Express Entry Draw #385 on December 11, 2025 is a targeted category-based round for Healthcare and Social Services occupations (Version 2), issuing 1,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) with a minimum CRS score of 476.
Core details of Express Entry Draw 385
According to IRCC’s rounds of invitations, Express Entry Draw #385 took place on December 11, 2025 at 11:51:44 UTC, targeting the Healthcare and Social Services occupations (Version 2) category.
- Category: Healthcare and social services occupations (Version 2)
- Number of invitations: 1,000
- CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 476
- Rank required to be invited: 1,000 or above in this category grouping
- Tie-breaking rule: November 26, 2025 at 07:44:30 UTC – candidates with CRS 476 only received an ITA if their profile was submitted before this date and time.
Invitations in this draw may go to candidates who are eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), as long as they also meet the occupation- and experience-based requirements of this specific category.
How the Healthcare & Social Services (Version 2) category works
IRCC defines the Healthcare and social services occupations (Version 2) category under paragraph 10.3(1)(h.2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act as one of the 2025 Express Entry category-based selection groups, with the economic goal of improving the responsiveness of skilled immigration to health and community-care labour market needs.
To be a member of this category, an eligible Express Entry candidate must:
- Have accumulated at least six months of full-time work experience (or the equivalent in part-time) in one continuous period in one of the listed NOC occupations.
- Have gained that experience within the three-year period preceding the date the category was established (for membership) and also within the three-year period before the officer receives the PR application (for final eligibility).
- Have performed the actions in the lead statement and a substantial number of main duties, including all essential duties, for that NOC in Canada’s National Occupational Classification.
- Not include any unauthorized work in Canada in that experience—unauthorized periods are explicitly excluded from the calculation.
The category is open for invitations from December 11 to December 12, 2025, and within this window, IRCC may issue up to 1,000 invitations under these ministerial instructions.
Eligible occupations in this draw
The table attached to the ministerial instructions lists 37 NOC unit groups under healthcare and social services (Version 2). Some key examples include:
- Nurses and primary care
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 31300 – Nursing co‑ordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- Physicians and specialists
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
- NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- Allied health professionals
- NOC 32120 – Medical laboratory technologists
- NOC 32121 – Medical radiation technologists
- NOC 32122 – Medical sonographers
- NOC 32103 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- NOC 32123 – Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
- NOC 31120 – Pharmacists
- NOC 33103 – Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- NOC 32124 – Pharmacy technicians
- Therapy and rehabilitation
- NOC 31202 – Physiotherapists
- NOC 31203 – Occupational therapists
- NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- NOC 32201 – Massage therapists
- NOC 32102 – Paramedical occupations
- Dental, vision and vet professionals
- NOC 32111 – Dental hygienists and dental therapists
- NOC 31110 – Dentists
- NOC 31111 – Optometrists
- NOC 32104 – Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
- NOC 31103 – Veterinarians
- Mental health and social services
- NOC 31200 – Psychologists
- NOC 41300 – Social workers
- NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers
- NOC 41301 – Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
- Other health professionals
- NOC 31112 – Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- NOC 31201 – Chiropractors
- NOC 31121 – Dietitians and nutritionists
- NOC 31209 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- NOC 32129 – Other medical technologists and technicians
- NOC 31303 – Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
Candidates must have their qualifying six‑month continuous experience in one of these unit groups to be considered within this category draw.
How Draw 385 fits into 2025 healthcare & social services draw patterns
Draw 385 follows several earlier 2025 category-based draws for the same Healthcare and social services (Version 2) category, which had larger invitation counts and slightly different CRS cut-offs:
- May 2, 2025 – 500 ITAs, CRS 510 (first healthcare & social services category draw).
- July 22, 2025 (Draw #357) – 4,000 ITAs, CRS 475.
- August 19, 2025 – 2,500 ITAs, CRS 470.
- October 15, 2025 – 2,500 ITAs, CRS 472.
- November 14, 2025 – 3,500 ITAs, CRS 462, one of the largest healthcare-category draws with the lowest CRS threshold so far.
Compared with these:
- Draw 385’s CRS 476 is somewhat higher than the 462–472 band seen in the largest October and November 2025 healthcare draws.
- The 1,000 ITAs in Draw 385 are more modest than the big mid‑year rounds (2,500–4,000 invitations), suggesting a targeted year‑end top‑up rather than a major volume push.
This continues the broader 2025 trend where IRCC uses category-based selection to specifically support healthcare and social services labour shortages while varying volume and CRS cut-offs based on operational and admissions targets.
What Draw 385 means for healthcare and social services candidates
For candidates in the healthcare & social services category:
- A CRS cut-off of 476 remains competitive but is lower than many general all-program draws, reflecting the priority status of these occupations.
- The tie-breaking rule of November 26, 2025 shows how profile submission timing matters: candidates at 476 with older profiles gained an edge over those who reached the same score later.
To benefit from future draws in this category, candidates should:
- Ensure they correctly claim work experience under the right NOC from the Version 2 list and can prove six months of continuous, qualifying work within the last three years (excluding any unauthorized work in Canada).
- Maintain eligibility for at least one base program (FSWP, CEC or FSTP), as category-based invitations still sit on top of the Express Entry program framework.
- Focus on boosting CRS where possible (language scores, education, Canadian work experience, spouse factors), since cut-offs for this category have fluctuated between the low 460s and around 510 over 2025.
For Canada’s health and social services system, Draw 385 is another step in a year-long strategy to attract and retain critical talent—from nurses, physicians and pharmacists to social workers, psychologists and community service workers—using a finely targeted Express Entry category aligned with long-term economic and demographic needs.
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