Ottawa is introducing a new “express entry” category for foreign-trained physicians in an effort to address health workforce challenges in Canada, the federal government announced Monday.
“We’ve seen the strain in our emergency rooms, we hear it from families waiting for a doctor, and we feel it from the front-line staff who are stretched thin,” Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab said in a press conference.
“We’ve heard a clear message from patients, provinces and the medical community, we need more hands on deck,” Diab continued.
The new measures target internationally trained doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience gained within the last three years.
“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,” a press release from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said.
Foreign-trained doctors who are nominated for this program will receive expedited 14-day work permit processing. Additionally, 5,000 federal admission spots – in addition to the Provincial Nominee Program allocations – will be reserved for provinces and territories to nominate licensed doctors with job offers.
Improvement in health-care access
Though the number of Canadians without primary care remains high, data shows access to such services has slowly improved in the last three years.
The 2025 OurCare national survey – conducted by St. Michael’s Hospital physician-researcher Dr. Tara Kiran along with the Canadian Medical Association – estimated that 5.9 million Canadians don’t have a primary care professional like a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team.
In 2022, the last time the survey was conducted, an estimated 6.5 million Canadians didn’t have primary care.
“These findings confirm what physicians and patients across Canada are experiencing daily,” CMA president Dr. Margot Burnell said in a release. “While we’ve made progress, too many Canadians still face unacceptable barriers to primary care. We can do better. We know the solutions. Access to care for all Canadians is a realistic and achievable goal now.”
The survey also looked at participant satisfaction with the functionality of health care in Canada, with only 28 per cent satisfied or very satisfied with how the primary care system is working.
Are you with or without access to primary care like a family doctor, nurse or primary care team? Are you happy or unhappy with how the health-care system in Canada works overall? Do you see yourself reflected in clinical care teams?
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With files from CTV News’ Elianna Lev
