Canada Express Entry Draw Invites 229 Physicians at CRS 198

Canada has issued 229 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence in a new Express Entry physicians draw, giving doctors with Canadian work experience another opportunity to transition to permanent residence.

The September 3, 2026 draw required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 198, making it one of the lowest CRS cut-offs recorded for a physicians category draw. IRCC also applied a tie-breaking rule for candidates who had a CRS score of 198.

September 3 Express Entry Draw for Physicians

The latest Express Entry draw 2026 specifically targeted physicians with Canadian work experience.

Draw detail	September 3, 2026
Draw type	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience
Invitations issued	229
Minimum CRS score	198
Tie-breaking date	August 6, 2026
Tie-breaking time	19:40:38 UTC
Express Entry draw number	#440

Candidates with a CRS score of 198 were considered if they had submitted their Express Entry profile before August 6, 2026 at 19:40:38 UTC.

Why a CRS Score of 198 Is Significant

A CRS cut-off of 198 is considerably lower than the scores seen in recent general and Canadian Experience Class draws.

For comparison, the September 1 Canadian Experience Class draw issued 2,000 ITAs and required a CRS score of 521.

The difference does not mean that physicians automatically receive permanent residence with a CRS score of 198.

Instead, it reflects the design of category-based selection.

IRCC is selecting from a specific group of candidates who meet the requirements for the physicians with Canadian work experience category. Because this is a much narrower pool than the overall Express Entry pool, the CRS threshold can be substantially lower.

Physicians Category Has Now Issued 891 ITAs in 2026

The September draw was the third Express Entry physicians draw of 2026.

Date	Draw	ITAs	CRS cut-off
February 19, 2026	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	169	391
June 24, 2026	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	271	223
September 3, 2026	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience	229	198
Total		669	–

Important: The source reporting states that physicians category draws have produced 891 ITAs in 2026. However, the three individual draw figures supplied for February, June and September total 669. This discrepancy should be verified against IRCC’s official rounds data before publishing a cumulative figure.

The direction of the CRS scores is nevertheless notable: the cut-off moved from 391 in February to 223 in June and then to 198 in September.

Who Qualifies for the Physicians Express Entry Category?

The physicians with Canadian work experience category is specifically designed for eligible medical doctors who have already gained qualifying experience in Canada.

According to IRCC, candidates must have accumulated at least 12 months of full-time work experience, or an equivalent amount of part-time experience, in an eligible physician occupation during the previous 3 years. The experience must have been obtained in Canada and does not have to be continuous.

The eligible occupations listed by IRCC include:

• Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine – NOC 31100
• Specialists in surgery – NOC 31101
• General practitioners and family physicians – NOC 31102

Candidates must also meet the requirements of one of the three programs managed under Express Entry.

Canadian Medical Licensing Still Matters

A low CRS cut-off should not be interpreted as a shortcut around Canada’s medical licensing requirements.

IRCC states that medical doctors seeking to work in Canada generally need to have their foreign credentials assessed and obtain a licence through the appropriate provincial or territorial regulatory authority.

This distinction is important for internationally trained physicians.

There are two separate questions:

Can you qualify for Canadian immigration?

and

Can you legally practise medicine in Canada?

Meeting immigration requirements does not automatically grant a physician the right to practise medicine.

Why Canadian Work Experience Is Central to This Draw

The latest Express Entry physicians selection is particularly relevant to doctors who have already established themselves professionally in Canada.

IRCC’s physician-specific category requires qualifying Canadian work experience. This differentiates it from certain other category-based Express Entry selections where eligible work experience may be obtained in Canada or abroad.

The policy effectively creates a targeted route for physicians who are already contributing to Canada’s healthcare system and have qualifying Canadian experience.

What About Self-Employed Physicians?

Canadian physician work experience can involve arrangements that do not fit neatly into conventional employment structures.

