On February 14, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a category-based draw for Express Entry candidates with experience in healthcare occupations where the department issued 3,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to those with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 422.
This CRS score marked the lowest minimum score of any healthcare draw since the introduction of category-based draws in June 2023, coming in nine points lower than the previous record-low (431 on October 26, 2023) to date. Additionally, this marks the lowest CRS of any Express Entry draw (standard or category-based) since December 21, 2023.
Although IRCC issued its second-highest-ever number of healthcare draw ITAs during the department’s February 14 draw*, candidates who did not receive an ITA may be wondering how they could have strengthened their profiles enough to receive an ITA. To assist candidates in this goal, the following will outline, using fictional Express Entry profiles, how different candidates may have achieved a high enough CRS score to receive an ITA on February 14, 2024.
*IRCC issued 3,600 ITAs on October 26.
Eligibility for healthcare category-based draws
Before creating an Express Entry profile and entering themselves into the Express Entry pool for IRCC’s category-based draws, candidates need to ensure they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
To be eligible for a healthcare occupations category Express Entry draw, candidates are required to:
- Have accumulated, within the past three years, continuous work experience* that equates to a minimum of six months of full-time (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- Meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
*This work experience must all be in one of 35 occupations listed as eligible for healthcare occupation draws by IRCC. However, this experience may have been acquired in Canada or abroad.
Example profiles of successful ITA recipients
Note: The three fictional Express Entry candidates below all created profiles after applied for permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). The FSWP is one of three programs managed by IRCC’s Express Entry application management system, which also manages the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Michael from the United States of America (USA)
Michael is an experienced dentist – National Occupation Classification 2021 (NOC 2021) Code: 31110
- Age: 40
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Master’s or Entry-to-Practice Professional Degree
- 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: Yes
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- French Proficiency: Three for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Six years or more
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: Yes
- Spouse’s Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- Spouse’s Study in Canada: No
- Spouse’s Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Spouse’s English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- Spouse’s French Proficiency: Three for all abilities
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- “Close Family Member” in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: No
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: No
Result: With this profile, Michael’s CRS score was 427.
Claire from Belgium
Claire is a nutritionist – National Occupation Classification 2021 (NOC 2021) Code: 31121
- Age: 31
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: Yes
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: Seven for writing/speaking; Six for reading; Nine for listening
- French Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Four years
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: Yes
- Spouse’s Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- Spouse’s Study in Canada: No
- Spouse’s Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Spouse’s English Proficiency: Four for all abilities
- Spouse’s French Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- “Close Family Member” in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: No
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
- Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: No
- Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
- Job Offer Supported by Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): No
- Currently Working in Canada on a Valid Work Permit for the Employer Offering Job: No
Result: This profile helped Claire earn a CRS score of 528.
Kady from the Philippines
Kady is a kinesiologist – National Occupation Classification 2021 (NOC 2021) Code: 31204
- Age: 24
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Two or more post secondary credentials with at least one being three-plus years
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: Eight for all abilities
- French Proficiency: Three for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: No
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): Yes
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: Yes
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
- Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: No
- Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
- Job Offer Supported by LMIA: Yes
Result: With the above profile, Kady earned a CRS score of 955.
