Canadian Immigration Weekly Update
This week's update covers the latest Express Entry draws, Ontario's still-quiet Workforce Priority Stream, a proof-of-citizenship backlog that keeps getting worse, a softer August jobs report, and where federal policy on economic immigration may be headed for 2027.
Express Entry Draw Roundup
• September 1 — Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 2,000 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 521. Candidates needed an Express Entry profile created before 5:28 p.m. UTC on June 16, 2026.
• September 3 — Physicians with Canadian work experience: 229 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 198.
• September 4 — Healthcare and Social Services Occupations: 3,500 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 475, the largest round since August 19.
These three rounds brought IRCC to 53 Express Entry draws in 2026 and 126,156 invitations issued for the year as of September 4. As Steven Meurrens has noted, category-based selection has increasingly displaced general, points-only draws this year, so the “current” CRS score really depends on which category or program a candidate qualifies under. The gap between a 198 cut-off for physicians and a 521 cut-off for CEC the same week is a good illustration of that split system in action.
PNP Updates
• August 31 — a Provincial Nominee Program-aligned Express Entry draw issued 562 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 697, reflecting the automatic 600-point boost a provincial nomination adds.
• September 4 — Newfoundland and Labrador issued 97 ITAs, all under the NLPNP with no Atlantic Immigration Program selections, its smallest round since July.
• Ontario's Workforce Priority Stream remains in Expression of Interest-only mode. The EOI portal reopened August 4 with roughly 14,119 nomination spaces available for 2026, but the Ministry has still not issued a single invitation, and it has not announced when the next phase of the broader OINP redesign will be released.
Business & Economic Immigration News
Federal consultations on the 2027 Express Entry categories closed on September 1. IRCC sought input on future selection priorities, including whether to build dedicated pathways for H-1B visa holders, artificial intelligence workers, and researchers. Coming on top of a 50 percent cut to federal business immigration admissions under the current Levels Plan, this points to Ottawa leaning further into narrow, occupation-specific selection rather than broad-based investor or entrepreneur streams.
Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey also landed this week: the economy shed 42,000 jobs in August, against expectations of a 15,000-job gain, though the unemployment rate held at 6.4 percent. RBC's Claire Fan pointed to an aging population and a slower pace of immigration as structural drags on job growth, even as employers in specific sectors continue to report shortages. For business clients, that mixed signal is exactly why occupation- and sector-specific pathways, rather than general economic streams, are likely to keep defining opportunity going forward.
Ministerial & Policy Watch
No major new announcement came from Minister Lena Diab's office this week, but the direction set out in the 2026-2028 Levels Plan continues to play out in real time: a much larger Provincial Nominee Program allocation, a leaner federal Express Entry target of 109,000, and federal business admissions held to roughly 500 for the year. The open question heading into the 2027 categories decision is whether the Minister will formalize new, more targeted Express Entry categories or stay the course with the existing nine.
A Growing Concern: Proof of Citizenship Processing
IRCC's published processing time for a citizenship certificate (proof of Canadian citizenship) jumped to approximately 33 months as of September 3, up from about 25 months a month earlier — the largest single-month increase since Bill C-3 expanded citizenship-by-descent eligibility on December 15, 2025. The queue has grown to roughly 136,000 applications, up about 14,200 in under a month. IRCC has not published an explanation, though a certificate review completed June 30 that pulled officer time toward examining previously issued certificates appears to have compounded the backlog.
Week Ahead Outlook
• The next Express Entry draw is expected around September 15, following IRCC's roughly two-week, Wednesday cadence.
• Watch for Ontario's first Workforce Priority Stream invitation round — it could come with no advance notice.
• Statistics Canada's September Labour Force Survey (released in early October) will show whether August's job losses were a one-month blip or the start of a trend.
Immigration Tip of the Week
If you or a client are relying on a Canadian citizenship certificate for travel, work, study, or a passport renewal, plan for the current 33-month processing estimate rather than the timelines quoted even a few months ago. IRCC's urgent processing criteria are narrow, so where a certificate isn't strictly required, alternative proof of status should be considered as a bridge while the application is in queue.
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration policies and procedures can change; please contact Elgin Immigration at info@elginimmigration.com for advice specific to your situation.
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