Canada to Invest in Internationally Educated Health Care Professionals

The Canadian government is investing nearly $1.5 million in helping internationally trained health care professionals transfer their credentials.

Canada continues to face a labour shortage in the health care sector. To help ease this labour market gap, the government is investing in a project that is expected to benefit both health care professionals and the Canadian health care system as a whole.

The Canadian government is working with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to build on the success of the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4). Launched in 2019, the N4 project helped provide support to newcomers navigating the Canadian health care system.

The government’s latest investment will help to make it easier for internationally trained health care professionals work in Canada. The funds will be used to “promote sector collaboration and information sharing of foreign qualification and credential recognition requirements for internationally educated health care professionals”.

Many newcomers face significant barriers in having their foreign credentials recognized in Canada. This project will help to identify and remove these barriers and help internationally educated health care professionals get their qualifications faster. The project will also allow N4 to serve as a platform where internationally educated health care professionals can access resources related to foreign credential and qualification recognition in provinces and territories outside of Quebec.

“CHEO has a proven track record of ensuring health and social service sector professionals have the knowledge and tools they need to provide equitable care and services to newcomers. We are pleased to continue working with the National Newcomer Navigation Network to support health care professionals educated abroad in securing jobs in Canada’s health care sector. These services will help more newcomers succeed, while also helping to build a better future for all Canadians” said Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Investing in newcomers

The N4 project is one of the many settlement services that Canada is investing in. In August 2021, the Canadian government announced that it would be investing $100 million in settlement services over a three-year period.

Settlement support typically provides services that help with language acquisition, and employment services, and provide support for youth and the well-being of vulnerable newcomers.

The Canadian government also works with various regulatory bodies to help to facilitate the credential assessment process for internationally trained newcomers.

Working in a regulated occupation

Newcomers working in regulated occupations, like nurses or doctors, need to go through a credential assessment process to practice their profession in Canada. This process can often be lengthy and challenging to navigate.

The process will also depend on which province an individual is working in. To learn more about whether your occupation is regulated, visit our dedicated blog post.

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