Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ran four Express Entry rounds of invitations in five days, closing the week with a healthcare and social services draw on September 4 that issued 3,500 invitations at a cut-off score of 475.
Taken together, the four rounds sent out 6,291 invitations to apply for permanent residence — a busy stretch by any recent standard, and one that touched four different selection streams.
The four rounds
- September 4 — Healthcare and Social Services Occupations: 3,500 invitations, cut-off 475
- September 3 — Physicians with Canadian Work Experience: 229 invitations, cut-off 198
- September 1 — Canadian Experience Class: 2,000 invitations, cut-off 521
- August 31 — Provincial Nominee Program: 562 invitations, cut-off 697
The tie-breaking rule for the September 4 round was May 26, 2026. If more than one candidate sat at 475, the cut-off fell to whoever submitted their profile before that date and time.
Why the scores look so different
The four numbers are not comparable, and it is worth understanding why before reading anything into them.
Provincial Nominee Program rounds always show the highest cut-offs because a provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System score on its own. A 697 in a PNP round is closer to a 97 without the nomination.
Canadian Experience Class rounds draw from candidates with Canadian work experience and no nomination, which is why 521 is a more meaningful figure for anyone assessing their own chances through that route.
Category-based rounds work differently again. The Minister designates a category — health care, trades, transport, French-language proficiency — and IRCC invites the highest-ranking candidates who qualify for it. Because the eligible pool is much smaller, the cut-off can drop well below a general round. The physicians category, at 198, is the clearest example: it is a narrow, dedicated stream with few candidates competing in it.
What it means if you are in the pool
A 475 in a healthcare category round is a score many candidates in the pool can reach, particularly those with Canadian work experience or strong language results. If your occupation falls within the healthcare and social services category, it is worth confirming your profile reflects that work history accurately — category eligibility is assessed on what you have entered.
IRCC publishes the CRS score distribution of the pool alongside each round. The distribution used for the September 4 draw was current as of August 30.
For a fuller explanation of how the Comprehensive Ranking System works and what happens after an invitation, see our guide to Express Entry.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Express Entry rounds of invitations, rounds 438 to 441.
