Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) kept up its rapid-fire pace of skilled-worker invitations on 11 December by running a category-based Express Entry draw exclusively for health-care and social-services professionals. One thousand candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of at least 476 received Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence, provided their Express Entry profile had been created before 07:44 UTC on 26 November 2025.
The draw is part of Ottawa’s year-old strategy that allows the immigration minister to select candidates from occupation-specific categories rather than relying solely on CRS point rankings. By carving out draws for nurses, doctors, allied health workers and social-service staff, IRCC aims to ease acute labour shortages that provincial health ministries say are driving record overtime and service delays.
Prospective applicants who are sorting through police-clearance paperwork, biometrics appointments or electronic travel authorizations can streamline those steps with VisaHQ’s online platform, which offers real-time checklists, document-preparation tools and personalized guidance for Canadian visa and immigration filings. Visit https://www.visahq.com/canada/ to see how the service can simplify the process from start to finish.
![Canada Targets Healthcare Talent in Latest Express Entry Draw]()
Employers have welcomed the targeted approach. The Canadian Medical Association noted that the country will be short 44,000 doctors by 2030 if hiring trends do not accelerate; the draw sends “a clear signal that Canada wants physicians to put down roots here,” its president said.
For applicants, the practical implications are two-fold. First, a mid-470s CRS cut-off is markedly lower than the 520-point bar set in a Canadian Experience Class draw one day earlier, making permanent residence more attainable for foreign-trained clinicians. Second, once an ITA is issued, candidates have 60 days to submit police certificates, medicals and proof of funds—deadlines that hospitals are already helping new hires meet by fast-tracking documentation.
Because Express Entry processing times for most healthcare candidates now average six months, successful applicants could be working in Canadian facilities as early as summer 2026. That timeline aligns with provincial plans to open hundreds of new long-term-care beds and roll out expanded pharmacare. For multinational life-science companies and international clinics that send staff on cross-border assignments, the draw provides a faster, clearer route to obtaining Canadian work authorization and long-term status.
The draw is part of Ottawa’s year-old strategy that allows the immigration minister to select candidates from occupation-specific categories rather than relying solely on CRS point rankings. By carving out draws for nurses, doctors, allied health workers and social-service staff, IRCC aims to ease acute labour shortages that provincial health ministries say are driving record overtime and service delays.
Prospective applicants who are sorting through police-clearance paperwork, biometrics appointments or electronic travel authorizations can streamline those steps with VisaHQ’s online platform, which offers real-time checklists, document-preparation tools and personalized guidance for Canadian visa and immigration filings. Visit https://www.visahq.com/canada/ to see how the service can simplify the process from start to finish.
Employers have welcomed the targeted approach. The Canadian Medical Association noted that the country will be short 44,000 doctors by 2030 if hiring trends do not accelerate; the draw sends “a clear signal that Canada wants physicians to put down roots here,” its president said.
For applicants, the practical implications are two-fold. First, a mid-470s CRS cut-off is markedly lower than the 520-point bar set in a Canadian Experience Class draw one day earlier, making permanent residence more attainable for foreign-trained clinicians. Second, once an ITA is issued, candidates have 60 days to submit police certificates, medicals and proof of funds—deadlines that hospitals are already helping new hires meet by fast-tracking documentation.
Because Express Entry processing times for most healthcare candidates now average six months, successful applicants could be working in Canadian facilities as early as summer 2026. That timeline aligns with provincial plans to open hundreds of new long-term-care beds and roll out expanded pharmacare. For multinational life-science companies and international clinics that send staff on cross-border assignments, the draw provides a faster, clearer route to obtaining Canadian work authorization and long-term status.
