In October 2023, federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers committed to streamline foreign credential recognition so that internationally educated health care professionals can get to work more quickly. On January 15, 2024, the government announced $86 million to support 15 projects through external organizations to increase credential recognition capacity for 6,600 internationally educated health care professionals.
The Budget 2024 proposes to provide $77.1 million over four years, starting in 2025-26, to more effectively integrate internationally educated health care professionals into Canada’s health workforce by creating 120 specific training positions, increasing assessment capacity and providing support to navigate credential recognition systems.
There are an estimated 198,000 internationally educated health professionals employed in Canada, but only 58 per cent—114,000 workers—have employment in their chosen field. Red tape is holding back tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. This measure will help address that.
Canada’s doctors and nurses work hard to ensure that Canadians and their families receive timely access to the health services that they need. Unfortunately, many nurses and physicians who are newcomers to this country cannot work in their chosen field due to difficulties having their credentials recognized. This is why federal, provincial, and territorial governments have been working hard and have undertaken a variety of initiatives to improve foreign credential recognition and streamline entry into the labour force for internationally educated health professionals. Examples include: Bilateral Agreements under Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians; Residency positions and Practice Ready Assessment (PRA) programs; Recruitment Initiatives; Financial Support; Regulatory and legislative reform; Navigator programs; and Other Provincial and Territorial Investments.
At NPZ Law Group, our U.S. and Canadian lawyers seek to assist clients with regard to employment and family immigration issues. If you or your friends or family should have any questions about any aspect of U.S. and Canadian Immigration Law, please feel free to contact us at info@visaserve.com or you can call our office at 201-670-0006 (ext. 104). We look forward to being able to assist you.