IRCC has a temporary public policy that can allow certain work experience providing publicly funded medical services in Canada to count as Canadian work experience for specific foreign-national physicians, including some who are self-employed and would otherwise not qualify for the Canadian Experience Class.

This is an important distinction for physicians because their professional working arrangements can differ from traditional employer-employee relationships.

Applicants should therefore review the specific IRCC rules applicable to their circumstances rather than assuming that all medical practice experience is treated identically.

How the 198 CRS Cut-Off Should Be Interpreted

The latest cut-off may be encouraging for physicians with Canadian work experience, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed future threshold.

Express Entry cut-offs can change depending on:

• Number of candidates eligible for the category
• Number of ITAs issued
• Candidate CRS scores
• Frequency of future draws
• Changes to category priorities
• Changes to eligibility requirements

The September draw issued 229 invitations. A future physicians draw could issue more or fewer invitations, which could influence the CRS threshold.

The safest approach is to treat 198 as the latest observed cut-off, not as a permanent benchmark.

Category-Based Selection Is Becoming Increasingly Important

The latest physicians draw is part of a broader shift toward category-based selection within Express Entry.

In 2026, IRCC has held draws targeting groups including:

• Canadian Experience Class candidates
• French-language candidates
• Provincial nominees
• Healthcare and social services workers
• Trades workers
• Transport occupations
• Senior managers with Canadian work experience
• Skilled military recruits
• Physicians with Canadian work experience

This means Express Entry candidates increasingly need to understand not only their overall CRS score but also whether their profile fits a category targeted by IRCC.

Does a CRS of 198 Mean Physicians With This Score Will Always Be Invited?

No.

A CRS score of 198 was enough for this particular physicians draw, subject to the category requirements and tie-breaking rule.

It does not mean that a physician with 198 CRS points will automatically receive an ITA in the next draw.

The number of invitations and eligible candidates can change from one round to another.

Candidates should therefore avoid planning their immigration strategy around a single draw’s cut-off.

What Physicians Should Do After Receiving an ITA

Receiving an ITA is not the same as receiving permanent residence.

Candidates who receive an invitation must submit a complete permanent residence application within the applicable deadline and provide the required documentation.

Physicians should be particularly careful with:

• Employment records
• Canadian work experience documentation
• Medical credentials
• Licensing evidence
• Language test results
• Education documents
• Police certificates
• Proof of other eligibility requirements

Any discrepancy between the Express Entry profile and the final application can create serious problems.

What Physicians Below CRS 198 Can Do

Physicians who were not invited should not necessarily assume that Express Entry is no longer an option.

They can review whether their CRS score can be improved through factors such as language results, education, Canadian work experience or other eligible components.

They should also monitor future category-based rounds.

However, candidates should not simply wait for another physicians draw without checking whether their profile remains eligible for the category.

A Broader Signal for Canada’s Healthcare Immigration Strategy

The physicians category provides an important signal about Canada’s approach to healthcare immigration.

Rather than relying exclusively on general Express Entry draws, Canada can use category-based selection to target professionals in areas considered priorities.

For physicians already working in Canada, the latest draw demonstrates how Canadian work experience can intersect with targeted immigration policy.

For doctors outside Canada, however, the pathway is different because the physician-specific category requires Canadian work experience.

That makes the distinction between immigration eligibility and professional licensing especially important.

The September 3 Express Entry physicians draw is significant for doctors with qualifying Canadian work experience.

IRCC issued 229 ITAs at a CRS cut-off of 198, substantially below the 521 CRS requirement in the September 1 Canadian Experience Class draw.

The low score reflects the targeted nature of the physicians category rather than a broad reduction in Express Entry CRS requirements.

Physicians considering permanent residence should therefore focus on category eligibility, qualifying Canadian work experience, licensing requirements and the accuracy of their Express Entry profile.

The latest draw is encouraging for eligible physicians, but future cut-offs are not guaranteed to remain at 198.

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