(CANADA) Canada has unveiled a new federal immigration push aimed squarely at easing the country’s doctor shortage, launching a dedicated Express Entry stream for physicians in 2025 and reserving 5,000 extra Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) spots for international doctors. The measures focus on keeping doctors who are already working in the health system and drawing more physicians into regions where clinics and hospitals struggle to hire.
New Express Entry stream for physicians
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced the new Express Entry stream for physicians as part of its health-workforce strategy, targeting licensed doctors such as family physicians, general practitioners, and specialists.
This pathway is open to:
– Doctors already in Canada on temporary status, including work permit holders.
– Those who can show strong ties to the Canadian health-care system.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the move is a clear signal that Canada is treating physician immigration as a core tool to address pressure on hospitals and primary care.
Priority processing and labour alignment
Under the dedicated physician stream, IRCC is offering priority processing, so applications from eligible doctors are handled faster than many other categories.
Faster decisions can be decisive for international doctors who have faced long timelines and complex routes to permanent residence. This is especially true for those considering staying in provinces or rural communities that struggle to recruit Canadian-trained doctors.
IRCC has tied the new stream closely to labour needs, saying it is designed to help provinces and territories that report the greatest shortages.
How this fits into Express Entry and category-based selection
The new measures fold into Canada’s broader Express Entry system, which manages applications for several economic immigration programs.
In 2025, IRCC has been running category-based selection draws that focus on health-care professionals, with physicians placed near the top of that priority list. These draws often use lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores than general rounds, meaning more international doctors in the pool stand a real chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
IRCC’s health-care focused draws in 2025 have included rounds of 3,000 to 6,000 candidates, giving international doctors a much larger window of opportunity than in earlier years when they had to compete with applicants from every occupation. While the government has not released a full breakdown of how many of those invitations went to physicians, the targeted design makes clear that doctors are a central group in these health-care categories.
Official details on how category-based selection works are available on the IRCC Express Entry page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry.html.
5,000 dedicated PNP nomination spaces for physicians
Alongside the federal stream, Ottawa has created 5,000 dedicated PNP nomination spaces for international medical graduates (IMGs) and physicians. These spaces are:
- Added on top of existing quotas.
- Distributed to provinces and territories that show health-care labour shortages.
- Usable by each participating province inside its own Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to nominate doctors it wants to keep or attract.
Provinces can use their share of these 5,000 spots to nominate:
– IMGs who are already working in the province.
– Physicians who hold job offers from approved health authorities or hospitals.
– Doctors in specific high-need fields, such as family medicine, general practice, and certain specialist areas.
For many international doctors working under temporary contracts in small towns or regional hospitals, a PNP nomination tied to these 5,000 spots could be the missing piece that leads to permanent residence.
Retaining and attracting physicians
The federal government is sending a clear message: it wants to retain doctors already in Canada. Many international doctors have invested years in licensing exams, supervision, and proving their qualifications in Canadian settings. Without stable routes to permanent residence, some have left for other countries.
By providing both a dedicated Express Entry stream and extra PNP capacity, Ottawa aims to reduce the risk that trained and licensed professionals leave just as they are fully integrated into the health system.
At the same time, the measures aim to attract new physicians to places with the greatest need. Provinces struggling to fill positions in remote communities, northern regions, or smaller cities can now pair job offers with clearer immigration support.
Some existing PNP physician streams already operate with lower language scores or experience thresholds than general economic categories. The additional 5,000 nominations give provinces more room to keep standards flexible while still meeting overall quotas.
Key takeaway: The combined approach is intended to both retain current international doctors and attract new ones to underserved areas by linking immigration pathways more directly to hiring needs.
Practical effects for international doctors
The practical effect for many international doctors is a faster and more predictable route to permanent residence.
Typical steps and options now include:
1. Create or update an Express Entry profile, clearly flagging Canadian work experience and a health-care role.
2. Wait for a possible health-care or physician-focused draw with potentially lower CRS thresholds.
3. Apply for a PNP nomination from a province using one of the 5,000 dedicated spots (if eligible).
4. Combine provincial nomination and Express Entry pathway for a stronger route to permanent residence.
Physicians already in Canada can pursue both federal and provincial streams simultaneously to maximize chances. Those still abroad should focus on obtaining a job offer or Canadian licensure, as these significantly strengthen both PNP and Express Entry prospects.
What provinces gain and operational flexibility
Policy specialists note the design gives provinces more flexibility:
– Provinces can ring-fence nominations for health care instead of relying solely on general economic immigration targets.
– Criteria can be adjusted as shortages shift between family medicine and specialist roles.
– That may lead to more frequent program updates but improves alignment between immigration selection and actual job openings.
Remaining requirements and limitations
International doctors still must handle the usual steps that remain separate from immigration:
– Credential recognition
– Licensing with provincial regulatory bodies
– Job search and securing offers
Once a doctor is licensed or closely tied to the Canadian health-care system, the path to permanent residence in 2025 is clearly more open than in previous years, with Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) working in tandem to keep them in Canada’s hospitals and clinics.
Canada launched a dedicated Express Entry stream for physicians in 2025 and allocated 5,000 additional PNP nomination spots for international doctors. The measures prioritize licensed family physicians, general practitioners, and specialists, offering faster processing and targeted category-based draws with lower CRS thresholds. Provinces receive flexible PNP allocations to retain IMGs, nominate doctors with job offers, and address shortages in rural and underserved areas. The combined federal-provincial approach seeks to retain existing international doctors and attract new physicians where they are most needed.
