On June 28, 2023, the Canadian Government announced an initiative to invite skilled newcomers with work experience in healthcare to address this sector's severe labour market shortages. Statistics Canada reported an all-time high of 150,100 job vacancies in health and social assistance in the third quarter of 2022, with 38 of the 58 occupational groupings that faced shortages between 2019 and 2021 concentrated in health. Employment and Social Development Canada’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) predicts that health care will become the largest employing sector in Canada, with over 2.5 million workers by 2031.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first occupation-specific Express Entry draw and issued 500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates working in healthcare occupations. In round #252, the cut-off score was 476 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 12, 2022, at 12:47:27 UTC. As of June 28, 2023, there were 220,003 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. On July 5, 2023, IRCC will hold another occupation-specific Express Entry draw for healthcare workers. This year, Canada issued 59,548 ITAs through the Express Entry draws.

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