Canada continues to prioritize skilled healthcare talent as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted its latest category-based Express Entry draw, inviting 2,500 candidates from the Healthcare and Social Services sector to apply for permanent residency, Maple News reports.
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 472 and must have created their Express Entry profile before 11:17 p.m. UTC on May 12, 2025, to qualify for consideration. This draw marks the fourth healthcare-specific invitation round of the year, amid Canada’s broad strategy to address labor shortages in critical sectors through immigration.
As of October 15, 2025, Canada has issued 73,183 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Express Entry system. The draws have increasingly focused on specific categories, including the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), French-language proficiency, and key occupational streams like healthcare, education, and skilled trades.
So far in 2025, IRCC has conducted 19 PNP draws, making it the most frequent category, followed by 10 Canadian Experience Class draws. The healthcare-focused category has seen four rounds, underlining the country’s commitment to strengthening its medical and caregiving workforce.
This most recent healthcare draw follows closely on the heels of a PNP draw held on October 14, a round targeting French speakers on October 6, and a CEC-specific draw on October 1. These back-to-back draws reflect the IRCC’s ongoing commitment to targeted immigration streams, supporting both economic and demographic growth across Canada.
Healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, and social workers remain in high demand, especially in Canada’s aging population and underserved rural areas. By inviting thousands of candidates with healthcare experience, Canada aims to bolster its public health system and ensure long-term service capacity.
Express Entry, Canada’s flagship immigration system, continues to evolve with category-based selections introduced in 2023. These changes allow the government to better align immigration with labor market needs, using specific criteria like language skills, work experience, or job sectors to guide selections.
According to Maple News, the Express Entry stream remains one of the most efficient pathways for skilled professionals to transition to permanent residency in Canada. Those working in high-demand fields such as healthcare are seeing improved chances through targeted draws focused on occupation-specific needs.
As Express Entry continues to refine its strategy, healthcare talent from around the world is poised to play a critical role in shaping the future of Canadian communities.