Healthcare Express Entry Category Draw Tracker 2026: Recent Draws, CRS Cut-offs & Eligible NOC Occupations

What the Healthcare category is and how these draws work

Express Entry manages the profiles of skilled workers applying for permanent residence through three federal programs. Most rounds invite the highest-scoring candidates regardless of occupation, but IRCC also runs category-based selection rounds that invite only candidates who meet a specific economic or language priority. Healthcare and Social Services is one of those categories.

In a healthcare draw, IRCC sets a CRS cut-off and invites eligible candidates at or above that score. Because the pool for a category is smaller than the full Express Entry pool, category cut-offs are often lower than general all-program draws, though that is not guaranteed and varies round to round. The category was re-established for 2025 with an updated occupation list aligned to Canada's projected labour shortages, and IRCC confirmed it would continue into 2026.

Recent Healthcare and Social Services category draws

The table below shows recent rounds that IRCC ran for the Healthcare and Social Services category. Figures are taken from IRCC's published rounds of invitations. This data is updated regularly; always confirm the latest numbers on the official canada.ca rounds page before relying on them.

One pattern worth noting: invitation counts and cut-offs move around based on how many strong candidates are in the pool and IRCC's targets for the year. A higher cut-off in one round does not mean the category is getting harder permanently.

Who qualifies for a healthcare draw

To be invited in a Healthcare and Social Services category round, you must first be eligible for Express Entry under one of the federal programs (most commonly the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Worker Program) and have an active profile in the pool. On top of that, your work experience has to be in one of the category's eligible occupations.

Two eligibility points matter most. First, your qualifying work experience must be in a single eligible occupation. Second, IRCC tightened the experience threshold: as of February 18, 2026, the minimum was raised from six months to one year (12 months) of full-time, or equivalent part-time, experience within the past three years, gained in Canada or abroad. Confirm the exact wording on canada.ca, since the rule changed mid-cycle.

• You meet the criteria for a federal Express Entry program and have a profile in the pool.
• Your experience is in one eligible Healthcare and Social Services NOC occupation.
• You meet the current minimum experience requirement (one year as of February 18, 2026).
• Your CRS score is at or above the cut-off set in the draw.
• You created your profile before the cut-off date and time IRCC specifies for that round (a tie-break rule).

Eligible NOC occupations

The category covers roughly three dozen occupations across nursing, medicine, allied health, and social services. IRCC publishes the authoritative list on its category-based selection page, and the list can change between cycles, so treat the examples below as a sample and verify your specific code against canada.ca.

If you are unsure of your code, use the National Occupational Classification (NOC) tools to confirm the occupation that best matches your duties. Your CRS standing within the category is what determines whether a given cut-off reaches you.

• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301)
• Nurse practitioners (31302) and licensed practical nurses (32101)
• General practitioners and family physicians (31102); specialists in surgery (31101) and in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100)
• Pharmacists (31120) and pharmacy technicians (32124)
• Physiotherapists (31202), occupational therapists (31203), and psychologists (31200)
• Dentists (31110) and dental hygienists and dental therapists (32111)
• Social workers (41300) and social and community service workers (42201)
• Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102) and paramedical occupations (32102)

CRS trends and what they do (and don't) tell you

Across 2025 and into early 2026, healthcare category cut-offs clustered roughly in the 460s to high 470s, with invitation rounds ranging from around 1,000 to 4,000 ITAs depending on IRCC's targets and pool depth. Smaller rounds tend to come with higher cut-offs because IRCC reaches fewer candidates; larger rounds can dip lower.

Treat any trend as context, not a prediction. The mid-cycle move to a 12-month experience requirement, annual immigration-levels targets, and the size of the eligible pool all shift the numbers. A run of lower cut-offs is not a promise the next one will be low.

Will there be a healthcare draw soon, and at what score?

No private website, forecaster, or tracker knows the date, size, or cut-off of the next draw. IRCC does not pre-announce specific category rounds, and only IRCC's official rounds of invitations page reports results once a draw happens. Anyone presenting a specific upcoming date or guaranteed cut-off is guessing.

A reasonable way to plan is to treat scenarios as estimates: if recent healthcare cut-offs have sat in the high 460s to high 470s, a candidate comfortably above that range has a stronger chance than one well below it, but nothing is guaranteed. The most useful move is to raise your CRS where you can (language retests, education credential assessments, eligible job offers or provincial nomination) and keep your profile accurate and active so you are ready whenever a round runs.

Frequently asked questions