(CANADA) Canada 🇨🇦 has moved to get more doctors into clinics and hospitals faster, announcing on December 8, 2025 that some physicians will get work permits processed in 14 days if a province or territory nominates them for permanent residence. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Parliamentary Secretary Maggie Chi said the targeted measures are meant to help doctors start or keep working while their PR files move through the system.
What the new measure does
The new 14-day work permit is tied to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), a pathway where provinces and territories pick workers they need and nominate them for federal permanent residence.
- Fast processing is limited to doctors who are already “practice-ready”, licensed under provincial rules, and who hold a job offer in Canada.
- Ottawa emphasized that credential recognition and licensing remain the responsibility of provincial regulators, not the federal immigration department.
For many foreign-trained doctors, the gap between receiving an offer and being allowed to work has been a major barrier. A standard work permit application from inside Canada 🇨🇦 can take months. By shortening that wait to 14 days for nominated physicians, the government aims to reduce the risk that recruits drift to other countries or leave the health system while paperwork drags on.
Who is covered (NOC codes and specialties)
The policy covers doctors across specialties, including:
| Area | NOC code(s) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Family physicians / General practitioners | NOC 31102 | Rural family care, clinic-based practice |
| Specialist physicians | NOC 31100 | Surgeons, oncologists, cardiologists, gynaecologists |
| Dermatologists and other clinical specialists | NOC 31101 | High-demand hospital services, emergency medicine |
The government’s examples include emergency medicine doctors, surgeons, oncologists, cardiologists and gynaecologists. In practice, the program targets the broad set of doctors provinces say they are short of — from rural family care to hospital services.
Key eligibility requirements
Even with faster processing, doctors still need the standard building blocks required for any work-permit route:
- A job offer from an employer in Canada.
- Proof they meet provincial licensing rules.
- Being “practice-ready” as defined by the province’s college of physicians and surgeons (generally meaning a doctor can start patient care without requiring a full Canadian residency, though each province sets its own path and tests).
Timeline and nomination process
The federal government said provinces and territories are expected to publish their nomination criteria within two weeks of the December 8 announcement, targeting about December 22, 2025.
- The 14-day clock starts once:
- The province or territory has issued a nomination, and
- The doctor submits a complete work permit request.
Doctors without a nomination will not be eligible for the expedited lane.
Important: The expedited work permit is conditional on the province issuing a nomination and the applicant submitting a complete application — missing documents will delay the process.
New Express Entry category for physicians
The announcement also introduced a new Express Entry category: “Physicians with Canadian Work Experience.”
- To qualify, a doctor must have 12 months of continuous full-time Canadian work experience (or equivalent part-time) in one of the eligible NOC codes within the last 3 years.
- Invitations to apply under this new category are expected in early 2026 (officials signalled possibly as soon as January).
- Officials suggested category-based draws could permit lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores than general draws, potentially helping internationally trained doctors already in Canada on temporary status.
Doctors who meet the 12‑month work rule may want to update their Express Entry profile so their records match their NOC code.
Additional federal admission spaces
Ottawa said it will reserve 5,000 additional federal admission spaces so provinces and territories can nominate licensed doctors with job offers.
- These extra spots are intended to give provinces more room to use the Provincial Nominee Program for healthcare recruitment.
- The measure comes as many provincial streams have been constrained by caps and shifting targets.
Expected impacts and stakeholder reactions
Immigration lawyers and recruiters who work with hospitals say a 14-day work permit could change how offers are made.
- Employers often need a doctor on site quickly; doctors need certainty they can work legally and be paid.
- A predictable two-week process may let health authorities plan rotations, locum coverage and clinic openings with less last-minute scrambling.
Health officials in several provinces have been pressing Ottawa to cut red tape as emergency rooms close for lack of staff and patients face long waits for family care. The federal government did not name which provinces requested the change, but by requiring a nomination and job offer it delegates decision power to provinces, allowing them to target hard-to-fill posts — including smaller communities that struggle to recruit and keep clinics open through winter.
Analysis by VisaVerge.com suggests that the combination of expedited work permits, a new Express Entry category, and extra PNP spaces signals a push to retain doctors already contributing inside Canada 🇨🇦 rather than relying only on overseas recruitment.
Limits and cautions
There are important limits to keep in mind:
- The fast work permit is not a medical licence and does not replace steps set by provincial colleges (exams, supervised practice, proof of training).
- It is not a guarantee of permanent residence; rather, it is a bridge allowing a nominated doctor to work while federal PR processing continues.
- The promised 14-day service standard must still be met in practice; the speed depends on both provincial nomination timeliness and federal processing.
How to proceed (for doctors)
Doctors who want to follow the federal requirements can:
- Start with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s official work permit page: IRCC – Work permits
- Watch for their province or territory’s physician nomination rules as they are released.
- Ensure a job offer and prepare provincial licensing documentation to meet the practice-ready definition.
- If already working in Canada and close to meeting 12 months of qualifying experience, update your Express Entry profile to match your NOC code.
For many candidates, the next few weeks will come down to whether a province can move quickly on nominations and whether federal processing meets the promised 14-day service standard once applications arrive.
On December 8, 2025, Canada announced a 14-day expedited work-permit process for provincially nominated, practice-ready doctors with job offers, tied to the PNP. Provinces must issue nominations and publish criteria quickly; the federal government also created a new Express Entry category requiring 12 months of Canadian experience and reserved 5,000 additional admission spaces. The policy aims to reduce staffing gaps while provinces retain credentialing authority and applicants complete standard licensing steps.
