Express Entry: Canada holds first healthcare professions draw of the year

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system.

The immigration department issued 500 ITAs to candidates in a healthcare and social services category-based draw.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 510.

Summary of Express Entry draws in 2025

DateDraw TypeNumber of ITAsCut-off CRS score
May 2Healthcare and social services500510
May 1Education1,000479
April 28Provincial Nominee Program421727
April 14Provincial Nominee Program825764
March 21French language proficiency7,500379
March 17Provincial Nominee Program536736
March 6French language proficiency4,500410
March 3Provincial Nominee Program725667
February 19French language proficiency6,500428
February 17Provincial Nominee Program646750
February 5Canadian Experience Class4,000521
February 4Provincial Nominee Program455802
January 23 Canadian Experience Class4,000527
January 8Canadian Experience Class1,350542
January 7Provincial Nominee Program471793

Today’s draw is the first healthcare draw after the addition of several social services occupations to the category, in February of 2025. The draw also features the highest CRS cut-off score for a healthcare draw to date.

More details on eligibility for this updated category can be found here.

This is the third Express Entry draw of the week and follows the first-ever education category-based selectionin Express Entry’s history on 1 May and a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on 28 April.

Thus far, IRCC has issued 33,429 ITAs through the Express Entry system in 2025.

Express Entry draws in 2025 have primarily focused on PNP candidates, with the remainder of draws being dedicated to candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program, and those in IRCC’s priority categories for 2025:

Draw TypeNumber of Draws
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)7
French-language proficiency3
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)3
Education1
Healthcare and social services1

How long does the Express Entry process take?

An Express Entry profile remains valid for up to one year.

If a candidate receives an ITA within that time frame, the Canadian government aims to process their permanent residence (PR) application within six months.

Processing time is calculated from when a complete application is received until a final decision is made. If a candidate does not receive an ITA within the one-year period, they may resubmit their profile, provided they still meet the eligibility requirements.

Processing times through Express Entry tend to be far quicker than other pathways to Canadian PR, such as base PNP streams or other regional immigration programs. This is due to the fact that even after a province or territory has approved a candidate through their PR selection criteria, IRCC must still approve and finalize the decision before permanent resident status can be conferred to a foreign national—which can significantly add to wait times as a result.

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