Internationally trained healthcare worker? Immigrate to Canada.
Healthcare immigration for nurses and doctors
Canada is hiring nurses and doctors. Immigrate through Express Entry.
Canada holds dedicated Express Entry draws for healthcare workers, and the healthcare category doesn't require a job offer. The harder part is usually licensing. As a licensed RCIC in Toronto, we guide internationally educated nurses (IENs) and international medical graduates (IMGs) through both.
Why Canada needs healthcare workers
Canada's population is aging, and hospitals, clinics, long-term care homes and community health centres are short-staffed. The federal government responds by inviting healthcare workers directly from the Express Entry pool, ahead of many other candidates.
Dedicated draws
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs category-based draws for healthcare and social services occupations. Rounds happen several times a year, with no fixed schedule.
Your occupation counts
In these draws, having experience in an eligible occupation matters as much as your general score. About three dozen occupations qualify, from nurses and pharmacists to therapists and lab technologists. Physicians with Canadian work experience have their own separate draws.
Provinces want you too
Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and other provinces run nominee streams for healthcare workers, some of which need a job offer and some of which don't.
Canada PR pathway for nurses and doctors, step by step
Immigration and professional licensing are two separate tracks. Most people work on both at the same time, and the order depends on your province and profession.
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Internationally Educated Nurse |
International Medical Graduate |
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Registered nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses are all in demand. Your Express Entry occupation is based on the work you actually did, so we match your duties to the correct National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. Confirm your occupation and target provinceRegistered nurse, registered practical nurse or nurse practitioner each have different requirements. The province where you plan to work decides which nursing regulator you deal with. Start your credential assessment with the regulatorMost provinces route internationally educated nurses through the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS). Ontario applicants register with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). This step can take months, so start early. Take your language testsImmigration uses IELTS General Training (or CELPIP-General, PTE Core, or TEF/TCF for French). Most nursing regulators ask for IELTS Academic, CELBAN, OET or PTE Academic instead, so many nurses sit two tests. Ontario's College of Nurses also accepts IELTS General, so check your province's current rules before you book. |
Licensing is the longer road for international medical graduates, and each province sets its own routes. The good news is that Canada now has a dedicated Express Entry category for physicians with Canadian work experience, and many IMGs qualify once they start working here under a provisional or restricted licence. Confirm your physician NOC codeNOC 31100 covers specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine, 31101 covers specialists in surgery, and 31102 covers general practitioners and family physicians. Your reference letters must describe clinical practice, not only research or teaching. Verify your credentialsOpen a Physician Credentials Repository account with the Medical Council of Canada (MCC), where your medical degree and postgraduate training are verified at the source. Provincial colleges rely on this record. Take your licensing language testProvincial colleges such as the CPSO accept IELTS Academic with 7.0 in each component, in one sitting and within 24 months. See the score table below, because this is a different test from the one used for immigration. Complete the examsMost IMGs sit the MCC Qualifying Examination Part 1 (MCCQE) and the NAC Examination. Which ones you need depends on your route and province. Choose a route to a Canadian licenceOptions include the CaRMS residency match, practice-ready assessment (PRA) programs and provincial pathways to provisional or full registration. Some provinces have introduced faster routes for experienced international doctors, so check the college in the province you're targeting. Choose your immigration streamWith 12 months of full-time Canadian physician work in the past 3 years, you may qualify for the physicians category. Without Canadian experience, provincial nominee programs (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia recruit physicians) or general Express Entry draws may fit better. Take IELTS General Training and apply for PRImmigration uses IELTS General Training, scored as Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels. After an invitation, you submit your permanent residence application with an educational credential assessment (ECA), police certificates and medical exam |
Good to know: You can be invited under the healthcare category while your Canadian licence is still in progress. Until you are licensed, you generally can't work in your regulated profession, so we help you plan for that gap.
Physicians are TEER 1 occupations, so CLB 7 is the minimum for both Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class. IELTS Academic is not accepted for Express Entry at any score. Nursing regulators set their own band scores, and they are often higher than the immigration minimum. Most require IELTS Academic (or CELBAN, OET or PTE Academic), though Ontario's CNO also accepts IELTS General, which can let one test serve both purposes. We confirm your province's current requirement before you book. Some regulators waive language testing for applicants trained and practising in English, and test results expire, so timing matters.
Who can be invited in a healthcare draw
- At least 12 months of full-time work experience (or the part-time equivalent) in the past 3 years, in one eligible healthcare or social services occupation. This experience can be earned in Canada or abroad.
- Physicians: a separate category requires 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience in the past 3 years in NOC 31100, 31101 or 31102.
- Eligibility for at least one Express Entry program: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
- An active Express Entry profile, with language results and an educational credential assessment for any education completed outside Canada.
- A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score at or above the cut-off for the round. Recent healthcare rounds have cleared in the mid-400s and have varied by draw.
Common questions
Do I need a Canadian job offer?
Not for the Express Entry healthcare category. A job offer can add points or be required by some provincial programs, but it isn't a condition for being invited in a healthcare draw.
Can I immigrate before I'm licensed in Canada?
Yes, that is possible. Permanent residence and professional licensing are handled by different bodies. Your right to practise depends on the provincial regulator, not IRCC.
Does my work experience from my home country count?
Usually yes, if it falls within the past 3 years and your duties match the NOC occupation. The wording of your reference letters is critical, and it is something we review closely.
How long does it take?
It varies by person. Licensing steps, language testing and credential assessments often take longer than the immigration application itself, and IRCC processing times change. We'll give you a realistic timeline for your case.
Which IELTS do I need for immigration, and which for a medical licence?
Express Entry requires IELTS General Training, and 6.0 in each skill is the minimum (CLB 7). Doctor licensing generally requires IELTS Academic with 7.0 in each component. CELPIP-General can cover both purposes.
What if my occupation isn't on the healthcare list?
You stay eligible for general Express Entry draws and may qualify for provincial programs, study pathways or employer-supported options. We'll look at all of them.