On December 8, 2025, the government announced three new immigration measures to facilitate international doctors’ path to permanent residency in Canada.
Under these measures, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will introduce:
- A new Express Entry category;
- 5,000 specially reserved permanent residence admissions for provinces; and
- Expedited work permit processing for nominated practice-ready physicians.
New Express Entry category
To be eligible under the new Express Entry category, individuals must have accumulated at least 12 months of full-time continuous work experience in Canada within the last three years. This work experience must be in a single eligible occupation.
Occupations targeted under this new category are General practitioners and family physicians, Specialists in surgery, and Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine.
Invitations to apply under this new category will begin in early 2026.
IRCC’s current Express Entry category for healthcare workers already targets physicians, as well as a multitude of healthcare occupations such as nurses, dentists, optometrists, and others.
Special admissions allocation
The Government of Canada will also set aside 5,000 federal admission spaces for provinces and territories to nominate licensed doctors who have job offers.
These spots are in addition to the regular annual allocations for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), meaning that provincial immigration authorities will be able to drastically increase their intake of foreign doctors to nominate for permanent residence.