Update for Foreign Physicians in Canada
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On December 8th, the Minister of Immigration announced new measures to support the Canadian health system through a new pathway for permanent residents for foreign physicians. The minister commented that in 2026, Express Entry will have a new category to invite for permanent residency to foreign physicians with at least 1 year of Canadian work experience (in the last 3 years)
Also, it was announced that there will be 5,000 additional spots for licensed physicians with a job offer under the provincial nominee programs.
The participating positions are:
31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
31101 – Specialists in surgery
31100 - Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
It is worth mentioning that in order to practice in Canada as a physician, you must write rigorous theorical and practical exams and get an assessment of your foreign credentials according to the Canadian standards. For more details about this process, please visit:
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Similarly, British Columbia launched this year a campaign to recruit American physicians and nurses in an expedited fashion, making the licensure process simpler, because the majority of the health care positions required licenses or certifications.
Although this measure is interesting, the full details have not been launched yet. We will keep monitoring the news to keep you updated.