IRCC invited 271 physicians with Canadian work experience at CRS 223 on June 24, 2026 — only the second physicians draw ever, and one of the lowest cutoffs of the year.
On June 24, 2026, IRCC ran the strangest-looking draw of the year: 271 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) at a CRS cutoff of just 223. A score that low would normally look like a typo. It isn't. This was a category-based round for Physicians with Canadian Work Experience — only the second of its kind ever — and the small, specialized pool is why the cutoff fell so far below general rounds. If you do not meet the physician category's requirements, CRS 223 does not apply to your profile.
On June 24, 2026, IRCC invited 271 candidates in the Physicians with Canadian Work Experience category with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 223, according to IRCC's official round record. To be in range, candidates needed a profile created before May 31, 2026 at 18:13 UTC.
This was round #421, the 33rd Express Entry round of 2026, and the third day of a four-day cluster — slotted between the June 23 CEC round (4,000 ITAs at CRS 516) and the June 25 healthcare round (4,000 ITAs at CRS 475). It's the second physicians draw ever. The first ran on February 19, 2026, at an even lower cutoff of 169 — at the time, one of the lowest CRS thresholds in Express Entry history.
A 223 cutoff is not a sign that Express Entry is getting easier. It's a sign of how category-based selection works.
In a general draw, you're ranked against the whole pool — hundreds of thousands of people — so the cutoff lands in the 500s. In the physicians category, you're ranked only against other physicians with Canadian work experience who've opted in. That's a very small, very specific group. When IRCC wants to invite a few hundred of them, the line falls to wherever the bottom of that short queue sits — on June 24, that was 223. The score reflects the size of the eligible group, not the difficulty of getting in.
The fee-for-service issue predates this category. Physicians who bill a public health plan can be treated as self-employed, and self-employment is normally excluded from Canadian Experience Class work experience. IRCC announced a physician-specific exemption in 2022 and implemented a temporary public policy for eligible Express Entry applications submitted after invitations issued on or after April 25, 2023. Under that policy, qualifying publicly funded medical work—including fee-for-service work—can count as Canadian experience.
The dedicated physicians category was a later measure. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced it in December 2025 for doctors with at least one year of recent Canadian experience. In other words, the 2026 category did not create the fee-for-service exemption; it created a narrower invitation lane for doctors whose qualifying Canadian work can include that experience.
Two rounds so far, both small, both at very low cutoffs. The category has issued 662 invitations total this year.
| Draw Date | Physician ITAs | CRS Cutoff |
|---|
| February 19 | 391 | 169 |
| June 24 | 271 | 223 |
The cutoff rose 54 points between February and June, and the round was smaller — consistent with a niche pool that gets partly cleared each time a draw runs, then slowly refills. Don't expect these rounds to be large; expect them to be accessible to the specific people they target.
The physicians category is narrow by design. To be eligible, you generally need:
- At least 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience (or the part-time equivalent) in the last three years, in a single eligible occupation — and fee-for-service work qualifies.
- Experience in one of three physician occupations: general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102), specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100), or specialists in surgery (31101).
- A valid Express Entry profile, with the language, education, and other minimums any Express Entry program requires.
If that's you, the physicians category may put you in a much smaller pool than a general or program-specific round. It still does not guarantee an invitation. If your healthcare work falls outside those three codes — nursing, allied health, lab and technical roles — you're not in this category, but you may be in the much broader Healthcare and Social Services category, which covers 37 occupations and cleared at 475 the very next day.
You have 60 days from the invitation date to submit a complete permanent residence application. For an invitation issued June 24, that falls on August 23, 2026. Confirm the exact deadline displayed in your IRCC account. Beyond the standard Express Entry documents (language test, police certificates, medical exam), physicians should pay special attention to:
- Proof of fee-for-service experience. If you bill the provincial plan rather than draw a salary, assemble billing records, contracts, and a letter from the health authority or clinic confirming your role, hours, and dates — your file needs to demonstrate the Canadian experience clearly, since it doesn't come on a standard employer letterhead.
- Your provincial licence and registration with the relevant College of Physicians and Surgeons — keep documentation current.
- An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for your foreign medical degree. If your primary occupation is NOC 31100, 31101 or 31102, IRCC requires the Medical Council of Canada to assess your primary medical diploma. See the doctor immigration and licensing guide.
If you meet an Express Entry program's requirements, use the CRS Calculator to estimate your score before comparing it with category-specific rounds.
The draw is only one part of a doctor's route. Our medical doctors immigration guide explains the separate healthcare category, the new provincial allocation, expedited work permits and the licensing track for international medical graduates.
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.