, occupation or language result without the evidence to support it.

If you received an invitation

Open the invitation in your IRCC account and confirm the program named in the message. An Express Entry invitation is valid for 60 days, during which the candidate must submit the online permanent-residence application and supporting documents; an invitation is not a permanent-residence approval (IRCC’s application instructions). IRCC generates a personalized document checklist after the form is completed and asks candidates to substantiate the information used in their profiles (IRCC’s document instructions).

For CEC applicants, that means reconciling claimed dates, hours, authorization, pay, NOC duties and language results with the evidence before filing; for PNP applicants, it also means checking that the nomination remains valid and matches the federal application (IRCC’s CEC eligibility rules; IRCC’s PNP nomination instructions). If an invitation is allowed to expire without an application or a formal decline, IRCC says the profile is removed from the pool and a new eligible profile is needed for future rounds (IRCC’s application instructions).

Frequently asked questions

What was the September 29, 2026 Express Entry CRS cutoff?

It was 518 in a CEC-specific round that issued 2,000 invitations, not a general-round cutoff for every candidate in the pool (IRCC’s latest-round record). Candidates at the cutoff also need to account for IRCC’s February 13, 2026, 20:48:08 UTC tie-breaking timestamp (IRCC’s latest-round record).

What was the September 28 PNP draw result?

IRCC’s round #445 issued 733 invitations to PNP candidates at CRS 725 (IRCC’s round results). That PNP score includes the effect of the accepted-nomination bonus for eligible nominees and should not be compared directly with the CEC score (IRCC’s nomination rules).

Does a score of 518 guarantee an invitation?

No. The September 29 result applied to the CEC round and used a tie-break for profiles at the lowest invited score, while actual invitations appear in individual IRCC accounts (IRCC’s round details; IRCC’s application instructions). The result of one round does not guarantee an invitation in a later round (IRCC’s explanation of how rounds work).

How many Express Entry candidates were in the pool?

IRCC reported 229,904 profiles as of September 27, 2026, before the September 28–29 rounds (IRCC’s pool table). That is an all-program snapshot, not the number of CEC-eligible candidates at CRS 518 or above (IRCC’s pool table and round-type explanation).

How long does an invited candidate have to apply?

An Express Entry invitation is valid for 60 days. IRCC says candidates should start the application promptly because they must upload the required evidence before the invitation expires (IRCC’s application instructions).

Need an evidence-based review of your CEC eligibility, CRS profile, nomination or post-invitation documents? Book a Consultation with VG Immigration Services. A consultation can assess your facts and options; no particular draw result or approval can be guaranteed.

VG Immigration Services Inc. | Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308 | vgis.ca