Express Entry Healthcare Draws 2026: The Complete H1 Breakdown (CRS 169 to 475)

Last Updated: July 2026 By Amir Ismail, RCIC #R412319

Key Takeaways

Canada ran four healthcare-targeted Express Entry draws between February and June 2026, issuing 8,662 ITAs across two separate categories.
The Physicians category hit a record-low CRS of 169 in February, then rose to 223 by June as the pool refilled.
The general Healthcare and Social Services category climbed from 467 to 475 over the same period. Overseas candidates without Canadian experience are feeling the squeeze.
The four-month pause between draws was not random. It reflected a genuinely small physician pool and a policy shift that removed job offer points.
Ontario’s provincial overhaul, especially the new Self-Employed Physicians pathway, moved in lockstep with the federal draws, often within a day of each other.

What Happened in Canada’s 2026 Healthcare Express Entry Draws

Canada ran four healthcare-targeted Express Entry draws between February and June 2026, split across two categories: the broad Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category, and the brand new Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category. Together, these draws issued 8,662 Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoffs ranged from a record low of 169 points to a high of 475.

If you are a doctor, nurse, or allied health worker watching these numbers, the gap between those two scores is the whole story. IRCC did not simply run more healthcare draws in 2026. It ran two back to back in February, went quiet for four months, then repeated the pattern in June, with different results the second time around.

This article walks through all four draws in order: the February blitz, the spring pause, and the June resurgence. Then it connects the dots to Ontario’s provincial overhaul, because the two levels of government were not moving independently. By the end, you will know exactly where your profile stands and what to expect in the second half of the year.

Every major healthcare move IRCC made had a mirror image on the provincial side, often within a day or two. That is not a coincidence, and we get into why later in this piece.

Why the February Blitz Sent CRS Scores to a Record Low

Between February 16 and 20, 2026, IRCC ran a rapid sequence of draws to clear separate applicant pools before they could compete against each other. Two of those draws targeted healthcare, and one of them produced the lowest CRS cutoff in Express Entry history.

What Caused the CRS 169 Physician Draw?

On February 19, 2026, IRCC issued 391 ITAs to physicians with Canadian work experience at a CRS cutoff of just 169. A key regulatory change caused this: IRCC confirmed that fee-for-service arrangements, the standard billing model for most Canadian physicians, now count as valid employee work experience.

Before this change, fee-for-service was classified as self-employment, which made most practicing doctors ineligible for the Canadian Experience Class. Removing that barrier opened up a small but previously invisible pool of foreign-trained physicians.

Because the eligible pool was so small (limited to NOC 31100, 31101, and 31102, with 12 months of Canadian experience), IRCC could set the cutoff low enough to invite nearly everyone who qualified in a single draw.

How Did the General Healthcare Draw Reach 4,000 ITAs?

One day later, on February 20, 2026, IRCC issued 4,000 ITAs to the broader Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category at a CRS cutoff of 467. This category spans 35 NOC codes across TEER levels 1 through 3, including registered nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and social workers.

Unlike the physician pool, this pool is large and continuously replenished by both Canadian and overseas experience. That scale, not scarcity, is what drove this draw’s higher cutoff and larger volume.

Draw #	Date	Category	CRS Cutoff	ITAs Issued
397	Feb 19, 2026	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	169	391
398	Feb 20, 2026	Healthcare and Social Services Occupations	467	4,000
421	June 24, 2026	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	223	271
422	June 25, 2026	Healthcare and Social Services Occupations	475	4,000

If you are weighing your options between the physician stream and provincial routes, our Express Entry service page breaks down eligibility for every federal pathway side by side.

Why Did IRCC Pause Healthcare Draws for Four Months

IRCC did not run another healthcare draw between February 20 and June 24, 2026. That gap was deliberate, not accidental. Two things had to happen before the next round made sense: the physician pool needed to refill, and the CRS math itself had shifted.

What Changed During the Spring Maturation Phase

During March, April, and May, IRCC redirected its draws toward the Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program, and French-language proficiency candidates instead. Behind the scenes, three things were happening for healthcare candidates:

New international medical graduates were finishing their licensing steps.
Temporary foreign workers were accumulating the 12 months of Canadian experience required for category eligibility.
Overseas applicants were finalizing Educational Credential Assessments and language test results.

A separate policy shift added pressure. Job offer points were removed from the CRS formula in early 2025, so healthcare candidates entering the pool in spring 2026 had to compete on language proficiency, provincial nominations, and years of Canadian experience alone. There was no shortcut left.

