The Covid-19 pandemic heightened the dire demand for nurses in Canada. The country can only satisfy the need for Nurses by offering permanent residency to foreign nurses. The constant shortage of nurses in Canada was made worse by the pandemic though it was still an issue in the country even before. The pandemic only inflicted more damage on a country that was already short of nurses. That forced the government agencies to add programs that encourage more nurses to enrol into the labor force. The province of Ontario, for example, seeks to invest $342 million in the next five years. The budget will allow the region to hire around 13000 nurses.
On the other hand, British Colombia, in their quest to aid more nurses’ entry into the provinces, promised to invest $16,000. The money will help 1500 nurses from international colleges to apply and subject them to educational upgrading and English language tests. The province of Quebec invested $65 million in recruiting and training around 1,000 nurses from French-speaking countries.
If you are a nurse who resides within or outside Canada and is wondering how you can further your career in the country, then below is a list of the nurse’s pathways into Canada. It is good to know that Canada has a variety of immigration programs, and the list is not exhaustive. However, nurses have the upper hand because nursing is often considered “skilled work,” and nurses are eligible for almost all the programs whose requirements entail the need for people with “skilled work”.
NOC Code and Skill Level are Two Important Aspects of Eligibility
Nursing falls into either of two categories in Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC): NOC’s skill level A and skill level B. Skill level A entails registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. NOC skill level B, on the other hand, entails licensed practical nurses, NOC 3233. A nurse’s skill levels are vital because it helps determine the immigration program they qualify for. It also tells any other criteria a nurse may require for applying for a particular program.
Express Entry Programs for Nurses
The express entry system is an online system that manages immigration applications that work with both FSWP and the CEC programs that allow nurses an express entry into Canada. The system enables Canadian immigration enthusiasts to submit their profiles and gauge their Comprehensive Ranking System scores (CRS) scores. The factors that determine Express Entry candidates’ scores include, among other things, the following: age, education, and official language ability. Candidates who score highly apply for permeant residence twice per week. The Covid-19 pandemic led to the pause of CEC and FSWP candidates, but the immigration minister says the program will begin in July.
