Latest verified result: IRCC’s most recent 2026 Healthcare and Social Services Occupations Express Entry draw was held on September 4, 2026. IRCC issued 3,500 invitations to apply and the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited was 475.
Canada also runs a separate Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category. Its most recent 2026 draw was September 3, 2026, with 229 invitations and a CRS cut-off of 198. These are two different Express Entry categories and should not be mixed together when comparing scores.
Reviewed by Usman Khalil, RCIC R709592 | CPA Ontario C83028834. IRCC draw data and category rules were rechecked on September 30, 2026.
2026 Express Entry Healthcare Draws at a Glance
| Date | Category | ITAs | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2026 | Healthcare and Social Services Occupations | 3,500 | 475 |
| September 3, 2026 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 229 | 198 |
| June 25, 2026 | Healthcare and Social Services Occupations | 4,000 | 475 |
| June 24, 2026 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 271 | 223 |
| February 20, 2026 | Healthcare and Social Services Occupations | 4,000 | 467 |
| February 19, 2026 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 391 | 169 |
Source: IRCC’s official Express Entry rounds data, rechecked September 30, 2026. The live IRCC record controls if a later draw is published after this page is updated. Across the three verified 2026 rounds, Healthcare and Social Services issued 11,500 ITAs and the physician-specific category issued 891.
What Was the Latest Healthcare Draw in 2026?
The latest general healthcare and social services category draw was September 4, 2026. IRCC issued 3,500 invitations at CRS 475. The preceding general healthcare draw was June 25, 2026, when 4,000 invitations were issued at the same CRS 475 cut-off.
That means the latest two general healthcare-category draws had the same CRS cut-off even though the invitation totals differed.
Why Is the Physician CRS So Different?
Because the physician draw is a different category. The 2026 Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category is aimed at medical doctors who meet the category’s Canadian physician work-experience requirement. It should not be compared as though it were the same pool as the broader healthcare and social services category.
The physician-category CRS moved from 169 on February 19 to 223 on June 24, then to 198 on September 3. The broader healthcare category moved from 467 on February 20 to 475 on June 25 and remained at 475 on September 4.
For physician-specific immigration options, see MAK’s 2026 doctor immigration guide.
Who Qualifies for the Healthcare and Social Services Category?
Under IRCC’s current category-based selection rules, a candidate must have accumulated at least 12 months of full-time work experience, or an equal amount of part-time experience, within the previous 3 years in a single occupation listed in the healthcare and social services category. That work experience can be in Canada or abroad and does not need to be continuous.
You must also be eligible for one of the immigration programs managed through Express Entry and meet the instructions for the specific round.
Examples of listed occupations include physicians, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other health and social-service occupations. Use the current IRCC category list for the complete occupation table.
MAK’s Healthcare and Social Services Occupations guide explains the category and occupation list in more detail.
Healthcare Draw vs Physician Draw: Do Not Mix the Numbers
| Question | Healthcare & Social Services category | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Is this a separate 2026 category? | Yes | Yes |
| Can qualifying experience be from outside Canada? | Yes, under the current healthcare-category rule | The physician category specifically requires qualifying Canadian physician work experience |
| Latest verified 2026 CRS | 475 | 198 |
| Latest verified 2026 ITAs | 3,500 | 229 |
| Latest verified draw date | September 4, 2026 | September 3, 2026 |
What Do the 2026 Healthcare Draws Actually Show?
The useful story is not simply “healthcare CRS went up or down.” IRCC ran two different healthcare-related categories in three paired periods: February, June and September. Reading those six rounds together is more useful than treating every score as one trend line.
| 2026 phase | Healthcare & Social Services | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | What is verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4,000 ITAs at CRS 467 | 391 ITAs at CRS 169 | Two different category rounds were held one day apart. |
| June | 4,000 ITAs at CRS 475 | 271 ITAs at CRS 223 | The general healthcare cut-off rose 8 points from February; the physician cut-off rose 54 points. |
| September | 3,500 ITAs at CRS 475 | 229 ITAs at CRS 198 | General healthcare stayed at 475; the physician cut-off fell 25 points from June. |
Across those rounds, IRCC issued 11,500 invitations in Healthcare and Social Services and 891 invitations in the physician-specific category.
February 2026: Why CRS 169 Was Not a “Healthcare CRS”
The February 19 physician round invited 391 candidates at CRS 169. One day later, the broader Healthcare and Social Services round invited 4,000 candidates at CRS 467.
The 169 score should not be used as a benchmark for nurses, pharmacists, dentists, psychologists or overseas physicians competing only in the broader healthcare category. The physician category is restricted to NOC 31100, 31101 and 31102 and requires qualifying Canadian physician work experience. It is a much narrower category with a different eligible group.
IRCC also has a temporary public policy that can allow certain physicians providing publicly funded medical services in Canada to count qualifying self-employed work as Canadian work experience for Express Entry. That policy is relevant to some physician files, but it does not turn the CRS 169 round into a general healthcare threshold.
June 2026: Healthcare Rose to 475 While the Physician Round Reached 223
On June 24, IRCC invited 271 physicians at CRS 223. On June 25, it invited 4,000 Healthcare and Social Services candidates at CRS 475.
There was a gap of roughly four months between the February and June healthcare-related rounds. IRCC did not publish a reason for that gap. It would therefore be speculation to say the pause was caused by licensing timelines, candidate behaviour or a deliberate attempt to “refill” a pool.
