New Opportunities for Doctors Moving to Canada in 2026

New Immigration Changes for International Doctors

On December 8, 2025, the Canadian Immigration Minister announced three major updates to help international doctors become permanent residents more easily.

1. A New Express Entry Category

Canada is introducing a new Express Entry category called “Physicians with Canadian Work Experience.”

Who can apply?

To qualify, a doctor must have:

• 12 months of full-time continuous work experience in Canada (or equal part-time experience)
• Completed this work experience in the last 3 years
• Worked in one eligible occupation, which includes:
  • General practitioners & family physicians (31102)
  • Specialists in surgery (31101)
  • Specialists in clinical & laboratory medicine (31100)

When will invitations start?

• Early 2026

How is it different from the current system?

• The current healthcare category includes many medical professionals (nurses, dentists, optometrists, etc.)
• However, the existing category does NOT require Canadian work experience
• Meanwhile, this new category requires 12 months of Canadian experience
• It is still unclear how both categories will work together once the new one begins

2. 5,000 Special Permanent Residence Spots

Canada will reserve 5,000 additional PR admissions specifically for provinces and territories to bring in licensed doctors with job offers.

What does this mean?

• These 5,000 spots are extra—on top of the usual annual Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) quota
• As a result, provinces will be able to nominate more doctors than before
• This will also speed up hiring in hospitals and clinics across Canada

3. Faster Work Permit Processing

Finally, provinces that nominate doctors will help them get a work permit processed in only 14 days.

Why is this important?

• Normally, work permit processing inside Canada takes several months
• But now, nominated physicians can start working much sooner, even while waiting for their PR to be approved

In Summary

Canada wants to attract more doctors, and to do this, it is:

• Creating a new Express Entry category for doctors with Canadian experience
• Reserving 5,000 PR spots just for provinces to bring in more physicians
• Offering super-fast 14-day work permit processing for nominated doctors

These changes aim to speed up immigration, fill healthcare shortages, and make it easier than ever for international doctors to become permanent residents.

Get in touch with SPS Global

Receive advice on any of your questions regarding Immigration Get in touch with us, experienced immigration consultants from SPS Global. For additional information, contact support@spscanada.com (Canada) or support.amd@spscanada.com (Ahmedabad), or by phone at (1) 905-362-9393 (Canada) or +919586226232 (Ahmedabad).