Healthcare Workers See High PR Rates in Canada, Data Shows

(CANADA) Canada is pushing hard to keep its clinics, hospitals, and home care services staffed, and the priority is clear: healthcare workers are getting permanent resident status at high rates, and the trend is set to continue through 2025.

On August 19, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a healthcare-focused Express Entry draw, issuing 2,500 Invitations to Apply with a minimum CRS score of 470—the lowest in recent category rounds—signaling ongoing preference for medical and social service occupations. With 207,650 new permanent residents admitted in the first half of 2025 and year-end admissions projected near 415,000—above the official 395,000 target—policymakers are leaning on in-Canada transitions, many of them in healthcare roles, to stabilize the system.

Evidence of retention and workforce demographics

Officials point to both urgent needs and proven outcomes. More than 80% of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) who gain PR after working in healthcare remain in the sector one year later, and more than 75% stay after five years, according to recent data.

Historically, 63% of TFWs who entered healthcare between 2000 and 2004 became permanent residents within 15 years—one of the strongest transition rates across occupations.

As of 2024, nearly 18% of healthcare workers are 55 or older, and the pipeline isn’t keeping up—especially in support roles. Newcomers already make up 24% of young nurse aides and over 10% of young medical specialists, reflecting how immigration is filling key gaps across the care continuum.

Policy shifts: category-based Express Entry and targeted supports

Since 2023, IRCC has run category-based Express Entry draws for specific job groups, with healthcare among the most frequent categories. In 2024 and 2025, these Express Entry draws often featured lower cut-offs for healthcare occupations than general rounds, helping internationally educated nurses, physicians, therapists, and support staff move toward PR more quickly.

Analysis by VisaVerge.com indicates the targeted system is now the main route for many clinical and support professionals already working in Canada on temporary permits.

The federal strategy goes beyond selection. In 2024–2025, Ottawa invested up to $86 million to speed up foreign credential recognition, with a goal to help 6,600 internationally educated health professionals secure licenses and jobs that match their training.

Provinces and regulators received support for:

• data systems
• assessment capacity
• pathways to bring people into practice sooner—especially in rural and northern communities

In January 2025, Health Ministers endorsed an Ethical Framework for recruiting and keeping internationally educated health professionals, aiming to set fair standards for employers, placement agencies, and provinces while reducing pressure on countries with fragile health systems.

Home care pilots and intake results

Demand for home care is a standout theme. Two new pilots launched in January 2025—the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot: Child Care and the Home Support stream—opened PR intake on March 31, 2025. Both hit their caps on day one, a sign of intense interest among caregivers and employers.

Key features of these pilots:

• Only in-Canada streams opened in 2025, favoring workers already on the ground caring for children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
• Officials say the pilots support families and help clear hospital backlogs by improving supports at home—one of the weakest links in the system.

Employer perspectives and processing timelines

Employers report vacancies remain stubborn in long-term care, home care, and allied health. Hospitals depend on internationally trained professionals and TFWs in areas like lab services, imaging, and respiratory therapy.

Many health authorities say that without steady PR pathways, retention would suffer, since workers often need permanent resident status to accept promotions, move to rural areas, or plan for family reunification.

IRCC’s processing times for healthcare-targeted PR applications are typically 6–8 months, giving workers and employers a predictable window to plan staffing and onboarding.

Remaining challenges and critics’ concerns

Critics warn that credential bottlenecks and underemployment still hold back too many newcomers. Common barriers include:

• long waits for assessments, clinical placements, or exam seats for nurses and physicians
• lack of consistent bridge programs and paid supervised practice
• “survival jobs” that waste skilled talent

Advocates call for:

• faster, more transparent rules across provinces
• clearer bridge programs
• more paid supervised practice opportunities

Provinces say more funding is needed for mentorship, preceptor training, and rural incentives so internationally educated professionals don’t cluster only in big cities.

