Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held Express Entry draw #422 on June 25, 2026, issuing 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates under the Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 475, with a tie-breaking timestamp of May 21, 2026 at 12:14:09 UTC.
This is the second Healthcare category draw of 2026. The first was held on February 20, 2026 (Draw #398), also issuing 4,000 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 467 — meaning the cut-off has risen 8 points since then, reflecting increased competition within this occupational category.
What This Draw Means for Healthcare Workers
Canada’s Healthcare and Social Services category is one of nine categories established for 2026 under the Minister of Immigration’s category-based selection authority. Candidates must be eligible for at least one of the three core Express Entry programs — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — and hold qualifying work experience in healthcare or social services.
Eligible occupations include nurses, physicians’ assistants, allied health professionals, personal support workers, and various social services roles. Candidates who qualify for this category can receive an ITA at a CRS score far below what general CEC draws require (currently 516), making it a significant pathway for healthcare workers.
A CRS cut-off of 475 in a Healthcare draw means thousands of candidates who would never be reached in a general CEC draw at 516 can now be invited to apply for permanent residence.
Context: The Week of June 22–25, 2026
IRCC held four draws in four consecutive days this week — a cluster pattern that had been absent since late May. Here is a summary of all four draws:
| # | Date | Category | ITAs | CRS Cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 419 | Jun 22 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 955 | 730 |
| 420 | Jun 23 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 4,000 | 516 |
| 421 | Jun 24 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 271 | 223 |
| 422 ★ | Jun 25 | Healthcare & Social Services | 4,000 | 475 |
2026 Express Entry Draws: Full Year Summary
As of June 25, 2026, IRCC has held 33 draws in 2026, issuing a cumulative total of approximately 88,796 ITAs. Data sourced from official IRCC records published on Canada.ca.
| # | Date | Category | ITAs | CRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 422 | Jun 25 | Healthcare & Social Services | 4,000 | 475 |
| 421 | Jun 24 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 271 | 223 |
| 420 | Jun 23 | Canadian Experience Class | 4,000 | 516 |
| 419 | Jun 22 | Provincial Nominee Program | 955 | 730 |
| 418 | May 28 | French Language Proficiency | 4,500 | 409 |
| 417 | May 27 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 518 |
| 416 | May 25 | Provincial Nominee Program | 334 | 805 |
| 415 | May 11 | Provincial Nominee Program | 380 | 798 |
| 414 | Apr 29 | French Language Proficiency | 4,000 | 400 |
| 413 | Apr 28 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 514 |
| 412 | Apr 27 | Provincial Nominee Program | 473 | 795 |
| 411 | Apr 15 | French Language Proficiency | 4,000 | 419 |
| 410 | Apr 14 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 515 |
| 409 | Apr 13 | Provincial Nominee Program | 324 | 786 |
| 408 | Apr 2 | Trade Occupations | 3,000 | 477 |
| 407 | Mar 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,250 | 509 |
| 406 | Mar 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 356 | 802 |
| 405 | Mar 18 | French Language Proficiency | 4,000 | 393 |
| 404 | Mar 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 4,000 | 507 |
| 403 | Mar 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 362 | 742 |
| 402 | Mar 5 | Senior Managers (Canadian Work Exp.) | 250 | 429 |
| 401 | Mar 4 | French Language Proficiency | 5,500 | 397 |
| 400 | Mar 3 | Canadian Experience Class | 4,000 | 508 |
| 399 | Mar 2 | Provincial Nominee Program | 264 | 710 |
| 398 | Feb 20 | Healthcare & Social Services | 4,000 | 467 |
| 397 | Feb 19 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 391 | 169 |
| 396 | Feb 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,000 | 508 |
| 395 | Feb 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 278 | 789 |
| 394 | Feb 6 | French Language Proficiency | 8,500 | 400 |
| 393 | Feb 3 | Provincial Nominee Program | 423 | 749 |
| 392 | Jan 21 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,000 | 509 |
| 391 | Jan 20 | Provincial Nominee Program | 681 | 746 |
| 390 | Jan 7 | Canadian Experience Class | 8,000 | 511 |
What to Expect Next
Based on patterns observed throughout 2026, IRCC is likely to continue alternating between CEC, PNP, and category-based draws. The next draw cluster could come within one to two weeks. Candidates in the STEM, Trades, or Education categories have not seen draws since earlier in 2026 and may be due for future rounds.
The CEC cut-off of 516 remains the benchmark for candidates without category-based eligibility. French-language candidates have consistently benefited from cut-offs as low as 393 in 2026, and the pattern of regular French draws is expected to continue.