The Canadian government has introduced new immigration and job opportunities for skilled medical doctors, including Nigerians and other international professionals, in a move aimed at tackling the increasing shortage of healthcare workers nationwide.
The announcement, released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), outlines broader opportunities for internationally trained doctors to secure permanent residency and employment in Canada through more accessible immigration pathways.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the programme is designed to attract “practice-ready medical doctors” to address urgent shortages in the healthcare sector and help maintain access to vital medical care for Canadians.
The agency claimed: “We’re recruiting practice-ready medical doctors to fill health care gaps and provide essential services to Canadians,”
Canadian officials have introduced fresh immigration initiatives aimed at making it easier for healthcare professionals to move to the country, including improved pathways through Express Entry and provincial nominee programmes.
“We’re making the path to permanent residence simpler for international medical doctors to support a stable health care system for Canadians,” IRCC said.
Under the updated policy, medical doctors who have completed a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in Canada within the past three years could become eligible under a specialised Express Entry category.
The government has also announced that 5,000 immigration places have been set aside under the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) for physicians who already have job offers or official letters of support.
It added that approved candidates will be eligible for fast-tracked work permit processing within 14 days, enabling them to start working while their permanent residency applications are still being processed.
Applicants who are successful may also bring their immediate family members as part of their immigration applications.
IRCC further explained that foreign-trained doctors must first undergo a credential assessment and secure licensing approval from the appropriate provincial or territorial medical regulatory body before they are allowed to practise medicine in Canada.
The agency also clarified that healthcare professionals who are not classified as physicians can still explore other immigration pathways, depending on their qualifications, work experience, and overall eligibility under Canada’s various skilled migration programmes.
We’re recruiting practice-ready medical doctors to fill health care gaps and provide essential services to Canadians.
If you have the training, credentials and experience to practise as a doctor in Canada, explore our immigration pathways and build your future here:… pic.twitter.com/T1DzOrJWjL
— IRCC (@CitImmCanada) May 27, 2026
