Canada announced the creation of a new Express Entry category for international doctors by making the path to permanent residence simpler for foreign doctors. The invitations to apply for the new ‘physicians with Canadian work experience category’ will be issued in early 2026. Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently.
Foreign doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation, gained within the last three years, will be eligible under this category.
Eligible Occupations
The occupations eligible for the ‘physicians with Canadian work experience category’ are general practitioners and family physicians, specialists in surgery and specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine.
These doctors are already working in Canada temporarily, helping patients and contributing to Canada’s health care system. Now, Canada is giving these doctors a clear pathway to permanent residence in Canada.
After the addition of the ‘Physicians with Canadian work experience’ category, the new list under the Express Entry, Category-based selection, will be:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare and social services occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
- Education occupations
- Physicians with Canadian work experience
Eligibility for Category-Based Round
To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for 1 of the 3 immigration programs it covers, and meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round.
Who Is Eligible Under the New Physician Category
To be eligible, you must have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of full-time, continuous work experience or an equal amount of part-time experience, in a single occupation as General practitioners and family physicians or Specialists in surgery or Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine.