Between August 4 and 7, 2026, IRCC ran four rounds totalling 8,807 invitations, spread across four different streams. The headline round was 433, a French-Language proficiency draw of 5,000 invitations at CRS 391, but the batch also included a 3,000-invitation Canadian Experience Class round, a Provincial Nominee Program round, and a Transport Occupations category round.
Round 431 opened the batch with 507 PNP invitations at a cut-off of 768, the highest of the four rounds. Round 432 followed with 3,000 CEC invitations at 516, a larger-than-usual CEC round for this period. Round 434 closed the batch with 300 invitations under Transport Occupations at a cut-off of 470.
With four different cut-offs in play, candidates in several different situations can find a relevant reference point in this batch. The CRS calculator and the live draw table are useful for checking exactly where any given score would have landed.
| Round | Date | Category | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #431 | August 4, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 507 | 768 |
| #432 | August 5, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 516 |
| #433 | August 6, 2026 | French-Language proficiency | 5,000 | 391 |
| #434 | August 7, 2026 | Transport Occupations | 300 | 470 |
Each bar is the lowest CRS score invited in that round. Invitation counts differ by orders of magnitude between rounds, so they are given as text rather than as a second axis.
PNP
#431 · 507 ITAs
768
CEC
#432 · 3,000 ITAs
516
French
#433 · 5,000 ITAs
391
Transport
#434 · 300 ITAs
470
600 points is what a provincial nomination adds on its own.
- Provincial nomination
- General programme round
- Category-based selection
A 3,000-invitation CEC round at 516
Round 432 stands out for its volume as much as its cut-off. At 3,000 invitations, this CEC round issued more invitations than most single rounds in this category over recent months, while the cut-off of 516 held close to where CEC has generally sat. A larger round at a stable cut-off suggests the pool of CEC-eligible candidates above that score was deep enough to support the higher volume without pushing the cut-off down further.
Since arranged employment points were removed from the CRS in March 2025, a job offer no longer contributes to a CEC candidate's score, so movements like this one reflect language, education, age and Canadian work experience factors rather than job-offer points entering or leaving the pool.
French-Language proficiency at 391: volume and reach together
Round 433 combined the batch's largest invitation count, 5,000, with a cut-off of 391, well below both the CEC and PNP rounds in the same batch. As a category round, it draws only from candidates who meet the French-language eligibility requirement, so the 391 figure describes competitiveness within that specific pool rather than the pool overall.
A candidate with solid French ability but a CRS that falls short of CEC's typical range should treat this category as a serious option. Confirming eligibility starts with converting language test results to CLB, since the category's requirement is set in CLB terms.
Transport Occupations at 470: a smaller, targeted round
Round 434 closed the batch with 300 invitations at CRS 470 under the Transport Occupations category. This is a more modest volume than the French-language round in the same batch, reflecting a smaller pool of candidates whose occupation qualifies. The cut-off sits between the French-language round and CEC, illustrating that not all category rounds land at the same point in the score distribution; the size and composition of each occupational pool determines where the cut-off falls.
Candidates working in transport-related occupations who are not competitive for CEC or PNP should watch for future rounds in this category specifically, rather than assuming category rounds in general will always reach as low as the French-language round did in this batch.
The 768 PNP cut-off in context
Round 431's cut-off of 768 again reflects the 600-point value of a provincial nomination rather than a general-pool benchmark. Once that bonus is set aside, the underlying score behind this round is in the high 160s, consistent with other PNP rounds this year. Candidates pursuing a provincial nomination should focus on the nomination criteria of the relevant province rather than trying to reach 768 through federal factors alone.
Taken as a whole, this four-round batch illustrates how differently the same week's invitations can be distributed once nomination bonuses and category eligibility are accounted for, from 391 at the low end to 768 at the high end.
What to take from this round
- Round 432 shows CEC issuing 3,000 invitations at CRS 516, a larger-than-usual round at a stable cut-off; check your score against the CRS calculator.
- Round 433's French-language cut-off of 391 on 5,000 invitations is the most accessible figure in this batch for candidates who meet the category's language requirement.
- Round 434's Transport Occupations cut-off of 470 applies only to candidates whose occupation qualifies for that category; do not assume other categories will land at the same score.
- Round 431's PNP cut-off of 768 includes a 600-point nomination bonus and is not a benchmark for candidates without a provincial nomination.
Round numbers, dates, invitation counts and CRS cut-offs are IRCC's own, from their published rounds of invitations. The analysis is general information, not immigration advice, and reading it creates no consultant-client relationship.