The federal government is removing a barrier that will make it easier for doctors from other countries to obtain permanent residency in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said on Friday doctors would receive an exemption to allow them to apply for the federal Express Entry system.
The system, which has a six-month processing time, was previously unavailable to doctors because it is not open to the self-employed. Since many physicians work on a fee-for-service model, they were unable to apply for the Express Entry system. Fraser said that “jumped off the page” when reviewing the terms of the feed.
“This will remove a major recruitment barrier for provincial governments knowing that they now have access to the federal Express Entry system,” Fraser said.
Send a signal to the world
The Express Entry system is used to recruit in-demand workers who want to come to Canada. The system assigns applicants a score based on a number of factors, including education, work experience, language skills, age, and family demographics.
Fraser said he expects foreign-trained doctors to generally score high in the system now that they have access to it. It is open to people who are currently in Canada temporarily and those working outside the country who wish to come here.
“We are going to send a signal to the world that we want you to come to Canada and we want you to know that you have a path to permanent residency that is much faster than many economies around the world.”
Change itself is not a silver bullet.
Work to recognize diplomas
Fraser said another challenge in recruiting and retaining internationally trained physicians is recognizing their credentials and/or finding timely ways to allow them to get the upgrades they need to to be able to work here.
Regulation of the practice of medicine is done at the provincial level.
Fraser said the federal government is trying to motivate the provinces to speed up the process by offering funding to help with the job. The last federal budget provided $115 million for this effort.
“This allows educational institutions and organizations that will facilitate the qualification of professionals to have financial support to run these programs.”
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia recently announced changes to streamline the assessment process for internationally trained physicians. Other provinces are also working on this effort.
Fraser said such work is vital if the country is to attract the number of medical professionals it needs. He said health care has been the “No. 1 issue” in his constituency since he was first elected, and that extends to the availability of doctors.
“Frankly, I have very little patience left because I’ve met so many professionals who have come to Canada who are not able to work to their full potential in areas where we have a huge need because they don’t do not have the right to exercise their right profession.”
Dr. Leisha Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia, said any help to streamline the process to bring more doctors here and have their credentials recognized is welcome.
“It’s a pretty uphill battle for doctors trained outside of Canada to be able to get to the point where they’re licensed and practicing in Nova Scotia,” she said in an interview.
Doctors from other countries do a great job of integrating into the province when they arrive here and start working, Hawker said. It is clear what a valuable role immigration can play in improving the healthcare system and boosting the workforce, she said.
With over 100,000 people across the province looking for a doctor and about a quarter of Nova Scotia’s family doctors are over the age of 60, Hawker said immigration will be key to succession planning.
Hawker said Doctors Nova Scotia also advocates an Atlantic or national licensing program so that international medical graduates coming to Canada will have an easier time finding the right place to live and work in the country.
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