Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has held another Express Entry draw targeted at healthcare and social services professionals — marking a major selection round aimed at addressing ongoing labour shortages in Canada’s health sector.
In this category-based round, IRCC issued 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence to eligible candidates whose work experience falls under healthcare and social services occupations.
📊 Key Details of the Healthcare-Focused Express Entry Draw
Here’s a snapshot of the most recent results:
- 🗓 Draw date: February 20, 2026
- 🎯 Category: Healthcare and social services
- 🧾 Invitations issued: 4,000 ITAs
- 📈 Minimum CRS cut-off score: 467
- ⏰ Tie-breaker rule: Candidates must have submitted their Express Entry profile before 6:22 p.m. (UTC) on December 9, 2025 to be eligible.
This healthcare-specific selection is one of several category-based draws conducted in 2026 — part of IRCC’s strategy to align permanent residence invitations with Canada’s labour market needs.
🩺 What “Category-Based Draw” Means
In 2025 and 2026, IRCC has increasingly used category-based selection under Express Entry to target candidates in specific fields where Canada faces acute labour shortages — such as healthcare, French-language proficiency, and other priority areas. These draws don’t operate like standard all-program rounds; instead, they focus on candidates with experience in a defined occupation group, which can result in lower CRS cut-offs compared with general draws.
For healthcare draws specifically, eligible occupations may include registered nurses, nurse practitioners, medical technologists, and other workers in healthcare and social assistance services.
📌 Why This Draw Matters
✅ Addressing Labour Shortages
Canada continues to experience significant worker gaps in healthcare — especially in nursing, allied health, and support roles — and category-based selection helps attract skilled professionals into the system more efficiently.
✅ More Opportunities for Healthcare Workers
The 4,000 ITAs issued represent one of the largest healthcare-focused draws under Express Entry so far, creating substantial opportunity for foreign-trained and Canadian-experienced healthcare professionals to fast-track their pathway to permanent residence.
✅ Lower Threshold for Eligible Candidates
With a CRS cut-off of 467, many mid-range scoring candidates who might not qualify in standard draws still received invitations, thanks to their experience in high-demand healthcare occupations.
📍 How Candidates Become Eligible
To be invited in this targeted draw, candidates needed to:
✔ Be in the Express Entry pool with an active profile.
✔ Have work experience that matches one of the healthcare and social services occupations designated for this category.
✔ Meet any other eligibility criteria for the category and the Express Entry programs managed by IRCC.
If selected, candidates have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence — including supporting documents such as language test results, educational credentials, and work experience evidence.
📊 Recent Express Entry Draw Activity (2026)
Express Entry has been active through early 2026, with multiple draws across different categories:
| Draw Date | Draw Type | CRS Cut-Off | ITAs Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2026 | Healthcare & social services | 467 | 4,000 |
| Feb 19, 2026 | Physicians with Canadian work experience | 169 | 391 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 508 | 6,000 |
| Feb 16, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 789 | 279 |
| Feb 6, 2026 | French-language proficiency | 400 | 8,500 |
These draws reflect Canada’s ongoing trend of tailoring Express Entry selections to target both in-country experience and sector-specific labour needs.
🧠 Final Thoughts
This latest Express Entry draw focused on healthcare professionals highlights Canada’s commitment to selecting immigrants whose skills align with pressing economic needs. With thousands of ITAs issued and a competitive yet accessible CRS threshold, 2026 continues to offer strong opportunities for skilled healthcare workers aiming for Canadian permanent residence.
