Canada has always welcomed very skilled and skilled immigrants. The Canadian government has approximately 60 immigration programs to help skilled immigrants come to live and work in the province. In this way, they will be able to meet the demand of the labor market in the country.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the requirement for health professionals and nurses in Canada. Even before the pandemic, Canada needed nurses and there are multiple immigration programs to target health professionals.
Check Your Eligibility
Nurses fall into one of two categories of the Canadian government’s National Occupational Classification (NOC). Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses are NOC 3012 skill level A, while Licensed Practical Nurses are NOC 3233 skill level B. These proficiency levels are important because they help determine the types of programs to which nurses may be eligible.
Due to the pandemic, Canada welcomed fewer immigrants last year than expected. But Canada still wants immigrants. It recently increased its immigration targets to the highest ever – over 1.2 million by the end of 2024. One way to help meet that total is to empower people already in the country. to make their temporary permanent status easier.
What are the different immigration programs for Nurses?
Canada has recently unveiled six new streams for people currently working in the country. Two of these components are dedicated to health professionals, such as nurses. One is specifically intended for francophones. Nursing graduate students could take advantage of new avenues for international students.
The country is now accepting 20,000 new permanent residents working in health care posts around the country, under a temporary program starting May 6. The application window will close on November 5 or when the admission limit is full, whichever comes first. The French-speaking component is open to accepting an unlimited number of permanent residents. Eligible candidates need at least one year of Canadian work experience in one of the eligible 40 health occupations, and they need to be working at the time when they submit their application. In the case of the language skills requirements, they need at least CLB or NCLC level 4 to be eligible.
These pathways for foreign nurses are in addition to those that already exist at the federal and provincial levels.
Express Entry program for Nurses in 2024
FSWP – Federal Skilled Worker Program and CEC – Canadian Experience Class are two of the major federal economic immigration programs. To be eligible for these programs, it is important to have qualified work experience.
The FSWP requires that a candidate have at least one year of continuous work experience in an occupation with a NOC skill level of 0, A, or B. This experience can come from anywhere but must have taken place over the past ten years. A candidate under FSWP needs to get at least CLB level 7 in either English or French language under all four skills: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. They must also score at least 67/100 on the six-factor test which assesses applicants’ education level, language skills, and whether they have a job in Canada.
The CEC, on the other hand, requires one year of NOC 0, A, or B experience in Canada within the last three years. They need to get at least CLB or NCLC level 4 for skilled occupations categorized under NOC 0 or A or CLB / NCLC 5 for those in the CNP B occupations. Neither program requires that A person has a job offer, but having one can dramatically increase the likelihood of receiving an ITA.
The express entry program manages the application of the candidates under FSWP and CEC immigration programs. The express entry uses a ranking system – Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank all the profiles in the pool based on their CRS score. The CRS assigns a score to candidates based on various factors, similar to those used in the six-factor test for the FSWP. IRCC – Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada holds periodic express entry draws to invite higher-ranked profiles in the express entry pool and sends them Invitation to Apply (ITAs).
Provincial Nominee Programs
There are also several Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) for which nurses may be eligible. Sometimes there is a section dedicated specifically to nurses. Other pathways target several health professions or are open to skilled workers in general. Nurses occupation is an in-demand profession in Canada and falls under the economic class immigration. First, they are in great demand, and second, they are in a skilled trade. Quebec Experience Program, British Columbia Health Professionals (Skilled immigration and express entry pathways), New Brunswick Internationally Trained Nurse (IENs) program are all avenues that nurses can follow.
Several provinces have more than one program that accepts nurses. Sometimes federal and provincial programs interact. For example, there are some immigration streams under PNP that are in line with the express entry program. The flows to which this link occurs are called “enhanced”. If a person receives a nomination from an enhanced program, that person earns 600 points on their CRS score, thereby ensuring that they will receive an ITA.
Temporary Work permit
There is another option for nurses to immigrate to Canada and it is a temporary residence option that can be obtained through the work permit option.
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has reported the shortage of nurses in the provinces of Quebec. Registered nurses can work in Canada temporarily. Temporary residence for them can be guaranteed if the applicant can obtain a valid job offer and, subsequently, a work permit.
Nurses must provide an Educational Credential Assessment (DEA) to begin their process. After their EA has been assessed, the applicant can register as a nurse in Canada. After registering, they can begin the process of obtaining a job offer and a work permit in Canada. Once the candidate has started their work temporarily in the country, they can complete the requirements of permanent residence visa immigration programs like the Canadian Experience Class or the Provincial Nominee Program.
From now on, nurses planning to work in Canada must be considered qualified to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). The candidates must be registered with the Canadian Licensed Practical Nurses Regulatory Council (CCNR) or the Canadian Nurses Association (CAN).
To qualify as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), they must have their education assessed. Once it is verified and proven to be equivalent to the education of Canadian nurses, the regulatory body will then determine whether all the requirements are met or not. Once all requirements are met, all Canadian provinces and territories (except Quebec) require nurses to take the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination (CRNE) or the Canadian Nursing Registration Examination and nursing assistants (CPNRE) as part of the registration or license procedure.
