Express Entry: Canada issues thousands of invitations in second largest Healthcare draw of the year

Vikrant Gungash
Aug 20
3 min read

By Vikrant Singh, August 20, 2025

Canada is once again putting healthcare front and centre in its immigration strategy. On August 19, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 2,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Express Entry system in the Healthcare and social services category.

To qualify, candidates needed:

A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 470
An Express Entry profile created before 8:08 p.m. UTC on April 23, 2025

This latest draw is the second-largest healthcare-focused draw of 2025, coming only after the 4,000 ITAs issued in July.

A busy month of draws

August has been one of the busiest months of the year for Express Entry, with five draws so far:

Aug 19: Healthcare and social services – 2,500 ITAs (CRS 470)
Aug 18: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – 192 ITAs (CRS 800)
Aug 8: French language proficiency – 2,500 ITAs (CRS 481)
Aug 7: Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – 1,000 ITAs (CRS 534)
Aug 6: PNP – 225 ITAs (CRS 739)

This healthcare draw also marks the second week in a row with back-to-back invitations across different categories.

Healthcare candidates prioritized in 2025

Since May, IRCC has been holding monthly draws for healthcare and social services candidates—a significant shift, as no healthcare draws took place earlier this year. This new focus reflects Canada’s ongoing need for doctors, nurses, and other social service professionals to support its growing population and address labour shortages.

Express Entry in 2025 so far

As of this latest draw, 55,820 ITAs have been issued through Express Entry this year.

Here’s the breakdown by category:

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): 15 draws
Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 8 draws
French language proficiency: 4 draws
Healthcare and social services: 4 draws
Education: 1 draw

What this means for applicants

With lower CRS cut-offs compared to PNP draws, healthcare and social services invitations continue to create strong opportunities for skilled professionals abroad. While PNP candidates need CRS scores in the high 700s or 800s, healthcare draws have remained in the 470–510 range, making them more accessible for many applicants.

For those with experience in healthcare and social services, this could be the best time in years to consider applying through Express Entry.

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