To address the shortage of health workers, Canada is launching an immigration stream that can help fill the gaps.
Today, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced 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 will open today and will invite 500 health workers to apply. A second round, inviting 1,500 workers to apply, will take place on July 5.
This phased approach is expected to ensure the smooth launch of the program. These category-based selection rounds will continue throughout the year, and more details will continue to be announced in the coming weeks.
“Health professionals have been working around the clock to provide world-class care to individuals in communities across Canada, but it’s no secret that our health system needs more workers to continue delivering the quality care that people in Canada deserve. I’m excited to be here today with my colleague, Minister Duclos, to announce the first health care category-based selection round, which will increase access to permanent residence for skilled workers with health care experience. We look forward to welcoming many health professionals to our country,” Fraser said in a statement sent to CanIndia News.
The dedicated round of invitations for health workers is in addition to existing immigration initiatives to fill labour gaps in the health sector.
The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, for which two new streams were announced a few weeks ago, creates opportunities for skilled refugees and other displaced individuals to use their education, training and experience to continue their careers in Canada. To date, this pilot has seen the greatest uptake in the health care sector with over 50% of the applications received being for 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 $90 million will be invested in projects to help remove barriers preventing qualified and skilled newcomers from gaining work experience in their own profession or field of study.
