A score of 772 can sound like an impossible bar for anyone hoping to settle in Canada. It is not the bar for everyone, and applicants should understand why before drawing conclusions.
On October 13, 2026, Canada issued 752 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence in an Express Entry round held only for candidates eligible under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score among those invited was 772. The figures come from immigration reporting that cites data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A round for nominees only
This was draw number 448, and it was not open to every candidate in the Express Entry pool. It covered only people eligible through a provincial nomination. That is why 772 should not be treated as a general entry requirement for Canada. Someone without a nomination who scores below 772 has not been shut out. This round simply was not designed for them, and other types of draws exist.
An invitation is also a step, not a finish line. It allows the selected candidate to submit a permanent residence application. That application must still meet the applicable requirements and go through processing, so no one has been granted permanent residence by this draw alone.
How the latest draw compares
August 31, 2026: 562 invitations, CRS cut-off 697
September 14, 2026: 576 invitations, CRS cut-off 734
September 28, 2026: 733 invitations, CRS cut-off 725
October 13, 2026: 752 invitations, CRS cut-off 772
The October 13 cut-off was 47 points higher than the September 28 round, while the number of invitations rose by 19. Across the four rounds, invitations have grown from 562 to 752, but the cut-off has not moved in a straight line. It slipped from 734 to 725 in late September before jumping to 772.
The tie-break rule that matters at 772
When several candidates share the same score at the cut-off, a tie-break rule decides who gets in. Reports say candidates with exactly 772 points needed to have submitted their Express Entry profile before 1:57:33 p.m. UTC on July 15, 2026 to fall within this round. In Nepal, that moment is about 7:42 p.m. on the same day. Anyone who believes they were on the line should check the profile submission date and time on their own account.
What this means for Nepali abroad
The draw matters to Nepalis already living in Canada, Nepali workers weighing permanent residence, and people in Nepal exploring skilled migration.
Here is what the result means in practice, depending on where you stand:
- If a province has already nominated you: check your Express Entry profile and nomination status, and read the official instructions for the round.
- If you are in the Express Entry pool without a nomination: this round does not mean a score below 772 rules you out of other types of draws.
- If you plan to move from Nepal: a provincial nomination is not automatic. You must meet the criteria of the relevant provincial programme as well as federal immigration requirements.
- If you received an invitation: follow the deadline and document requirements written in the invitation itself, not those quoted in news reports or social-media posts.
Background: how the Provincial Nominee Program works
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program lets participating provinces and territories nominate people whose skills and experience match their own regional immigration and labour-market needs. Some of these nominees apply through Express Entry. In a PNP-specific round like this one, only candidates eligible for that stream are considered.
Express Entry itself ranks eligible candidates with the Comprehensive Ranking System, which looks at factors including age, education, language proficiency and work experience. A higher score puts a candidate higher in the ranking. Because of that, a cut-off in one kind of round says little about the score needed in another.