What the official results do establish is narrower: by the June rounds, the lowest-ranked invited candidate had a higher CRS in both categories than in February.
September 2026: Physician CRS Fell, General Healthcare Stayed at 475
The September pair moved differently. The physician category fell from CRS 223 to 198, while the broader healthcare category stayed at 475 for a second consecutive round. General healthcare invitation volume fell from 4,000 to 3,500.
A flat 475 cut-off does not prove that the healthcare pool was unchanged. It only proves that 475 was the score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in both the June 25 and September 4 rounds. IRCC does not publish the complete category-specific CRS distribution needed to prove why the same threshold appeared twice.
Why the Physician and General Healthcare Scores Cannot Be Compared One-to-One
Both categories use CRS ranking, but the people eligible to compete are not the same.
- Healthcare and Social Services: qualifying 12-month work experience can be in Canada or abroad, in one occupation on IRCC’s healthcare list.
- Physicians with Canadian Work Experience: qualifying experience must be in Canada and in one of three physician NOCs: 31100, 31101 or 31102.
That difference in category eligibility changes the candidate group being ranked. A physician-category score of 198 is therefore not evidence that a pharmacist at CRS 198, a nurse at CRS 198 or an overseas doctor at CRS 198 would have been invited in the general healthcare round.
What the 2026 Draw Pattern Means for Your Strategy
If your CRS is 475 or higher
The June and September general healthcare rounds provide historical evidence that CRS 475 was sufficient for those specific rounds, subject to the tie-breaking rule and all other eligibility requirements. It is not a promise that the next healthcare round will use the same threshold.
If your CRS is below 475
Do not treat the physician scores of 169, 223 or 198 as alternative healthcare cut-offs unless you independently qualify for the physician-with-Canadian-work-experience category. For a general healthcare candidate, focus on the factors that can actually change the Express Entry profile: language, education, qualifying work experience, French, provincial nomination and any other CRS factors that apply.
If you are an overseas healthcare professional
IRCC’s current Healthcare and Social Services category can recognize qualifying work experience gained outside Canada. That keeps the category relevant to eligible overseas professionals. The separate physician category, by contrast, requires qualifying Canadian physician work experience.
If you are a physician already working in Canada
Check both tracks rather than looking at only one draw table. A physician may have the broader healthcare category, the 2026 physician-specific category and, depending on the facts, Canadian Experience Class or provincial options to examine. See MAK’s doctor immigration guide for the physician-specific analysis.
RCIC interpretation: the strongest conclusion from the 2026 data is that Canada is running a broad healthcare category and a much narrower physician category side by side. The scores tell us what happened in each completed round. They do not reveal IRCC’s unpublished reason for every movement and they do not establish the next cut-off.
When Is the Next Healthcare Draw?
IRCC’s current rounds page does not publish a fixed future date for the next healthcare draw. Express Entry rounds occur throughout the year, but the date, category, number of invitations and CRS cut-off are determined for each round.
For that reason, a “next healthcare draw prediction” should not be treated as an announced IRCC schedule. The safest approach is to keep the Express Entry profile accurate and active, improve controllable CRS factors where possible, and monitor the official rounds page.
What Should a Healthcare Candidate Do Now?
- Confirm the correct NOC. Your occupation must match the current category list and your actual work duties.
- Confirm the 12-month work-experience rule. Check the current category instructions rather than relying on an older 6-month rule or a third-party summary.
- Verify your underlying Express Entry eligibility. Category eligibility alone does not replace the requirements of the Express Entry program through which you qualify.
- Keep supporting evidence consistent. Employment letters, dates, duties, hours and other evidence should support the work experience claimed.
- Do not build a strategy around one past CRS score. Use the official draw history as historical evidence, not a promised future threshold.
To check your occupation, use MAK’s NOC code guide. For the broader system, see Express Entry.
Official IRCC Sources
- IRCC: Express Entry rounds of invitations
- IRCC: Express Entry category-based selection
- IRCC Ministerial Instruction #441: September 4 healthcare draw
- IRCC Ministerial Instruction #440: September 3 physician draw
- IRCC: Medical doctors with Canadian work experience
- IRCC: Canadian Experience Class and physician self-employment public policy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latest healthcare Express Entry CRS score in 2026?
For the general Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category, the latest verified CRS cut-off is 475 from the September 4, 2026 draw.
What was the latest physician Express Entry CRS score?
The latest verified Physicians with Canadian Work Experience draw was September 3, 2026, with a CRS cut-off of 198.
How many healthcare invitations were issued in the latest draw?
IRCC issued 3,500 invitations in the September 4, 2026 Healthcare and Social Services Occupations draw.
Can foreign healthcare work experience count?
Under IRCC’s current healthcare and social services category rule, the qualifying 12 months of work experience can be gained in Canada or abroad, provided the other category and Express Entry requirements are met.
Is the next healthcare draw date announced?
No fixed next healthcare draw date is shown on IRCC’s current rounds page. Monitor the official rounds record rather than treating predictions as an announced schedule.
Need a Case-Specific Express Entry Review?
A category-based draw is only one part of the analysis. MAK can review your Express Entry eligibility, NOC, qualifying work experience, CRS evidence and document strategy against the current rules.
Book a consultation with a licensed Canadian immigration consultant.
This page provides general information and a dated summary of verified IRCC draw data. It is not a prediction of the next draw or a guarantee of invitation.
