New immigration stream specific to health workers

From: IRCC

Image credit: News Canada

Under new changes to Canada’s flagship economic immigration program, Express Entry, the government of Canada can issue invitations to apply for permanent residency in Canada to candidates from particular fields or with specific skills, training or language ability.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced the use of these new features for a dedicated round of invitations to be sent to health workers, including doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and optometrists. The first round for category-based selection invited 500 health workers to apply and the second invited 1,500 worker in a phased approach to ensure the smooth launch of the program.

“We look forward to welcoming many health professionals to our country,” said Fraser.

Focusing on candidates with healthcare expertise and by bringing in the talent the country needs will help improve access to healthcare services for Canadians and their families. The first-ever category-based selection rounds support Canada’s commitment to welcoming in-demand professionals and skilled workers into communities across the country. Alongside general invitation rounds, these category-based selection rounds will continue throughout the year.

The dedicated round of invitations for health workers is in addition to existing immigration initiatives to fill labour gaps in the health sector. Supporting a sustainable health workforce is one of the shared health priorities agreed to by the government of Canada and provinces and territories. As part of these agreements, provinces and territories are also being asked to streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally-educated health professionals, and to advance labour mobility, starting with multi-jurisdictional credential recognition for key health professionals.

A few quick facts:

• 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.

• Between 2017 and 2022, 21,656 skilled newcomers arrived in Canada to work in health occupations. These included nurses (including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses), doctors (including 2,013 specialist physicians), dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, optometrists, dietitians and nutritionists, chiropractors, medical laboratory technologists, medical radiation technologists, audiologists and speech-language pathologists, allied primary health practitioners, paramedical occupations, respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists and dental hygienists and dental therapists.