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The federal government is promising to open up permanent residency for foreign doctors working in Canada as temporary foreign residents in order to tackle the doctor shortage across the country.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab announced the policy shift in Toronto Monday, saying 5,000 spots for international doctors would be opened over and above current immigration levels.
“Many of these doctors are already treating patients in our communities. We cannot afford to lose them,” Diab said.
The plan involves creating a new express entry category for foreign doctors starting in 2026 for physicians with at least one year of Canadian work experience over the last three years who currently have a job offer.
A government statement said that physicians eligible for the program include primary care doctors as well as specialists in surgery, clinical and laboratory medicine.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab outlined several changes to immigration requirements for doctors Monday, including an ‘express-entry’ option that she said would be available to foreign doctors with at least one year of recent Canadian experience.
“We’re giving these doctors a clear pathway to permanent residence in Canada to fill critical health workforce gaps, while helping support reliable care and a stable health system for Canadians,” the federal government said in a statement.
Under the new measures, provinces and territories will be able to nominate licensed doctors with job offers to the express entry immigration stream. These nominations, the government said, will be in addition to existing annual provincial nominee spaces.
Doctors nominated to the stream will see their work permits processed in 14 days, allowing them to work while their permanent residency is being formalized.
The government said the move was intended to improve access for the 17 per cent of adults and 11 per cent of children and youth who have reported not having access to a regular health-care provider.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) welcomed the announcement, saying it’s a move in the right direction.
“Currently, more than 13,000 internationally trained physicians in Canada are not working in their field,” CMA president Dr. Margot Burnell said in a statement.
“We must do more to recognize the medical talent already here — and to attract, welcome and retain more from around the world.”
