Express Entry Physicians Category with Canadian Work Experience
The Express Entry Physicians Category with Canadian Work Experience is one of Canada’s most powerful category-based selection pathways for foreign-trained doctors already working here. If you have at least twelve months of Canadian experience in a qualifying physician occupation, you may receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) with a CRS cutoff far below general Express Entry draws, in some rounds under 200 points. Here, ImmigCanada will walk you through the eligible NOC codes, the draw history so far, realistic CRS scoring examples, and what to do if you are still short of the twelve-month experience threshold.
At ImmigCanada, we will walk you through exactly who qualifies, which NOC codes count, and what the two draws held so far actually tell you about your own chances.
Only three physician occupations qualify, the experience has to be Canadian rather than foreign, and you need a full twelve months of it within the past three years. Because the eligible pool is so small, IRCC has been able to invite nearly everyone who qualifies in each round, which is exactly why the cutoffs have landed so far below every other category on the board.
This kind of cutoff is almost unheard of elsewhere in Express Entry Category-Based Selection, which is exactly why physicians should not assume their CRS score is too low.
Express Entry Physicians Category with Canadian Work Experience
| Detail | Current Requirement |
| Category name | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience |
| Introduced | December 8, 2025 |
| Canadian work experience required | Yes. Experience gained abroad does not count toward this category |
| Minimum experience | 12 months full-time, or the part-time equivalent, within the past 3 years |
| Number of eligible occupations | 3 |
| Draws held so far | 2 (February 19, 2026 and June 24, 2026) |
| Lowest CRS cutoff on record for any Express Entry round | 169 (Physicians category, February 19, 2026) |
Which Physician Occupations Qualify?
Only three NOC codes are recognized under this category, all classified at TEER 1. Your primary Canadian work experience, the one tied to your Express Entry profile, needs to match one of these codes directly rather than simply being medically adjacent.
| NOC 2021 Code | Occupation | Includes |
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians | Family doctors, GPs in clinics, community health centres, and private practice |
| 31101 | Specialists in surgery | General, orthopedic, cardiac, neuro, plastic, gynecological surgery, ophthalmology, urology, and surgical residents |
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | Internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, dermatology, pathology, and residents in these specialties |
Permanent residence granted through this category does not itself authorize you to practice medicine. Provincial licensing, such as through the College of Physicians and Surgeons in your province, remains a separate process governed by that regulator, not by IRCC.
What Have the Draws Under This Category Looked Like?
| Draw Date | Round | CRS Cutoff | Invitations Issued |
| February 19, 2026 | Round 397 | 169 | 391 |
| June 24, 2026 | Round 421 | 223 | 271 |
The cutoff rose by 54 points between the first and second round, which tracks with a growing pool of eligible candidates as more physicians accumulate their twelve months of Canadian experience and enter the pool. Even with that increase, 223 remains far below the roughly 507 to 518 range that Canadian Experience Class draws have held throughout 2026, so this category is still by a wide margin the fastest route available to eligible physicians.
If your CRS score is nowhere near 500 but you have a year of Canadian clinical experience, this category may be the single best move available to you. Worth a conversation before you assume you are not competitive.
A cutoff this low is rare even within Express Entry Category-Based Selection, and it shows how far a narrow, high-need occupation list can shift Express Entry Draws.
What CRS Score Should Physicians Expect to Need Going Forward?
Given the trajectory from 169 to 223, a reasonable working assumption is that future rounds may continue to climb somewhat as the pool of Canadian-experienced physicians grows, though nowhere near general program levels. Two illustrative profiles below show why almost any physician with the required Canadian experience clears this bar comfortably.
Example: A Family Physician With Two Years of Experience in Ontario, CLB 8
| CRS Factor | Points |
| Age (36 years old) | 80 |
| Medical degree | 128 |
| Language ability, CLB 8 | 104 |
| Canadian work experience, 2 years | 70 |
| Estimated total | 380 to 400 (approximate) |
Example: An Internal Medicine Specialist With One Year of Experience, CLB 7
| CRS Factor | Points |
| Age (41 years old) | 50 |
| Medical degree | 128 |
| Language ability, CLB 7 | 88 |
| Canadian work experience, 1 year | 40 |
| Estimated total | 300 to 320 (approximate) |
Both profiles clear the 223 cutoff from the June round with meaningful room to spare, which is a strong argument for building your Express Entry profile now rather than waiting for a higher score.
What If You Do Not Yet Have Twelve Months of Canadian Experience?
| Pathway | Best Suited For | Typical Timeline |
| Temporary work permit in an eligible physician NOC | Physicians not yet working in Canada | Varies, expedited processing may apply for these NOCs |
| Provincial Nominee Program physician streams | Candidates with a confirmed job offer in an underserved area | 6 to 12 months |
| Broader Healthcare and Social Services category | Physicians who have not yet hit 12 Canadian months but have experience abroad | Ongoing, multiple rounds per year |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This is one of the categories where IRCC specifically requires the qualifying twelve months to have been worked in Canada. Experience gained abroad may still support a profile through the broader Healthcare and Social Services category, but it does not count toward this narrower physicians stream.
The category itself is built around work experience, not licence type, so provisional or full licensure while actively practicing can both support eligibility, provided the underlying work matches one of the three listed NOC codes. Confirming exactly how your specific licence status is treated is worth doing individually, since provincial rules vary.
The first round drew from a very small early pool of physicians who already had twelve Canadian months banked. As more physicians accumulated qualifying experience and entered the Express Entry pool through the rest of the year, the pool available for the June round was larger and somewhat stronger, pushing the cutoff up from 169 to 223.
Two rounds so far, spaced roughly four months apart, suggest IRCC intends to keep running this category periodically through the year, though exact dates are never announced in advance. Keeping an active, accurate Express Entry profile is the only way to be ready when the next round is called.
For physicians building Canadian experience now, Express Entry Category-Based Selection remains the fastest route to Immigrate to Canada through Express Entry.
Eivy Joy Quito, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) licensed with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, can review your clinical experience, your CRS score, and your full profile to build a clear plan toward permanent residence. Book a one-on-one consultation with ImmigCanada today and see exactly where you stand.