Canada has announced one of its most significant physician-focused immigration updates in recent years. On December 8, 2025, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab introduced a package of measures designed to attract, retain, and fast-track internationally trained doctors into the Canadian workforce.
These changes aim to address long-standing shortages across the healthcare system, streamline pathways to permanent residency, and ensure provinces have more control in filling medical vacancies.
Also Read Canada Introduces New Express Entry Stream for Healthcare Doctors
A New Express Entry Category for Doctors with Canadian Experience
Beginning early 2026, IRCC will launch a dedicated “Physicians with Canadian Work Experience” stream under Express Entry.
This category is built to support doctors who are already contributing to the Canadian healthcare system and want to transition to permanent residency through a simplified, targeted pathway.
Who Is Eligible?
Candidates must meet the following requirements:
- At least 12 months of full-time continuous work experience in Canada within the last three years (or an equivalent amount of part-time work).
- Experience must be in one eligible occupation only.
- Occupations accepted under this category include:
| Eligible Occupation | NOC Code (2021) |
| General practitioners & family physicians | 31102 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 |
| Specialists in clinical & laboratory medicine | 31100 |
This new category exists alongside existing Express Entry streams, including the current Healthcare Occupations Category, which has broader job coverage but does not require Canadian work experience. IRCC is expected to refine category priorities further in 2026.
Ottawa Reserves 5,000 PR Admissions Exclusively for Provinces to Nominate Physicians
In a move that significantly expands provincial immigration authority, the federal government will allocate 5,000 dedicated annual admissions for licensed physicians who have provincial job offers.
These spots will operate in addition to regular Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) quotas, giving provinces the capacity to nominate far more foreign-trained doctors than before.
These admissions will count toward Canada’s overall immigration levels plan, but IRCC has not yet disclosed which category they will be drawn from.
This measure directly supports provinces facing urgent shortages in family medicine, surgery, and specialist care.
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Work Permits for Physicians to Be Processed in as Little as 14 Days
Doctors nominated by a province will soon benefit from expedited work permit processing, with approvals issued in just 14 days.
This is a significant improvement compared to the current multi-month processing timelines for new work permits submitted from inside Canada.
By accelerating access to work authorisation, IRCC aims to ensure provinces can place physicians into understaffed hospitals and clinics without long administrative delays.
What This Means for International Doctors
These changes make Canada one of the most welcoming destinations globally for foreign-trained physicians.
With a dedicated Express Entry category, additional PR spaces, and faster work permits, doctors now have more pathways and fewer hurdles to build careers in Canada.
