Canada Invites 3,500 Healthcare Workers in Latest Express Entry Draw
- Canada issued over 3,000 invitations to apply for permanent residence (PR) in a new Express Entry draw
- The draw targeted candidates under the Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category with a minimum CRS score of 475
- Candidates who ranked 3,500 or above in the Express Entry pool were eligible to receive an invitation to apply
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering migration issues and international affairs.
Ottawa, Canada - Canada has extended 3,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence through its latest category-based Express Entry draw.
Legit.ng reports that the draw focused on Healthcare and Social Services Occupations.
Source: Getty Images
The draw took place on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 11:16:45 UTC, according to the Canadian government. Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 475 to qualify, and only those who ranked 3,500 or above within the Express Entry pool received an invitation.
Where more than one candidate held the minimum score of 475, the tie-breaking rule applied: priority went to those who submitted their Express Entry profiles earliest. The tie-breaking cut-off was set at May 26, 2026, at 00:26:14 UTC.
How Canada's Express Entry system works
Express Entry is Canada's primary system for managing applications under its key economic immigration programmes. To enter the pool, a candidate must be eligible for at least one of the three programmes the system manages.
Canadian authorities decide what type of draw to hold and how many candidates to invite. They then identify the top-ranking eligible candidates in the pool based on the specific requirements of that round.
Three types of Express Entry draws exist. General rounds invite the highest-ranking candidates in the pool who qualify for any of the three economic immigration programmes. Programme-specific rounds focus on candidates eligible for a single programme, such as the Provincial Nominee Programme. Category-based rounds, like the September 4 draw, are designed to meet specific economic goals set by Canada's immigration minister. Candidates selected through any of these draws are then invited to submit a full application for permanent residence.
Canada: Healthcare draw targets specific workers
The September 4 round falls under the category-based format, meaning it was designed with a targeted economic objective in mind.
Only candidates who met both the Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category requirements and the eligibility criteria for at least one Express Entry programme were considered for the 3,500 available invitations.
Canada regularly adjusts the number of invitations and the CRS cut-off score depending on the pool size and immigration objectives at the time of each draw.
See the tweet from the Canadian authorities, as posted on X, below:
Source: Getty Images
Positions Canada aims to fill
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported on the key positions that Canada was aiming to fill.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) disclosed that it needs experienced workers in a number of high-demand fields and has structured its Express Entry selections around those priorities.
The occupations currently at the top of Canada's list include medical doctors, researchers, and senior managers who already have Canadian work experience.
Source: Legit.ng
