Canada released the results for its first Express Entry draw exclusively for physicians with Canadian work experience. The selected skilled healthcare professionals have been sent invitations to apply for permanent residence.
Under the Express Entry system, Number 397 held on February 19, 2026, for the ‘Physicians with Canadian Work Experience, 2026-Version 1’, invitations to apply for Canada permanent residence were sent to 391 applicants.
The rank required to be invited to apply will be 391 or above. The CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited was 169. If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.
Date and time of round was February 19, 2026 at 14:24:23 UTC, while the Tie-breaking rule was as of January 03, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC.
In December 2025, Canada announced the creation of a new Express Entry category for international doctors by making the path to permanent residence simpler for foreign doctors. The invitations to apply for the new ‘physicians with Canadian work experience category’ have been issued for the first time on February 19, 2026.
The occupations eligible for the ‘physicians with Canadian work experience category’ are general practitioners and family physicians, specialists in surgery and specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine.
Eligibility
Foreign doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation, gained within the last three years, are eligible under the ‘physicians with Canadian work experience category’.
To be eligible, you must have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of full-time, continuous work experience or an equal amount of part-time experience, in a single occupation as General practitioners and family physicians or Specialists in surgery or Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine.
Medical Doctors
Canada has in place a 14-day work permit processing for medical doctors while waiting for permanent residence. Canada is making the path to permanent residence simpler for international medical doctors to support a stable health care system for Canadians. The foreign medical doctors can also include their family members in their application.
Medical doctors nominated by a province or territory will also get a work permit processed in 14 days, so they can work while they wait for permanent residence. To work as a medical doctor in Canada, you must first get your foreign credentials assessed and get licensed as a medical doctor in Canada through a provincial or territorial regulatory authority.
