Third Express Entry Draw Of February Issued 279 PR Invitations

The third Express Entry Draw of February issued 279 PR invitations while Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) maintained its selection process through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) selection method. The 16 February 2026 round invited candidates who already held a provincial nomination because it marked the second consecutive round of the selection process. The draw shows more competition between nominated candidates because the CRS cut-off for this round exceeds the cut-off from the previous February rounds while provinces continue to match their immigration goals with federal requirements.

Highlights of the Third Express Entry Draw Of February

● Draw Date – 16 February 2026
● Program – Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
● Number of Invitations – 279
● CRS Score – 789

The Third Express Entry Draw Of February issued 279 PR Invitations because the CRS cut-off for this draw increased by 40 points when compared to the previous PNP draw which occurred earlier in the month because of the smaller invitation size and high competition between nominees.

The Draw Detailed Overview

The draw functioned to select candidates who had already obtained provincial nominations through Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Programs from Canadian provinces and territories. The final CRS requirement of 789 exists because the base scores of candidates plus nomination boosts from provincial nominations increase their total CRS points by 600.

The IRCC selected fewer candidates through their current draw which allowed 279 invitations because they wanted to manage provincial admissions together with their planned program-specific and category-based draws which they would conduct throughout the year.

CRS Score Distribution in the Express Entry Pool

Latest Express Entry Draws in February 2026