Express Entry Draw 363: 249 PNP Candidates Invited on September 2 2025

Key Takeaways From Express Entry Draw 363 on September 2, 2025

• Type of draw: Provincial Nominee Program
• Invitations issued: 249
• CRS score: 772
• Tie-breaking rule: August 28, 2025 at 19:19:18 UTC
• Prediction for the next draw: Canadian Experience Class draw on September 4, 2025

How Does This Latest Draw Stack Up Against Other PNP-Only Draws This Year?

Today’s draw is the largest PNP draw we’ve seen since July 7, and it looks like essentially all of the PNP candidates in the pool would have received an invitation to apply for permanent residence. However, it’s still small — and PNP draws are likely to remain that way, since it seems possible that the PNP allocations will remain lowered in 2026 compared to previous recent years.

Trends in CRS in Canada’s PNP Draws

Since many of the PNP draws are starting to look and feel the same (low numbers, high scores, consistent bi-weekly schedule), I wanted to dig a little into the trends in CRS in 2025. Learn more about the bigger picture in PNP draws in Rebecca’s earlier coverage.

So, why are the CRS cut-offs trending so high in this year’s PNP draws?

While we have mostly been discussing high competition in the Canadian Experience Class and category-based draws this year, the reality is that there is likely more competition to receive an invitation for Canada’s provincial nominee programs too — at the provincial level that is.

In 2024, the lowest CRS cut-off we saw for a PNP round was 663. This year, we saw one round with a cut off of 667 in March. But others have all been 700+.

With higher competition for the coveted provincial nominations, it’s possible (likely even) that those attracting the invitations have, on average, higher CRS scores. Many candidates who are receiving invitations in PEI and Manitoba, for example, studied in Canada or have a sibling in Canada. While healthcare workers (who often require post-secondary schooling) are also receiving higher volumes of PNP invitations. This means that provincial nominee recipients in 2025 may have attained higher education than we saw in PNP recipients in past years.

That said, if you have a provincial nomination (worth 600 points), and the cut-off is 772 – like in today’s draw — the lowest ranking candidate possibly had a CRS score as low as 172 without the nomination. This wouldn’t be a competitive CRS score without the additional points that come with the provincial nomination.

Is the PNP Still a Smart Pathway to Permanent Residence in 2025?

The PNP route may still remain a smart and strategic pathway to permanent residence in 2025,  but whether it’s the right choice for you depends heavily on your individual profile. Unlike past years, PNPs are now for the few, not for the many.

Competition to secure a provincial nomination has become increasingly steep. Provinces have limited nomination allocations, and many have stricter selection criteria, prioritizing candidates with specific work experience, in-demand occupations, strong language skills, or existing ties to the province.

This means that even highly qualified candidates may find themselves ineligible for certain provincial streams or facing long waits in expression of interest (EOI) pools.

In short, while a provincial nomination can be a powerful tool for boosting your CRS score and securing an ITA, it’s important to understand the individual requirements of each province, stay alert to program openings, especially as provinces continue to refine their immigration priorities throughout 2025.

How Does The Provincial Nominee Program Work in 2025 Under Express Entry?

If you’re not familiar with Canada’s Express Entry system, it’s an application management system used to manage economic immigrants to Canada. The benefits of the Express Entry system are that it offers streamlined application timelines for people who are ranked highly and invited to apply for permanent residence. After you receive an invitation and submit your application, it usually takes IRCC around 6 months to make a decision.

• Keen to learn more about Express Entry? Check out our dedicated Express Entry page.

With that in mind, the Provincial Nominee Program is a program that’s offered at the provincial level but then managed and approved at the federal level. Some PNPs require you to be eligible for Express Entry, so they can be inter-related, but there are also PNPs that allow you to immigrate even if you don’t qualify for Express Entry.

Learn more about Canada’s PNPs via our PNP Tracker, which comes with a range of tools, including a stream finder.