Realizing the critical need for health workers in the country, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Honourable Sean Fraser announced new changes to Canada’s flagship economic immigration programs, Express Entry. The Government of Canada will start sending out Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence to candidates from specific fields or with specific skills, training or language ability.
IRCC added a new feature for a dedicated round of invitations to be sent to health workers that will include doctors, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists and optometrists. The first round for category-cased selection started end of June 2023 where they invited 500 health workers and the second round on July 5, 2023 where IRCC sent out invitations to apply for permanent residence to 1,500 health workers. The phased approach aims to ensure a smooth launch of this change to Express Entry.
This change hopes to focus on candidates with health care expertise and bring in talents that Canada needs and helps improve access to health care services for Canadians and their families. Additionally, 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, and more details will continue to be announced in the coming weeks.
A dedicated round of invitations for health workers is in addition to existing immigration initiatives aims to fill labour gaps in the health sector.
The Government of Canada is requesting provinces and territories to streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professional, and to advance labour mobility, starting with multi-jurisdictional credential recognition for key health professionals.
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Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain, or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of CICC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.