Express Entry Targets Healthcare Sector Again #398 invited

Express Entry draw #398 invited 4,000 healthcare and social services candidates

IRCC held a category-based Express Entry draw on February 20, 2026 targeting the Healthcare and Social Services Occupations (2026-Version 3) category. In this round, IRCC issued 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) and the minimum CRS score was 467.

The draw also used a tie-breaking timestamp of December 09, 2025 at 18:22:06 UTC. This matters only for people sitting exactly at the cut-off score.

Quick draw summary (official numbers)

Draw number: 398
Date: February 20, 2026
Draw type: Healthcare and Social Services Occupations (category-based)
ITAs issued: 4,000
CRS cut-off: 467
Rank needed: 4,000 or above
Tie-break: December 09, 2025 at 18:22:06 UTC

Who is eligible for the healthcare category

To be eligible for the healthcare and social services category, IRCC says you must have:

At least 12 months of full-time (or equal part-time) work experience in the last 3 years
in one eligible occupation from IRCC’s list (even if it is not your primary occupation)
and you must meet the instructions for that round

Important: Category eligibility is not enough by itself. You must also be eligible for one of the programs managed under Express Entry (CEC, FSW, or FST) and have a valid profile in the pool.

What the tie-breaking rule means (simple explanation)

If many candidates have the same CRS score at the cut-off (here: 467), IRCC invites the people who submitted their Express Entry profiles earlier first.

So for this draw, if you had 467, your profile needed to be submitted on or before the tie-break timestamp to receive an ITA.

What to do next if you received an ITA

An ITA is not permanent residence. It is an invitation to submit a full PR application.

IRCC gives you 60 days to submit your complete application after you receive an ITA, so you should start gathering documents right away.

Internal guidance (Canadianow): If you are being invited through a healthcare category draw, double-check:

your NOC code matches the eligible list,
your work letters clearly prove main duties + dates + hours, and
your language and education documents are still valid.

Why this draw matters in 2026

Two days earlier (February 18, 2026), IRCC confirmed that health care and social services remains one of the Express Entry priority categories for 2026.
This draw (#398) is one example of how IRCC is using category-based selection to target specific labour needs.

Reality check

Even if your occupation is targeted, there is no guarantee of an ITA in the next draw. Cut-off scores can move up or down, and eligibility rules can be updated. The safest plan is to keep your Express Entry profile accurate, valid, and document-ready.