The shortage of nurses in Canada has been exacerbated by the pandemic. We provide permanent residency options for international nurses to help fill the industry’s job openings.
There was already a shortage of nurses in Canada before the pandemic hit. Since the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, both the federal and provincial governments have implemented initiatives to increase the number of nurses in the workforce.
Ontario, for instance, will spend $342 million over the next five years to bring in over 13,000 new health care workers. About 1,500 nurses with international degrees will be eligible to receive up to $16,000 in funding from the province of British Columbia to cover costs associated with the application process, English proficiency testing, and credential upgrading. Also, Quebec has pledged $65 million to bring in and train over a thousand nurses from other Francophone countries.
With so many financial benefits waiting for nurses in Canada, you may be wondering how to make the transition. If you are already in Canada, you may also want to research immigration programs.
We won’t be detailing every possible pathway for nurses to enter the country legally. There are over a hundred economic immigration programs in Canada. Because nursing is often classified as “skilled” work, nurses may qualify for any program that calls for “skilled” workers.
The NOC code and experience level are used to establish qualification.
The National Occupation Classification of Canada includes the nursing sector as one of two sectors. NOC 3012 is the code for nurses, both registered and psychiatric. LPNs can get their licenses through NoC 333. Because of their proficiency, they are classified as A.
In order to find out if you are qualified for a particular immigration program, what other requirements you have to meet, and if you were selected for a provincial draw, you will need these codes and skills. Always keep these in mind as you learn more about Canada’s immigration policies.
Nursing Worker Fast Track Programs
Professional nurses may qualify for immigration to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class. These federal immigration programs are administered by the Express Entry system.
Application for federal immigration benefits can be submitted electronically through Express Entry. Applicants from Canada can have their profiles evaluated using the Comprehensive Rating System (CRS).
Candidates for Express Entry can earn points in a variety of categories, including their skills, education, and official language proficiency. High-scoring Express Entry applicants are selected at random twice a week to submit permanent residency applications.
Since the pandemics prevented the selection of CEC and FSWP applicants, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced that the selection process would resume in July. New applicants can expect to wait up to six months for a response.
Qualification for the FSWP
To qualify for the FSWP, candidates need to have worked in a skilled occupation continuously for at least a year sometime in the past decade. Gaining international work experience is possible. To be eligible for the FSWP, applicants must also achieve a Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in both English and French across all four language domains (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Their six-factor test score must be at least 67/100, which includes questions about their education, language skills, and employment in the country.
Ability to Earn CECs
The minimum amount of work experience required by CEC is one year, with the last three years of that year being spent working full-time. Canadian work experience is required. Applicants with NOC level 0 or A experience are expected to have a CLB 7. (such as registered nurses). Applicants with NOC C-level skills or lower are required to hold a CLB.
Although a job offer is not a prerequisite for either program, it may increase your chances of being invited to submit an application for permanent residency.
Program for Provincial Nominations
Canadian immigration policy is ultimately determined by the federal government, but the Provincial Nominee Program can recommend qualified individuals for permanent residency (PNP). Although nurses can pursue some types of PNPs, others necessitate prior work experience. Immigration nomination draws for nurses may be held by PNPs.
Nurses are welcome to apply to a variety of programs across Canada. Occasionally, provincial nomination programs (PNPs) will invite candidates to apply for provincial nomination based on their participation in the Express Entry system. If they are nominated, these candidates will receive 600 additional CRS points on top of their Express Entry score. The prize money is enough to encourage the recipient to apply for permanent residency in the United States.
A variety of PNP tracks are open to nurses, and some of them are outlined here.
Registered nurses are encouraged to apply to the Human Capital Priorities stream in Ontario.
Healthcare professionals are prioritized in British Columbia’s immigration programs, both Skilled Immigrant and Express Entry.
An EEOI pool for international healthcare professionals, including nurses, was just established in Saskatchewan.
Nursing professionals in Nova Scotia are occasionally invited to participate in random draws for nominations through the province’s Labour Market Priorities Stream.
Foreign nurses who are bilingual in English and French may qualify for New Brunswick’s Internationally Educated Nursing program.
Quebec
Quebec operates under its own immigration system. When it comes to immigration to Quebec, Canada will always have the final say. Québec residents, however, are not eligible for Express Entry or the PNP.
Instead, Quebec has its own programs for skilled workers, the Regular Skilled Workers Program and the Quebec Experience Program. Nurses may be eligible for these courses. Workers in both programs are expected to have intermediate French language skills.