Canada has announced new immigration options to make it easier for international medical doctors to obtain permanent residence in the country.
The update was disclosed in a post by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The move aims to strengthen Canada’s healthcare system by attracting more qualified doctors to work across provinces and territories.
What Canada announced
According to IRCC, the new framework gives medical doctors five options to obtain permanent residence through Express Entry and regional, provincial, and territorial programs, and they also introduced a faster process allowing them to begin working while their immigration applications are being processed.
“faster 14-day work permit processing for medical doctors nominated by a province or territory, so they can work while waiting for permanent residence,” they said
This measure is expected to reduce delays that often prevent qualified doctors from entering the workforce, especially in provinces and territories facing acute health care staffing gaps.
IRCC also confirmed that Medical doctors can also include their family members in their application, making Canada a more attractive destination considering long-term settlement.
“We’re making the path to permanent residence simpler for international medical doctors to support a stable health care system for Canadians.”
“Medical doctors can also include their family members in their application,” they stated
Pathways for international doctors
Internationally-trained medical doctors who haven’t worked in Canada can explore the programs below if they are interested in practising in Canada but do not yet have Canadian medical work experience. IRCC emphasized that immigration approval alone does not allow doctors to practice medicine in Canada.
To work as a medical doctor in Canada, first you must:
- Get your foreign credentials assessed
- Get licensed as a medical doctor in Canada through a provincial or territorial regulatory authority
Internationally doctors can apply to come to Canada as a medical doctor through one of these programs:
Provincial Nominee Program
Here, applicants must be able to secure a job offer or letter of support to work as a medical doctor in one of Canada’s provinces or territories. IRCC noted that these provinces and territories have up to 5,000 federal immigration spaces reserved to nominate medical doctors with job offers or letters of support.
Express Entry is for medical doctors who are eligible under one of the three Express Entry programs, have relevant work experience as doctors, and do not yet have a job offer in Canada.
Atlantic Immigration Program, this option is for applicants who have relevant work experience or completed post-secondary education in Atlantic Canada, can obtain a job offer from a designated employer, and are interested in living and working in the Atlantic region.
Rural Community Immigration Pilot, this is designed for medical doctors who have at least one year of work experience in the last three years or graduated from an eligible post-secondary institution, can secure a job offer from a designated employer, and are willing to live and work in a smaller rural community.
Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, is for medical doctors who have at least one year of work experience in the last three years or graduated from an eligible post-secondary institution, can secure a job offer from a designated employer, are able to communicate in French, and are interested in living in a Francophone community outside Quebec.
Doctors already working in Canada
Medical doctors with experience working in Canada can now apply for permanent residence through these programs.
The Express Entry system, to qualify, applicants must be eligible for one of the three federal programs managed under Express Entry and have at least one year of full-time work experience as a medical doctor within the last three years. Candidates may receive invitations to apply through category-based selection rounds, general rounds of invitation, or program-specific rounds.
For doctors who have a job offer or letter of support from a province or territory, the Provincial Nominee Program offers another pathway to permanent residence.
What you should know
Nairametrics reports that Canada has overtaken the United Kingdom as the preferred destination for international students seeking permanent residence, highlighting the country’s faster and clearer post-study immigration pathways.
Under the Canadian Experience Class, graduates can qualify for permanent residence after as little as one year of skilled work experience, and family members can be included in applications.
By contrast, the UK has lengthened the path from graduation to settlement, requiring students to first transition from a graduate visa to another qualifying visa, usually a skilled worker visa, which demands employer sponsorship, an eligible occupation, and meeting minimum salary thresholds.
Experts say Canada’s streamlined approach has made it the preferred choice for students aiming to combine education with long-term settlement opportunities.
