In a surprise move late on 24 June 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ran the year’s second physician-specific Express Entry draw, inviting 271 doctors who already have at least one year of paid Canadian work experience. The draw—Round #421—set a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off of 223, the second-lowest threshold ever recorded for a category-based selection round. The physician stream was created in 2024 after provinces flagged chronic shortages of family doctors and specialists. Until then, many fee-for-service physicians were excluded from Express Entry because self-employment is normally not counted as “qualifying Canadian work.”
Applicants who find the immigration paperwork overwhelming can turn to VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step guidance on gathering documents, filling out IRCC forms, and tracking deadlines; its Canada-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) makes it easy for busy physicians to delegate the administrative load and avoid costly mistakes.
By carving out a dedicated slot, Ottawa effectively re-opened the door for doctors who are already practising in Canada on work permits to obtain permanent residence (PR) without having to compete in higher-scoring pools such as the Canadian Experience Class or the broader Healthcare & Social Services category. Wednesday’s draw is strategically timed. IRCC data show that more than 7,000 temporary resident physicians hold work permits that expire before October 2026; if even a fraction of them switch to PR this summer, provincial health systems gain long-term retention while hospitals avoid repeat Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) paperwork. At the same time, a 223 CRS cut-off means that virtually every eligible doctor in the pool was selected—an unmistakable signal that Ottawa wants them to stay. Practically speaking, successful candidates now have 60 days to file full electronic PR applications. Experience from the February physician draw suggests that medical-licensing paperwork (letters of good standing, hospital-privileges confirmations and college registration certificates) is the biggest hurdle. Provincial regulators can take weeks to issue documents, so IRCC is urging applicants to begin gathering proof immediately. For hospital recruiters and corporate health-care groups, the message is clear: category-based physician draws are here to stay and will likely run whenever the qualified pool tops a few hundred profiles. Employers with sponsored doctors should prepare compliance packages well in advance so that clinicians can accept invitations quickly and transition to PR before their current work authorisations lapse.
Applicants who find the immigration paperwork overwhelming can turn to VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step guidance on gathering documents, filling out IRCC forms, and tracking deadlines; its Canada-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) makes it easy for busy physicians to delegate the administrative load and avoid costly mistakes.
By carving out a dedicated slot, Ottawa effectively re-opened the door for doctors who are already practising in Canada on work permits to obtain permanent residence (PR) without having to compete in higher-scoring pools such as the Canadian Experience Class or the broader Healthcare & Social Services category. Wednesday’s draw is strategically timed. IRCC data show that more than 7,000 temporary resident physicians hold work permits that expire before October 2026; if even a fraction of them switch to PR this summer, provincial health systems gain long-term retention while hospitals avoid repeat Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) paperwork. At the same time, a 223 CRS cut-off means that virtually every eligible doctor in the pool was selected—an unmistakable signal that Ottawa wants them to stay. Practically speaking, successful candidates now have 60 days to file full electronic PR applications. Experience from the February physician draw suggests that medical-licensing paperwork (letters of good standing, hospital-privileges confirmations and college registration certificates) is the biggest hurdle. Provincial regulators can take weeks to issue documents, so IRCC is urging applicants to begin gathering proof immediately. For hospital recruiters and corporate health-care groups, the message is clear: category-based physician draws are here to stay and will likely run whenever the qualified pool tops a few hundred profiles. Employers with sponsored doctors should prepare compliance packages well in advance so that clinicians can accept invitations quickly and transition to PR before their current work authorisations lapse.