Policy Changes Driving Faster PR for Health Professionals

1. Express Entry category-based selection is now a regular feature. Healthcare occupations receive frequent invitations and, at times, lower CRS thresholds than general draws, allowing strong candidates with Canadian experience and language test results to rise quickly.
2. The 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan continues to steer a large share of economic admissions to skilled workers in healthcare and related fields. Over 40% of new arrivals this year are expected to be people already living in Canada—many of them students and workers in hospitals, long-term care, and home care.
3. Home care pilots prioritized caregivers in Canada, and the rapid cap fill shows how central caregiving is to both families and the broader health system.
4. The ethical recruitment framework launched in January 2025 aims to reduce harmful practices and encourage retention strategies that support workers’ career growth after arrival.

Practical steps for healthcare candidates

For candidates, the practical steps are straightforward:

1. Create an Express Entry profile and select the correct occupation code.
2. Keep documents current—language test results, educational credential assessments, and a valid passport.
3. When a category-based round targets healthcare roles, those with competitive CRS scores may receive an Invitation to Apply.
4. Submit a complete file: employment letters, police checks, and medical exams.

Many applicants report that a clear employment history and detailed reference letters help speed decisions.

Home care pilots are more competitive. Requirements include:

• a job offer in an eligible National Occupational Classification (NOC) role
• meeting education and language rules
• early filing on launch dates since caps fill quickly

Tips for applicants:

• check employer compliance
• verify the NOC code on the offer
• prepare all paperwork well in advance

Workers already in Canada often have an edge because they can show local experience, references, and proof of ongoing employment.

Impact on applicants, employers, and communities

Examples of current impacts:

• Internationally trained nurses face one of the best chances in years to gain PR—especially with Canadian work experience, good language scores, and provincial certificates or bridging program completion.
• A respiratory therapist in Alberta with Canadian experience and post-secondary credentials may benefit from targeted rounds and regulatory pilots that shorten licensing timelines.
• Physicians still face province-by-province rules, but investments in licensing pathways and rural recruitment are opening more doors. Some provinces now use practice-ready assessments for international medical graduates.
• For hospital administrators, converting a reliable TFW or postgraduate trainee to PR reduces turnover, stabilizes schedules, and supports continuity of care.

Long-term care homes and home care agencies face the toughest shortages and lean on immigration to keep services running. The “occupational renewal ratio” for nurse aides is below 1.0, meaning more are leaving than entering the field. Without steady PR pathways and credential support, administrators warn of closures, bed reductions, or longer waitlists.

Rural and northern communities feel the strain most, where a single vacancy in lab or imaging can force patients to travel hours for basic tests.

Quebec is charting a separate course, planning to limit temporary worker admissions in Montreal and adjust PR targets. Further changes are expected in its 2026–2029 framework, and employers there are closely watching how new rules will shape hiring, training, and retention outside major urban centers.

Human stories that illustrate the stakes

A Filipino home support worker in Winnipeg described how a healthcare-focused invitation allowed her to apply for PR while caring for two seniors. With PR, she plans to bring her spouse, move into a larger rental, and take a diploma to become a licensed practical nurse. Her employer says the PR pathway means they can plan schedules months out, reduce overtime, and improve client continuity—all small gains that add up to safer care.

Ongoing priorities and outlook

IRCC officials stress that ethical recruitment and better credential systems will remain a priority into 2026. Planned actions include:

• keeping category-based selection tuned to labor market data
• continuing investments in licensing capacity
• helping provinces hire where needs are greatest

Employers are urged to offer mentorship, paid supervised practice, and clear promotion tracks so newcomers can grow into roles that match their training.

For readers tracking the latest rules and program updates, IRCC’s official page offers current guidance on Express Entry, category-based draws, and healthcare pathways, including processing trends and program bulletins. See IRCC’s immigration programs overview at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

With healthcare workers at the center of the country’s admissions plan, and with Express Entry draws built to target their skills, the pathway from temporary status to permanent resident status has rarely been stronger. The remaining challenge is to ensure licensing changes keep pace so people trained to care can get to work faster—in hospitals, care homes, clinics, and, just as importantly, in the living rooms where seniors and families need them most.