Internationally trained healthcare worker? Immigrate to Canada.
Canada healthcare immigration for nurses and doctors 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. At Jingle Bells Immigration Services, our Toronto-based Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) guides internationally educated nurses (IENs) and international medical graduates (IMGs) through both.
Why Canada Needs Internationally Trained 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 Express Entry 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 healthcare occupation counts
Experience in an eligible occupation matters as much as your general score in these draws. About three dozen occupations qualify, from nurses and pharmacists to therapists and lab technologists. Physicians with Canadian work experience have their own separate draws.
Provincial nominee programs for healthcare workers
Ontario (through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program), British Columbia, Nova Scotia and other provinces run nominee streams for healthcare workers. Some need a job offer and some 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.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Nurse (Internationally Educated Nurse)
Registered nurses (NOC 31301), nurse practitioners (NOC 31302) and licensed practical nurses (NOC 32101) 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 province - Registered nurse, registered practical nurse and nurse practitioner each have different requirements. The province where you plan to work decides which nursing regulator you deal with.
2. Start your credential assessment with the regulator - Most 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.
3. Take your language tests - Immigration 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. The CNO also accepts IELTS General, so check your province's current rules before you book.
4. Prepare for the licensing exam - Registered nurses write the NCLEX-RN, and practical nurses write the REx-PN. Your regulator will tell you when you can book.
5. Build your Express Entry profile - Get an educational credential assessment (ECA) for immigration points, gather reference letters that describe your nursing duties, and enter the pool with the strongest score we can build.
6. Apply for permanent residence - After an invitation to apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit a complete application with a medical exam, police certificates and proof of funds where required.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Doctor (International Medical Graduate)
Licensing is the longer road for international medical graduates, and each province sets its own routes. 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.
1. Confirm your physician NOC code - NOC 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.
2. Verify your credentials - Open 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.
3. Take your licensing language test - Provincial colleges such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (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.
4. Complete the exams - Most IMGs sit the MCC Qualifying Examination Part 1 (MCCQE) and the NAC Examination. Which ones you need depends on your route and province.
5. Choose a route to a Canadian licence - Options 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.
6. Choose your immigration stream - With 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.
7. Take IELTS General Training and apply for PR - Immigration uses IELTS General Training, scored as Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels. After an invitation, you submit your permanent residence application with an ECA, police certificates and a medical exam.
Check our more services - Canada Spousal Sponsorship
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.
Which IELTS Do You Need for Canada PR and Licensing?
Immigration and professional licensing use different versions of IELTS. Booking the wrong one is a common and costly mistake.
|
Purpose |
Accepted test |
Score needed |
|
Express Entry minimum (CLB 7) |
IELTS General Training |
6.0 in each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking |
|
Strong CRS points (CLB 9) |
IELTS General Training |
Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0 |
|
Nurse licensing (Alberta shown as an example) |
IELTS Academic, or CELBAN, OET, PTE Academic |
Listening 7.0, Speaking 7.0, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.5, overall 7.0. Each province sets its own scores. |
|
Doctor licensing (e.g. CPSO, CPSA, CPSBC) |
IELTS Academic |
7.0 in each of the four components, one sitting, within 24 months |
|
Doctor licensing alternatives |
OET Medicine, or CELPIP-General |
OET grade B in each subtest, or CELPIP 9 in each skill |
Physicians are TEER 1 occupations, so CLB 7 is the minimum for both the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the 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. 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.
Tip: Aim for the highest CLB level you can. Stronger language scores raise your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and improve your chances of an invitation.
Who Can Be Invited in an Express Entry 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 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 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.
FAQ's
Not automatically, and it's better to plan for that than to be surprised. Canada needs healthcare workers, but you can only work as a nurse or doctor once the provincial regulator has licensed you. How quickly that happens depends on how much of the licensing process you complete before you arrive. Many people work in related healthcare roles while they finish, and those who start early often get licensed and working sooner. We help you build a plan for both your immigration and your licence.
Not for the 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.
Yes. Permanent residence and professional licensing are handled by different bodies. Your right to practise depends on the provincial regulator, not IRCC.
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 we review it closely.
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.
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.
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.