4,000 ITAs Issued in Healthcare Express Entry Draw Marking A Four-Draw Week

Key Takeaways 

Our Analysis of this Express Entry Draw

What’s Next for Healthcare and Social Services Draws

The healthcare and social services category covers a wide range of roles, including registered nurses, pharmacists, social workers, dental hygienists, and medical laboratory technologists, among others.

Predicting future healthcare draws is difficult. Draws in this category have been inconsistent since it launched. 2023 and 2024 each saw three draws, while 2025 had seven.

Between May and December 2025, IRCC held a healthcare draw nearly every month, skipping only September. In contrast, today’s draw was only the second one in 2026, over four months after the February draw. So, we can’t accurately predict when the next draw in this category will happen or how many we’ll see this year. If anything, this gap points to a shift toward fewer, larger draws for this category.

What has been consistent though is the year-on-year increase in the total volume of invitations issued: 5,600 in 2023, 10,250 in 2024, and 14,500 in 2025. So far, there is no reason to believe 2026 will see a dip in ITAs for healthcare and social services. In fact, we expect the pattern to hold and 2026 numbers to surpass 2025.

Cut-offs, too, have been relatively stable recently. The highest ever CRS cut-off for the healthcare category was 510, in May 2025. The lowest was 422, in February 2024. The last six draws have all landed between 462 and 475. We expect scores to remain in or around this range in the near term.

Another reason we expect fewer, but larger, draws in 2026 is because IRCC has identified 10 categories for selection. So far, only five have seen draws: healthcare and social services, physicians, senior managers, trades, and French-language proficiency. With fewer draws per category, IRCC may be able to work through more of those categories over the course of the year.

What This Means for You

If you received an ITA today, you have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence.

If you did not receive an ITA and your score is near the cut-off, today’s result gives you a useful benchmark. The most important thing you can do while waiting is to make sure your profile is up to date and that you keep meeting the work experience requirement.

It’s also worth noting that as of February 18, 2026, the minimum work experience requirement for this category increased from six months to one year in the last three years. Candidates who have less than one year of experience or whose work experience is now dated (beyond the three-year threshold) may no longer qualify.

However, your primary qualifying occupation for your Express Entry program (FSW, FST, or CEC) does not need to be in healthcare. You simply need to have at least one year of healthcare or social services experience within the required timeframe.

If your score is well below recent cut-offs, a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream may be worth exploring. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to your score and almost guarantees an ITA. You could also look into other potential ways to boost your score, including learning the second official language, improving your language test results, gaining more work experience or education, or adding your spouse or common-law partner to your profile.

Further Resources for Express Entry Candidates

• Learn more about Healthcare and Social Services category draws
• See the latest Express Entry draw results
• Check the current state of the Express Entry pool
• Use our CRS score calculator to see where you stand

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