Canada Just Made History: World's First Doctor-Only PR Draw — and 5 Brand New Express Entry Categories
The week of February 16–20, 2026 will go down as one of the most remarkable in Canada's immigration history. In just five days, IRCC held four separate Express Entry draws, issued 10,670 Invitations to Apply, launched the world's first-ever physician-exclusive PR draw at a record-breaking CRS score of just 169, and introduced 5 new occupational categories — all already live and operational.
The week of February 16–20, 2026 will go down as one of the most remarkable in Canada's immigration history. In just five days, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held four separate Express Entry draws, issued 10,670 Invitations to Apply for permanent residence, launched the world's first-ever physician-exclusive PR draw at a record-breaking CRS score of just 169, and introduced 5 new occupational categories — all already live and operational.
🩺THE HISTORIC FIRST: Doctors-Only Express Entry Draw (February 19, 2026)
- 📊391 doctors invited to apply for permanent residence
- 📉CRS cutoff: just 169 points — the lowest in the entire history of Express Entry (for context, most draws cut off between 470–540+)
- 🏥Why so low? Because only a small number of qualified physicians were in the pool — 391 is almost the entire eligible group
- 📅The physicians category was announced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab on February 18 — and the draw happened the very next day, one of the fastest category launches in Express Entry history
- 🔁Additional physician draws are expected throughout 2026 — if you are a doctor working in Canada, get your Express Entry profile in now
⚡THE FULL WEEK: Four Draws, 10,670 Invitations in 5 Days
- 📅February 16 — Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): 279 ITAs, CRS cutoff 789
- 📅February 17 — Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 6,000 ITAs, CRS cutoff 508
- 📅February 19 — Physicians with Canadian Experience: 391 ITAs, CRS cutoff 169 (all-time record low)
- 📅February 20 — Healthcare & Social Services: 4,000 ITAs, CRS cutoff 467
🆕5 NEW EXPRESS ENTRY CATEGORIES — Live for 2026
- 👨⚕️Physicians with Canadian work experience — for doctors already practising in Canada
- 🔬Researchers with Canadian work experience — supports Canada's innovation and academic sector
- 👔Senior managers with Canadian work experience — four NOC subcategories covering construction, financial services, health/education, and trade/broadcasting
- ✈️Existing categories renewed and continuing: Healthcare & social services, STEM, trades, transport, agriculture and agri-food, French language
📋MAJOR RULE CHANGE: Work Experience Requirement Doubled
- 📌OLD rule: 6 months of occupation-specific work experience to qualify for category-based draws
- 📌NEW rule for 2026: 12 months (1 full year) of occupation-specific work experience required
- ✅If you already have 12+ months: Great news — the eligible pool is now much smaller, meaning lower CRS competition and potentially lower cutoff scores in your category
- ⏳If you have 6–11 months: You must wait until you hit 12 months before entering a category draw — but the wait may be worth it given the reduced competition you will face
- ⚠️Note: The standard 1 year of work experience requirement for creating an Express Entry profile is unchanged. This new threshold applies only to category-based selection draws
🏆Who Qualifies for the New Categories
- ✔️At least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation within the past 3 years
- ✔️For physicians, researchers and senior managers: experience must be gained in Canada
- ✔️For healthcare, STEM, trades, transport: experience may be gained in Canada or abroad
- ✔️A valid Express Entry profile in the pool
- ✔️Meet all other Express Entry requirements (language tests, education assessments where required)
💡What This Means for You
- 🇨🇦Doctors working in Canada — this is your moment. The 169 CRS cutoff effectively means if you have 12 months of Canadian physician experience, you will almost certainly receive an ITA. Get your profile live now
- 🏥Healthcare workers — ongoing draws at ~467 CRS, well within reach for well-rounded profiles
- 🔬Researchers and senior managers — brand new categories with small pools, meaning lower expected cutoffs in coming months
- 🌍International candidates in healthcare, STEM, trades, transport — experience abroad counts for your category
- 🇫🇷French speakers — the Francophone category remains active with one of the lowest cutoffs (400 in the February 6 draw of 8,500 invitations)
- 📋Next draw expected around March 2–5, 2026 based on IRCC's biweekly schedule
Sources & Further Reading
IRCC: Express Entry — Canada's immigration system for skilled workersSource:IRCC / Immigration News Canada / Moving2Canada / Immigration.ca / Fragomen (February 18–20, 2026)
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