Express Entry Draw On Feb 19, 2026

Last Updated On 19 February 2026, 2:16 PM EST (Toronto Time)

Canada held its first-ever express entry draw exclusively for physicians with Canadian work experience on February 19, 2026, inviting 391 doctors to apply for permanent residence at a record-low CRS cutoff of just 169 points.

The historic draw marks the launch of the new physicians category announced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab just one day earlier, making it one of the fastest category implementations in express entry history.

The CRS score of 169 is the lowest cutoff ever recorded in any express entry invitation round, reflecting IRCC’s commitment to fast-tracking permanent residence for foreign-trained doctors already contributing to Canada’s healthcare system.

First Physicians Express Entry Draw Results

Category	Details
Draw Type	Physicians with Canadian Work Experience (2026-Version 1)
Date	February 19, 2026
CRS Cutoff	169
Invitations Issued	391
Rank Required	391 or above
Tie-Breaking Rule	January 03, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC

Tie-Breaking Rule Explained

The tie-breaking rule for this draw was set at January 03, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC.

This means that if multiple candidates had a CRS score of exactly 169, only those who submitted their express entry profile before January 3, 2026 at 03:25:14 UTC received invitations.

Candidates with a CRS of 169 who submitted their profiles after this timestamp would not have received an invitation in this round and must wait for future physician category draws.

Why The 169 CRS Cutoff Is Historic

The 169 CRS cutoff in this physician’s draw is unprecedented in express entry history.

To put this in perspective, general Canadian Experience Class (CEC) express entry draws typically have CRS cutoffs ranging upwards of 508 points, while previous category-based draws for healthcare occupations saw cutoffs between 420 and 480 points.

A CRS score of 169 means that virtually any physician in the express entry pool who met the eligibility requirements received an invitation.

This includes doctors who may have lower language test scores, fewer educational credentials, or other factors that would typically result in a lower CRS ranking.

The exceptionally low cutoff indicates that the pool of eligible physicians with 12 months of Canadian work experience is relatively small, allowing IRCC to invite nearly all qualifying candidates.

Who Was Eligible For This Draw

To receive an invitation in this historic physicians draw, candidates needed to meet specific eligibility requirements.

Work experience requirements:

Candidates must have accumulated at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or equivalent part-time) within the past 3 years in one of the eligible physician occupations.

This experience must have been gained in Canada and does not need to be continuous.

Eligible NOC codes:

Occupation	NOC Code	TEER
General practitioners and family physicians	31102	1
Specialists in surgery	31101	1
Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine	31100	1

This includes family doctors, general practitioners, surgeons of all specialties, and clinical specialists such as cardiologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, oncologists, and pathologists.

What The 391 Invitations Mean For Canada’s Healthcare System

The 391 invitations issued in this draw represent doctors who are already working in Canada’s healthcare system and will now have a clear pathway to permanent residence.

Canada faces a significant physician shortage, with many communities lacking adequate access to family doctors and specialists.

By fast-tracking permanent residence for foreign-trained physicians already practicing in Canada, IRCC aims to retain medical talent that might otherwise leave when their temporary work permits expire.

The small number of invitations relative to other express entry draws reflects the specialized nature of this category.

Unlike broader healthcare draws that include nurses, pharmacists, and other professionals, this draw targeted only licensed physicians with Canadian work experience.

How This Draw Compares To Other Healthcare Draws

The physicians category draw differs significantly from the broader healthcare and social services category draws that have been held since 2023.

Key differences:

The physicians’ draw is exclusive to doctors (NOC 31100, 31101, 31102), while healthcare category draws include dozens of occupations such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and other healthcare professionals.

The physicians’ draw requires Canadian work experience specifically, whereas the healthcare category accepts work experience gained in Canada or abroad.

The CRS cutoff of 169 is dramatically lower than healthcare category draws, which typically see cutoffs between 430 and 480 points due to the larger eligible candidate pool.

Next Steps For Invited Candidates

Physicians who received invitations in this draw have 60 days to submit their complete permanent residence application.

Required documents include:

Valid language test results (IELTS or CELPIP for English, TEF or TCF for French)
Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for foreign credentials
Proof of Canadian work experience as a physician
Police certificates from all countries where the candidate has lived for 6+ months
Medical examination results
Proof of funds (if applicable)

Candidates should begin gathering documents immediately, as the 60-day deadline is strict and extensions are rarely granted.

When Will The Next Physicians Draw Be Held

IRCC has not announced a specific schedule for future physicians category draws.

However, based on the announcement that draws for this category would begin “in the coming days” after February 18, 2026, it is expected that additional rounds will be held throughout 2026.

Physicians who did not receive an invitation in this round—either because they were not yet in the express entry pool or did not meet the tie-breaking rule—should ensure their profiles are complete and accurate for future draws.

Given the extremely low CRS cutoff of 169, eligible physicians who enter the pool before the next draw have a strong likelihood of receiving an invitation.

The record-low CRS cutoff in this physicians’ draw supports expectations that other occupation-specific categories may also see lower cutoffs in 2026 following the increase in work experience requirements from 6 months to 12 months.

With fewer candidates meeting the new 12-month threshold across all categories, IRCC may need to reach deeper into the CRS rankings to fill invitation targets, potentially resulting in lower cutoffs for healthcare, STEM, trades, and other category-based draws.

Candidates in other occupation categories should monitor draw results closely to identify trends and opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What was the CRS cutoff for the first physician express entry draw?

The CRS cutoff for the first physicians’ express entry draw held on February 19, 2026 was 169 points, the lowest cutoff ever recorded in any express entry invitation round.

Why was the CRS cutoff so low for the physicians’ draw?

The low cutoff of 169 indicates a small pool of eligible candidates who have 12 months of Canadian work experience as physicians. This allowed IRCC to invite nearly all qualifying doctors in the express entry pool.

Satinder Bains

Satinder brings expertise, knowledge, and experience related to internal work flows at IRCC. She worked at Canadian Consulate in Chandigarh before moving to Canada. Her articles on “Chinook – An internal IRCC tool used to bulk process temporary applications” was one of the notable work on our news website