Canadian Immigration Policy and the Registered Nurse
Canadian immigration policy includes several programs for skilled workers
such as the registered nurse.
Nursing employment in Canada is a good probability if you are already a
registered nurse in another country and have at least one year of experience in registered nursing practice.
Finding nursing employment in Canada should not be difficult since there is a constant
shortage of nurses, however, the nature of the shortage does wax and wane
over time. Nursing shortages can also be regional with some areas having an acute shortage of nurses and other areas having an over supply of nurses.
If you are already a registered nurse, nursing employment is not guaranteed.
Because nursing is a regulated profession not only must you meet the Canadian immigration criteria for working in the country but
you will also be required to meet specific requirements to
obtain a nursing
license and be eligible to work as a nurse.
Skilled workers can enter the country under various programs in
order to facilitate the labor needs in the country. There are a couple of programs that might help in
getting nursing employment.
Skilled worker program
On the Citizen and Immigration Canada website both the occupation
of a registered nurse and the nursing profession are defined as
priority occupations. Therefore if you are already a registered nurse you may qualify to enter under the skilled worker program.
Priority Occupations
"A priority occupation is one that the Government of Canada has identified after extensive
consultations as being in high demand. You must have at least one year of continuous work experience in
this occupation to be eligible to apply as a federal skilled worker."
You can see if your education and experience qualify you for entry as a skilled worker using this
assessment on the Canadian immigration website.
Provincial Nominee Program
If you do not have experience as a registered nurse but have completed your nursing education try the
provincial nominee program.
Use this working
tool and type in registered nurse. Once you select the province that you would like to work in you will
be connected to the appropriate government website for that province and you will find explanations of the
different types of programs and requirements.
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