Canada has sent a strong signal about where it wants skilled immigrants to come from.
In just two days, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 3,729 invitations to apply for permanent residence through two targeted Express Entry draws.
The first draw, held on September 3, targeted physicians with Canadian work experience. Only 229 candidates were invited, but the CRS cutoff was just 198.
The following day, IRCC issued 3,500 invitations to candidates in healthcare and social services occupations, with a CRS cutoff of 475.
The contrast is striking.
Just two days earlier, Canada’s September 1 Canadian Experience Class draw invited 2,000 candidates at a CRS cutoff of 521.
So, for people watching Express Entry from outside Canada, the latest draws raise an important question:
Is Canada becoming less interested in high CRS scores and more interested in specific skills?
The answer is not quite that simple, but the direction of the system is becoming clearer.
What happened in the latest Express Entry draws?
Here is how the three September draws compare:
| Date | Draw | ITAs | CRS cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 521 |
| September 3 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 229 | 198 |
| September 4 | Healthcare and Social Services | 3,500 | 475 |
The September 3 physician draw is particularly notable because of its 198 CRS cutoff. However, this should not be interpreted as Canada suddenly making permanent residence available to anyone with a CRS score around 200.
The draw was highly specific.
Candidates had to qualify for the physician category and have the required Canadian work experience. IRCC’s current rules require at least one year of full-time work experience as a medical doctor in Canada within the last three years, in addition to meeting the requirements of one of the three Express Entry programs.
That is a very different situation from someone sitting in Nigeria, Ghana, India or elsewhere with a CRS score of 200 and hoping to receive an invitation.
Why was the physician CRS cutoff so low?
This is where the latest draw becomes interesting.
Express Entry does not simply rank everyone together and invite the highest scores in every round.
IRCC can conduct category-based selection, where it identifies candidates who meet the requirements of a particular economic category and then ranks those eligible candidates by CRS score.
The physician category was introduced as part of Canada’s 2026 Express Entry priorities.
But there is an important limitation: the category is designed for physicians who already have Canadian work experience.
IRCC says eligible physicians need at least one year of full-time Canadian work experience as a medical doctor in the previous three years. They also need to meet the requirements of one of the three Express Entry programs.
This explains why the cutoff can be dramatically lower than a CEC draw.
There may simply be far fewer candidates competing within this specialised category.
The lesson is important:
A low category cutoff does not necessarily mean the overall Express Entry system has become easier.
It means Canada is deliberately looking for a particular group of people.
Healthcare workers also benefited from targeted selection
The September 4 draw was much larger.
IRCC issued 3,500 invitations to candidates in healthcare and social services occupations, with a CRS cutoff of 475.
This category covers a broad range of occupations.
The current eligible list includes professionals such as:
- Physicians
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Psychologists
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational therapists
- Registered nurses
- Nurse practitioners
- Medical laboratory technologists
- Medical radiation technologists
- Social workers
- Counselling therapists
- Nurse aides and patient service associates
- Pharmacy assistants
It is therefore much broader than the physician category.
But having a healthcare-related job title alone is not enough.
For the healthcare and social services category, candidates generally need at least 12 months of cumulative full-time work experience, or an equivalent amount of part-time experience, in one eligible occupation during the previous three years. The experience can be acquired in Canada or abroad.
That distinction matters for international applicants.
Someone working in healthcare outside Canada may potentially qualify for the healthcare category, whereas the physician category specifically requires the qualifying physician work experience to be in Canada.
This is why the CRS number can be misleading
A common mistake among Express Entry applicants is to look at a draw and focus only on the CRS cutoff.
For example:
521 CRS may look impossible for one applicant.
475 CRS may look achievable for another.
198 CRS may look incredibly attractive.
But those three numbers belong to different selection pools.
IRCC explains that it can conduct general, program-specific and category-based rounds. In a category-based round, candidates must meet the requirements of the particular category before their CRS score is even considered.
So the more useful question is not:
“What is the lowest CRS score Canada invited?”
The better question is:
“Which candidates were eligible for that draw, and do I belong to the same group?”
That is the question applicants should be asking every time a new draw is announced.
What does this mean for applicants outside Canada?
The latest draws are especially relevant to people planning their immigration strategy from abroad.
If you have a healthcare occupation and qualifying work experience, you should not automatically assume that your foreign work experience is useless simply because you do not have Canadian work experience.
The healthcare and social services category allows qualifying experience acquired in Canada or abroad.
That could make the category particularly important for internationally trained healthcare professionals.
However, applicants still need to qualify for an underlying Express Entry program.
Category-based selection does not replace Express Entry eligibility. IRCC states that candidates must first be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs before they can be placed in the pool and considered for a category-based invitation.
For example, the Federal Skilled Worker Program can be relevant to skilled workers with foreign work experience, while the Canadian Experience Class is designed for people with eligible Canadian work experience.
What about nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals?
This is where the September 4 draw could be more relevant to many international applicants than the physician draw.
If your occupation appears on the healthcare and social services category list, your next step should be to determine whether your work experience actually matches the relevant NOC and whether you meet the category’s experience requirement.
For instance, being employed by a hospital does not automatically make someone eligible.
IRCC looks at the occupation and the duties performed, not simply the name of the employer.
This is why applicants should check their NOC classification carefully rather than choosing the closest-sounding job title.
Canada is clearly using Express Entry for more than just CRS ranking
The bigger story behind these draws is the direction of Canada’s immigration system.
In 2026, IRCC established categories for areas including healthcare and social services, education, STEM, trades, transport and French-language proficiency. It also introduced categories targeting physicians, researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience, as well as skilled military recruits.
Canada is therefore using Express Entry not simply to select people with the highest combination of age, education, language ability and work experience.
It is also using the system to address specific labour-market priorities.
That is why two candidates with very different CRS scores can have very different prospects depending on their occupation, experience and category eligibility.
What should Express Entry applicants do now?
If you already have an Express Entry profile, don’t monitor only the general CRS cutoff.
Check whether your profile matches one of Canada’s current categories.
If you work in healthcare, review your NOC and work history.
If you are a physician, determine whether your Canadian work experience meets the specific physician category requirements.
If you are not eligible for a current category, focus on improving the factors that can increase your CRS score, such as language ability or eligible work and education credentials.
And if you are still outside Canada and planning your immigration pathway, do not build your entire strategy around one draw.
The categories can change, and IRCC has already been consulting on the economic priorities that could shape category-based selection for 2027. That consultation closed on September 1, 2026, and IRCC said it was considering how to continue addressing long-term labour shortages, attracting and retaining talent, and supporting Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
The bigger takeaway
September’s latest Express Entry draws have produced three very different CRS numbers in just a few days: 521 for CEC, 198 for physicians with Canadian work experience, and 475 for healthcare and social services workers.
That difference tells us something important.
There is no single CRS score that accurately describes Canada’s Express Entry system.
Your occupation, work experience and category eligibility can matter just as much as the number displayed on your Express Entry profile.
For international applicants, particularly those working in healthcare, the latest draws are a reminder that understanding how Canada is selecting candidates can be more useful than simply chasing a CRS number.
Worldbridge Immigration can help prospective applicants assess their immigration options, identify relevant pathways and understand the requirements before submitting an application.
