Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has successfully completed a fresh round of selection, having invited 511 PR candidates during the July 20 Express Entry draw. This selection round was solely reserved for PNP endorsed candidates, and had set a minimum CRS threshold score of 744. As IRCC proceeds with its routine rounds of selection programs through the year’s latter part, candidates possessing a provincial nomination keep enjoying expedited processing for their Canadian PR.
Highlights of July 20 Express Entry Draw
- Draw Date – July 20, 2026
- Draw Type – Provincial Nominee Program
- Total Invitations Issued – 511
- Minimum CRS Score Required – 744
IRCC Grants 511 Permanent Residence Invites in PNP Draw
IRCC extended 511 invites to apply for permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program draw that took place on July 20, 2026. The CRS cut-off score for this round of selections is set at 744 points due to the competitiveness of the applicants who have received enhanced provincial nominations.
This is the 427th round of selections under the Express Entry application management system. It comes after a series of draws that took place earlier this month including general Canadian Experience Class draws, French-language targeted draws, and senior management draws.
Understanding the CRS Cutoff Score of 744 Points
The CRS score for the current PNP draw stands at 744 points. Although 744 seems like an extremely high score upon first consideration, we must not forget how the points are added in the case of a provincial nomination. Any candidate getting nominated by one of the provinces or territories in Canada is awarded 600 additional CRS points.
The calculation of the minimum score of 744 points minus 600 points gives us the score of 144 points for the lowest-ranked candidate, which indicates his human capital base score including age, education, language proficiency and work experience.
In comparison to the last round of the PNP draw, held on July 6, 2026, where 534 candidates were invited at the cutoff of 708 points, the score for the current round increased by 36 points. It happened due to the reduced number of invitations in the current round – 511 instead of 534.
PNP Draw Comparison: July 6 vs July 20
Throughout the month of July 2026, IRCC has kept its regular emphasis on the PNPs. The following table explains how the two draws that took place this month differ in terms of their numbers and scores.
| Metric | July 6, 2026 PNP | July 20, 2026 PNP |
|---|---|---|
| Invitations Issued | 534 | 511 |
| CRS Cutoff Score | 708 | 744 |
| CRS Change | — | +36 points |
| Candidates in 601–1200 | 525 (July 5 pool) | 511 (July 19 pool) |
| Total Pool Size | 235,127 | 231,533 |
What Provincial Candidates Need To Do Now
If you have a valid Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination that has received 744 points or more before May 26, 2026, please log in to your account on the official website and download your Invitations to Apply (ITAs). After downloading the ITAs, applicants must apply for permanent residency within 60 days along with all other required documents and police clearance certificates.
If you belong to the Express Entry pool without having a provincial nomination yet –
- Provincial Stream Research – It is the only way for you to be selected by aligning yourself with some of the active provincial programs (Ontario, BC, Alberta, or Manitoba).
- Human Capital Assessment – Getting your language scores maximized or doing credential evaluations is always a good choice.