What Happened in the June Resurgence

By late June, the applicant pool had matured enough to support a second wave. IRCC ran the physician draw and the general healthcare draw on consecutive days again, but this time the results told a more competitive story.

Why Did the Physician CRS Rise from 169 to 223?

On June 24, 2026, IRCC issued 271 ITAs to physicians with Canadian work experience at a CRS cutoff of 223, a 54-point increase from February. That rise reflects four months of new candidates accumulating eligibility.

Even so, a CRS of 223 remains far below the general pool average. In-country physicians are still receiving extraordinary preferential treatment compared to any other occupation group.

Why Is the General Healthcare CRS Still Climbing?

On June 25, 2026, the general healthcare category issued another 4,000 ITAs, but the cutoff rose to 475, up 8 points from February’s 467. This upward drift signals that the global supply of internationally trained allied health professionals keeps growing and keeps getting more competitive.

For overseas candidates without Canadian work experience, a CRS below 470 is becoming increasingly hard to work with. If your profile relies on standard human capital factors alone, closing that gap now matters more than it did six months ago. Our Category-based Selection guide explains how to calculate where you stand across every active category.

How Ontario’s OINP Overhaul Connects to the Federal Draws

The federal and provincial governments were not operating on separate tracks in 2026. On May 30, 2026, Ontario used the Working for Workers Seven Act to revoke all nine of its legacy immigration streams.

One day after the federal government finished its June healthcare blitz, on June 26, 2026, Ontario launched Phase 1 of its replacement: the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream.

That new stream includes a specialized Self-Employed Physicians pathway. It mirrors the federal fee-for-service reclassification exactly: physicians no longer need a formal employer job offer. They only need an active College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario registration and eligibility to bill OHIP.

This creates a genuine safety net. A physician who narrowly misses the federal CEC baseline for the Express Entry physician category can pivot to the OINP Self-Employed pathway instead.

That route secures a provincial nomination worth 600 CRS points and bypasses the federal category limitations entirely. If you want the full mechanics of that stream, see our detailed breakdown of the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream.

What These Draws Mean for H2 2026

Based on the H1 pattern, three trends look set to continue into the third and fourth quarters. This is analysis and projection based on the data above, not confirmed IRCC policy.

The physician category will likely stay a small, low-CRS pathway, since the eligible pool is finite and gets depleted with each draw.
The general healthcare category will likely keep climbing past 475, making Canadian experience or a provincial nomination increasingly important for competitiveness.
Provincially nominated healthcare workers will keep flooding the top of the pool, which means more PNP-specific draws (similar to Draw #419’s 955 ITAs) should be expected to clear that backlog before the next healthcare-specific round.

Should Overseas Healthcare Candidates Still Apply?

Yes, but timing and preparation matter more than they did a year ago. If you do not have Canadian work experience, focus on maximizing language scores, finishing your Educational Credential Assessment early, and researching provincial healthcare streams that do not require Canadian experience. See IRCC’s category-based selection page for the current list of eligible occupations before you plan your profile.

If your CRS score sits below the current healthcare cutoff and you are not sure which lever to pull first, that is exactly the kind of question worth a second set of eyes. Book Your Strategy Assessment and we will map your fastest realistic route.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the physician and healthcare Express Entry categories?

The Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category covers only three NOC codes (31100, 31101, 31102) and requires 12 months of Canadian work experience. The broader Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category covers 35 NOC codes and accepts either Canadian or overseas experience, provided you meet baseline Express Entry eligibility.

What is the current CRS score for Express Entry healthcare draws in 2026?

As of the June 25, 2026 draw, the general Healthcare and Social Services category cutoff was 475. The Physicians category cutoff was 223 as of the June 24, 2026 draw. Both scores have risen since February 2026 and may continue to shift with each new round.

Will Express Entry healthcare draws continue for the rest of 2026?

IRCC has run healthcare draws in two separate waves so far in 2026, and the draw frequency pattern suggests more rounds are likely later in the year, though IRCC does not publish a fixed draw calendar in advance.

Does a provincial nomination help if my CRS score is too low for the federal healthcare draw?

Yes. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, which is enough to guarantee an Express Entry invitation in a subsequent round regardless of your baseline human capital score.Yes. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, which is enough to guarantee an Express Entry invitation in a subsequent round regardless of your baseline human capital score.

Ready to find out exactly where your profile stands against these numbers? Book Your Strategy Assessment at amirismail.com/book-a-consultation.