The pandemic has increased Canada's nursing shortage. Offering foreign nurses access to permanent residency is one strategy to fill job gaps in Canada. There were nursing shortages in Canada before the pandemic also, but the ratio was low as compared to today. However, since COVID-19 swept the globe in March 2020, the federal and provincial governments have increased their efforts to recruit additional nurses into the workforce.
For example, Ontario intends to invest $342 million over the next five years to hire more than 13,000 healthcare staff. In addition, about 1,500 globally educated nurses will receive up to $16,000 in funding from BC to cover application fees, English language tests, and educational upgrades.
So, now you may be asking how you may shift your nursing profession to Canada with all of the benefits. Here are the many immigration programs accessible to you.
Before we go over some of the most common nurse immigration programs, it's important to note that this is not an entire list. There are about 100 economic immigration programs in Canada through which you can migrate. They are the main programs you can immigrate to Canada in the earliest and most straightforward manner. In addition, because nursing is frequently considered a "skilled job," nurses may be eligible for any program that requires "skilled work."
Know the NOC code and skill level to determine eligibility.
The National Occupation Classification of the Canadian government divides nursing into two groups (NOC). NOC skill level A includes registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, and the code is NOC 3012. NOC Skill level B includes licensed practical nurses (NOC 3233).
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These codes and skill levels are significant in deciding which immigration programs you are eligible for, what other requirements you must meet for each program, and whether you are invited to apply to a particular provincial immigration draw. So keep these things in mind about Canadian nurse immigration programs when using them.
Pathways for Nurses to apply for Canada PR
Express Entry programs for Nurses:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Canadian Experience Class are available to nurses (CEC). The Express Entry system oversees these two federal immigration programs. Interested Canadian immigrants fill out a profile and receive a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Candidates for Express Entry are awarded points based on their professional job experience, age, education, and ability to communicate in an official language, among other things. On a regular period, they issued the Express Entry Draw in which the highest-scoring individuals are asked to apply for permanent residence. Although the CEC and FSWP draws were postponed during the pandemic, now Immigration Minister Sean Fraser declared that they would resume in early July.
Eligibility for FSWP (Federal Skilled Work Program
An applicant for the FSWP must have at least one year of continuous work experience in a skilled occupation during the previous ten years. Work experience could have taken place in another country. In addition, an FSWP applicant must achieve a CLB 7 in all four language competencies: reading, writing, speaking and listening in English or French. They must also score 67 out of 100 on a six-factor that evaluates candidates' education, language abilities, and whether or not they have a job in Canada.
Eligibility for CEC (Canadian Experience Class)
The CEC requires one year of skilled job experience within the last three years. The job experience of the applicant must be done in Canada to become eligible for this stream. Applicants with NOC 0 or a skill level work experience (such as registered nurses) must have a CLB 7 or higher to prove their language proficiency in English or French. Applicants with NOC skill level B experience must have a CLB 5.
Although neither program requires a job offer, having one may improve your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
Provincial Nominee Program
Although the federal government has final authority on who can immigrate to Canada, the Provincial Nominee Program allows provinces to propose select applicants (PNP). Some PNPs are only for nurses, while others only require skilled work experience. PNPs will occasionally arrange immigration nomination draw just for nurses. You can check the latest nurse draw on the Aptech visa website and keep yourself updated after subscription.
Several provinces have multiple nurse-welcoming programs. Candidates are sometimes drawn from the Express Entry system and invited to apply for a provincial nomination by PNPs. If these candidates are nominated, their Express Entry score increases by 600 CRS points. This reward is sufficient for the candidate to be asked to apply for permanent residency.
A list of PNP paths for nurses is shown below:
- Nurses are invited to apply through Ontario's Human Capital Priorities Stream.
- British Columbia's Skills Immigration and Express Entry paths have a Healthcare Professional category.
- Saskatchewan has just developed an EOI pool for international health workers, focusing on nurses.
- Nurses are occasionally invited to seek a provincial nomination under Nova Scotia's Labour Market Priorities Stream.
The IRCC is still dealing with a significant backlog that the pandemic has amplified. As a result, an additional $85 million has been provided to the IRCC to lower newcomer wait times. This financial arrangement by IRCC has been done to shorten wait times, which includes recruiting new processing of nurse applications and redistributing work among IRCC locations around Canada.
Despite these efforts, many applicants continue to face wait periods far longer than the IRCC's criteria. So, to avoid the delay in your application and rejection, approach the right Canadian PR expert on time. Approach Aptech visa now and apply for a Canada PR visa for a nurse.
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