In September 2026, IRCC issued 11,288 invitations to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry, across eight rounds. There was room for very different profiles: candidates with Canadian experience, healthcare workers in Canada and abroad, provincial nominees, physicians and senior managers.

The eight rounds of September

This is how the invitations were split:

Canadian Experience Class: three rounds, three drops

The month’s three CEC rounds each invited 2,000 candidates, and the cutoff went down every time: 521 on September 1, 519 on the 15th and 518 on the 29th. It was the pathway with the most invitations in September, 6,000 in total.

For anyone in Canada with at least one year of skilled work experience in the last three years, the reading is concrete. A CRS score close to 520 was enough in all three rounds. Every point added, through a better language result for example, brings a profile closer to that cutoff.

Healthcare: 3,500 spots, including from abroad

The healthcare and social services round on September 4 invited 3,500 candidates with a cutoff of 475, the same as in the June round.

Its value lies in who it reaches. The category requires 12 months of experience in the last three years, in one of the occupations on its list, and that experience can be in Canada or abroad. For nurses, nurse aides and other listed profiles working in Latin America, it is one of the few large Express Entry doors that does not require Canadian work experience.

One day earlier, on September 3, there was a round for physicians with Canadian work experience: 229 invitations with a cutoff of 198.

Provincial nominees: the nomination delivered

The PNP cutoffs were 734 and 725, with the second lower than the first. They look high, but a provincial nomination adds 600 points: they are equivalent to base scores of 134 and 125.

On September 27 there were 728 candidates with more than 600 points in the pool. The next day, the round invited 733. Everything indicates it reached everyone holding a nomination at the time. This is our reading, since the pool can change from one day to the next. For anyone who secures a provincial nomination, September confirmed that this is the step that unlocks the invitation.

Senior managers: a cutoff of 389

The round for senior managers with Canadian work experience invited 250 candidates with a cutoff of 389, one of the lowest of the month. It requires at least 12 months of experience in Canada in the last three years, in one of the category’s four senior management occupations.

The levers that work today

For a candidate with a CRS between 450 and 500, the year has left four pathways with recent rounds:

• Healthcare: if the occupation is on the list and there are 12 months in the last three years, in Canada or abroad. The September cutoff was 475.
• French: the category requires a minimum of 7 in all four abilities on the NCLC, and in 2026 it had the lowest cutoffs among the large rounds, between 382 and 420.
• Provincial nomination: it adds 600 points and, in September, the rounds reached virtually every nominee.
• Canadian experience: with one year of skilled work in Canada, CEC invited with cutoffs between 518 and 521.