A specialized immigration stream for healthcare professionals

A specialized immigration stream for healthcare professionals

Canada introduces a specialized immigration stream designed exclusively for healthcare professionals.

In Canada, there is a pressing need for health workers in various communities. The health field, an important sector of Canada’s workforce, is currently facing unprecedented shortages. To address this challenge, Minister Fraser recently announced changes to Canada’s primary economic immigration program, Express Entry. Under these new changes, the Government of Canada can now invite candidates with specific skills, training, or language abilities from particular fields to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Today, Minister Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced the implementation of these new features for a dedicated round of invitations targeting health workers. This includes professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and optometrists.

The first round of selection, focused on this category, will commence today and will invite 500 health workers to apply. A second round, inviting 1,500 workers to apply, is scheduled for July 5. This phased approach ensures a smooth launch of the program.

By prioritizing candidates with healthcare expertise and attracting the necessary talent, this measure aims to enhance access to healthcare services for Canadians and their families.

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Additionally, these category-based selection rounds align with Canada’s commitment to welcoming skilled professionals and workers who are in high demand in communities across the country. In addition to general invitation rounds, these category-based selection rounds will continue throughout the year, with more details to be announced in the coming weeks.

The dedicated round of invitations for health workers supplements existing immigration initiatives aimed at addressing labor shortages in the healthcare sector:

• The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, which recently introduced two new streams, offers opportunities for skilled refugees and displaced individuals to utilize their education, training, and experience to continue their careers in Canada. The healthcare sector has seen significant interest in this pilot, with over 50% of applications received from candidates working as nurses’ aides, orderlies, and patient service associates.
• In April, changes were made to Express Entry to facilitate the issuance of permanent resident visas for physicians providing publicly funded medical services in Canada.
• In December, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $90 million in projects to remove barriers preventing qualified newcomers from gaining work experience in their respective professions or fields of study.

Between 2017 and 2022, Canada welcomed 21,656 skilled newcomers working in health occupations.

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Today’s announcement reflects Canada’s ongoing commitment to attract and retain health workers to address the healthcare workforce crisis. Supporting a sustainable health workforce is one of the shared priorities agreed upon by the Government of Canada and provinces and territories, as outlined in the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan.

This plan is supported by a Budget 2023 commitment of nearly $200 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding to provinces and territories, aimed at enhancing healthcare services for Canadians. As part of these agreements, provinces and territories are also encouraged to streamline the recognition of foreign credentials for internationally educated health professionals and advance labor mobility, starting with multi-jurisdictional credential recognition for key health professionals.

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