On February 19, 2026, Canada conducted its very first express entry draw for physicians who have Canadian work experience and who were invited to apply to acquire permanent residence at the lowest CRS cutoff of 169 points ever.
The historic draw, the first category introduced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab a day before, is in fact one of the quickest category implementations in the history of express entry.
The lowest cutoff CRS score of 169 has ever been witnessed in any round of invitation under express entry, which shows the effort of the IRCC in ensuring that permanent residence of foreign-trained doctors who are already assisting the healthcare sector in Canada is fast-tracked.
First Physicians Express Entry Draw Results
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Draw Type | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience (2026-Version 1) |
| Date | February 19, 2026 |
| CRS Cutoff | 169 |
| Invitations Issued | 391 |
| Rank Required | 391 or above |
| Tie-Breaking Rule | January 03, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC |
Tie-Breaking Rule Explained
The tie-breaking rule for this draw was set on January 03, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC.
This means that if multiple candidates had a CRS score of exactly 169, only those who submitted their express entry profile before January 3, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC received invitations.
Candidates with a CRS of 169 who submitted their profiles after this timestamp would not have received an invitation in this round and must wait for future physician category draws.
Why The 169 CRS Cutoff Is Historic
This physician had a draw of 169 CRS cutoff which is the lowest in the history of express entry.
In comparison, general Canadian Experience Class (CEC) express entry draws are generally set at CRS cutoffs of 508 (or higher) points whereas past category-based draws in healthcare occupations had cutoffs of 420-480 (or higher) points.
The CRS score of 169 implies that all the physicians in the express entry pool who were meeting the eligibility requirements were invited.
This covers doctors with lower language test scores or less educational qualification or otherwise the factors would have led to a low CRS ranking.
The cutoff is also very low, which means that the number of potential physicians with 12 months of work experience in Canada is comparatively small, which means that IRCC can invite almost all competent individuals.
Who was and was not Eligible to this Draw.
Later, to be invited to the event in this historic physicians draw, the candidates were required to qualify using particular criteria.
Experience: at least one year of management experience in an organization or a related sector. Work experience: one year of management experience in an organization or a related area.
The candidates are required to have a minimum of 12 months of full-time employment or any part-time equivalent within the last 3 years in one of the qualified physician jobs.
This experience should have been acquired in Canada and it does not have to be continuous.
Eligible NOC codes:
| Occupation | NOC Code | TEER |
|---|---|---|
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 | 1 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 | 1 |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 | 1 |
These are family physicians, general practitioners, surgical specialists of every kind and clinical specialists like cardiologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, oncologists, and pathologists.
What The 391 Invitations Mean For Canada’s Healthcare System
The given 391 invitations are the doctors who are already employed in the healthcare system of Canada and now they will have an obvious road to permanent residence.
There is a serious shortage of physicians in Canada where many communities do not have sufficient access to family doctors and specialists.
By expediting the process of granting permanent residency to foreign-trained physicians currently working in Canada, IRCC will help in keeping medical talent, which otherwise may have to move out of the country once their temporary work permits expire.
The few invitations as compared to other express entry draws is an indication of the specialization of this category.
This draw was restricted to licensed Canadian-experienced pharmacists and other professionals, unlike the broader healthcare attractions that are open to nurses, pharmacists, and other professionals.
Comparison of this draw with the other healthcare draws.
The category draw of physicians is vastly different from the larger category draw of healthcare and social services that have been conducted since 2023.
Key differences:
The draw of the doctors is unique to doctors (NOC 31100, 31101, 31102), whereas the healthcare category draws cover dozens of jobs which include nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and any other medical career.
The draw by the physicians is specifically Canadian work experience, but the healthcare category allows either Canada or overseas work experience.
The CRS cutoff of 169 is very low in comparison to that of healthcare category draws, which generally have cutoffs of between 430 and 480 points since there are a lot of eligible candidates.
Follow Up Process of Invited Candidates.
The physicians invited under this draw will have 60 days to file the full permanent residence application.
Required documents include:
- Valid language test results (IELTS or CELPIP for English, TEF or TCF for French)
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for foreign credentials
- Proof of Canadian work experience as a physician
- Police certificates from all countries where the candidate has lived for 6+ months
- Medical examination results
- Proof of funds (if applicable)
Applicants are advised to start collecting papers early since there is a 60-day deadline that is not flexible and there is seldom any extension of the deadline.
When Will The Next Physicians Draw Be Held
IRCC did not specify the future draw dates of the physicians category.
Nevertheless, due to the announcement that draw of this category would start in the next days following February 18, 2026, it is likely that more rounds would be conducted in the year 2026.
Doctors who were not invited in this round (either they were not yet in the express entry pool or did not satisfy the tie-breaking rule) ought to make sure that their profiles are complete and accurate in future draws.
Since the cutoff of CRS is very low at 169, the physicians eligible to join the pool prior to the subsequent draw have a high probability of being invited.
The lowest ever cutoff in CRS of this group of physicians in this draw is an encouraging indicator that other occupation-specific groups could also experience reduced cutoffs in 2026 after the 6 months to 12 months work experience requirement is boosted.
Having fewer applicants with the new 12-month requirement on all categories, IRCC might have to go further down the CRS lists to meet invitation targets, possibly with reduced cutoffs in healthcare, STEM, trades, and other category-based draw programs.
Applicants in other job groups are advised to pay attention to the outcome of the draw to trace the trends, and opportunities.