Canada Holds First Healthcare Express Entry Draw of 2025

Canada’s First Healthcare Express Entry Draw of 2025

Canada’s immigration department (IRCC) held its first Healthcare-specific Express Entry draw of 2025. A total of 500 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency through this draw.

Who Was Eligible?

This draw was targeted specifically at healthcare and social service workers. To be eligible, candidates needed to have at least 6 months of experience in one of 37 approved occupations within the healthcare or social service fields.

[table “69” not found /]

CRS Score Requirement Increased

In this round, the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 510.
This is significantly higher than the last healthcare draw, which only required a CRS score of 463.

Key Details of the Draw

• Category: Healthcare and social service occupations
• Date: May 2, 2025
• CRS cutoff: 510
• Number of ITAs issued: 500
• Tie-breaker rule: July 21, 2024 at 04:31:17 UTC (If multiple people had a CRS of 510, the one who applied earlier was selected)

Why This Draw Matters

Canada is facing a shortage of healthcare workers and has an aging population — nearly 1 in 5 people are over 65.
Because of this, immigration is key to filling healthcare jobs. This draw shows Canada’s strong commitment to growing its healthcare workforce through targeted immigration.

What’s Next for Express Entry in 2025?

Looking ahead, IRCC is expected to:

• Focus more on healthcare, Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws.
• Prioritize candidates who are already living in Canada.
• Continue Francophone (French-speaking) draws to support French-speaking communities.
• Possibly add more focus on education and trade-related occupations.

However, there have been some delays recently. Since March 21, 2025, there had been no draws, possibly due to the upcoming election or technical system updates. This created some uncertainty for applicants.

High Competition & Strategic Planning Needed

The Express Entry system is very competitive right now, with over 246,000 candidates in the pool.

To succeed:

• Candidates should stay updated on IRCC announcements.
• Keep improving their profiles (like gaining more work experience or improving language scores).
• Consider Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)—especially those in rural or Francophone areas—which may offer quicker pathways.

Conclusion

Despite recent pauses and rising score cutoffs, this healthcare draw is a strong signal that Canada urgently needs healthcare workers.

If you’re in the healthcare field and interested in moving to Canada, now is a great time to prepare your Express Entry profile or explore provincial options.

Get in touch with SPS Global

Receive professional advice on any of your questions regarding Canadian immigration. get in touch with us, experienced immigration consultants from SPS Canada. For additional information, contact support@spscanada.com (Canada) or support.amd@spscanada.com (Ahmedabad), or by phone at (1) 905-362-9393 (Canada) or +919586226232 (Ahmedabad).