Express Entry Draw #398: Healthcare Workers Get 4,000 ITAs
On February 20, 2026, IRCC issued 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in Express Entry Draw #398, targeting candidates in healthcare and social services occupations. The CRS cutoff landed at 467 points, with a tiebreaker timestamp of December 9, 2025 at 18:22:06 UTC.
Draw #398: 467 CRS(Healthcare)What happened in Draw #398
This was a category-based draw under the healthcare and social services stream. Unlike general draws (which pull from the entire Express Entry pool based solely on CRS score), category-based draws target candidates whose work experience aligns with occupations IRCC has flagged as priorities.
Here's the breakdown:
- Draw number: 398
- Date: February 20, 2026
- Category: Healthcare and Social Services Occupations
- CRS cutoff: 467
- ITAs issued: 4,000
- Tiebreaker: December 9, 2025, 18:22:06 UTC
The tiebreaker timestamp means that among candidates tied at exactly 467 CRS points, only those who submitted their profiles before that date and time received an ITA.
How this compares to recent draws
Category-based draws have been a staple of the Express Entry system since 2023. Healthcare draws typically see cutoffs in the 430 to 480 range, depending on pool size and how many ITAs IRCC decides to issue.
Category-based draws use lower CRS cutoffs than general draws because they pull from a smaller candidate pool. If your work experience qualifies for a priority category, you may get an ITA even with a score that wouldn't make it in a general round.
For context, the full draw history is available on IRCC's website. General No Program Specified draws in early 2026 have been running cutoffs around 520 to 540, which makes this healthcare draw significantly more accessible.
What this means for you
If you're a healthcare worker with a CRS score in the 460+ range, category-based draws are your best path to an ITA. The 467 cutoff is in line with recent healthcare rounds, so this category remains one of the more attainable streams.
If your score is below 467, focus on the factors that move your CRS the most: language test scores, education credential assessment, and Canadian work experience. Even a 10-point bump in language scores can shift your total significantly.
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Key takeaways
- Category draws remain active. IRCC continues to run occupation-specific draws alongside general rounds.
- 4,000 ITAs is a large round. Healthcare draws have ranged from 500 to 4,000 ITAs per round.
- 467 CRS is achievable. This is well below the 520+ cutoffs in general draws, making healthcare one of the more accessible categories.
Check the full draw results page for the complete history and to see where your score falls relative to recent rounds.
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