Canada Issues 3,500 Express Entry Invitations to Healthcare and Social Services Workers
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada went back to the healthcare and social services category on September 4, 2026, issuing 3,500 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence visa through the Express Entry Program. It’s the third time this category has run in 2026, and if you have been sitting in the pool with a health-sector NOC code, this is the draw you have been waiting on.
To get an ITA in this round, candidates needed a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 475, and their Express Entry profile had to be created before 12:26 a.m. UTC on May 26, 2026. That second detail is worth sitting with for a second: IRCC is reaching back roughly three and a half months into the pool, which tells you there’s a real backlog of eligible healthcare candidates still waiting their turn even at a fairly high CRS threshold.
This was the 53rd Express Entry draw of the year, and it brought 2026’s total ITAs across all categories to just over 126,000. For healthcare specifically, it’s draw number three: February 20 issued 4,000 ITAs at a CRS cutoff of 467, June 25 issued another 4,000 at 475, and now September’s round matched that same 475 cutoff while trimming the invitation count by 500. The score held steady, but IRCC pulled fewer people through — usually a sign they’re pacing allocations for this category rather than clearing the pool as fast as possible.
Who actually qualifies for the healthcare category
This is not limited to doctors and nurses, though they are obviously included. The category covers roughly three dozen NOC codes across TEER 1 through 3, and it’s broader than most candidates assume:
- Physicians and specialists — general practitioners, family physicians, surgeons, and clinical or laboratory medicine specialists
- Nursing roles — registered nurses, psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides
- Allied health professionals — physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, dietitians, pharmacists, dentists, dental hygienists, optometrists, and audiologists
- Technical and emergency roles — medical laboratory and radiation technologists, pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists, and paramedics
- Social and community services — social workers, social and community service workers, and veterinarians
If your NOC code sits in one of these groups and you have got at least a year of relevant work experience in the last three years, you are in the running — assuming your CRS score clears whatever cutoff that particular draw lands on.
Why this matters if you are still in the pool
A CRS cutoff of 475 is not low. Plenty of qualified healthcare workers sit below that line on CRS alone, especially without a provincial nomination or strong French-language points padding their score. If your profile predates the May 26 cutoff and you were not invited this round, it’s worth an honest look at what’s holding your score down — language test scores over a year old, a spouse’s factors not being optimised, or simply not yet claiming points you are entitled to.
IRCC has run healthcare draws roughly every four months this year, so the pattern suggests another one landing around late October if that pace holds. That’s not a guarantee, but it is a reasonable planning assumption.
Think your CRS score should be higher?
A lot of eligible healthcare candidates are sitting just below the cutoff without realising there is often room to improve their score — a retest, a missed point category, or a provincial nomination pathway they have not explored. If you would like us to take a look at your profile, reach out through our contact page, and we will go through it with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s no fixed number — cutoffs move with each draw based on who’s in the pool. This round’s cutoff was 475, matching June’s draw, but earlier in 2026 it was as low as 467. Track recent draws rather than assuming last month’s cutoff will repeat.
The healthcare and social services category covers a specific set of NOC codes, and not every health-adjacent job qualifies. Confirm your exact code against IRCC’s published list rather than assuming based on job title.
No. You still need to meet the base eligibility rules for whichever program you qualify under — Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Trades. The category just determines who gets pulled from the pool and when.
The May 26 cutoff was the latest profile creation date accepted in this round, not a guarantee of an invitation. Candidates below the CRS 475 threshold weren’t invited regardless of when their profile was created.
Three so far in 2026 — February, June, and September — roughly four months apart. IRCC doesn’t publish a fixed schedule, so timing can shift.
