by Provinces to Find Work in Canada as a Nurse – There are some jobs that no country can do without, and one of those jobs is nursing. Nursing stands as one of the most important jobs in the world currently especially at this post COVID-19 era and in Canada, it is among the list of highly in-demand jobs together with healthcare professions.
There has been an increase in the demand for nurses in Canada even before the outbreak of COVID-19, and yet the Canadian government is not taking it easy with its goal to allow internationally trained nurses come into the country to add to the workforce in the healthcare sector.
Generally speaking, the healthy sector is very crucial and every country wants to take this sector very seriously and so the Canadian government has established over a 100 immigration programs to allow foreign nurses immigrate to the Canada. Nurses are under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) Skill type A and Skill type B depending in the type of nurse.
Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses are under the NOC 3012, skill type A while the licensed practical nurses are under the NOC 3233, skill type B. The immigration program you can go through to be eligible to immigrate to Canada is determined by these skill types.
For all practicing nurses who want to immigrating to Canada in 2025, it might interest you to know that this is the perfect time to make the move as Canada is open to accepting over 2 million immigrants into the country within 2023-2025 and since nursing is one of the occupation that is highly in-demand in Canada, you will enjoy an easy and faster application process, but first of all you should figure out which immigration program is best suitable for you and also the province where nurses are highly demanded so you can also get a nomination which will increase your chances of getting an Invitation to immigrate to Canada.
To help you choose the best immigration program suitable for you, we will be showing you the best immigration programs for you as a nurse and also the provinces in Canada where nurses are highly needed.
How To Immigrate To Canada As A Nurse In 2025
Like we mentioned earlier that there are over a 100 immigration programs that the government of Canada has designed to help foreigners come into the country to add to the work-force and currently the country is a need of more nurses. We will be showing you the best immigration programs for nurses that plan to immigrate to Canada in 2025.
1. The Federal Express Entry System
The Express system is an immigration program that is done online and it requires applicants to set up online profiles where they will have to fill in some necessary information to meet the requirements in the immigration program. This is one of the most popular and fastest immigration programs in Canada currently with short processing time, which is about 6months. Through this program you can also get permanent residence.
Another exciting thing is that this program doesn’t need a job offer for you to apply, however a job offer only increases your chances of being successful. These are the requirements:
- Age
- Work experience
- Educational qualification
- Language proficiency
- Proof of funds
- Provincial nomination (not necessary)
After you must have completed your profile online, you will be placed in a draw with other candidates and a score will be given to you based on the information you have on your profile. In the draw, everyone will be ranked according to a ranking system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Your score and that of other candidates will be ranked against a CRS cut-off score and for you to be selected, you have to meet or exceed the CRS cut-off score. Being selected means that you will be sent an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada. If you are not successful, you can improve and try again since the test is conducted twice a month.
The Express Entry System is managed under three federal immigration programs and they are:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
Requirements For You To Be Eligible For This Program
- You must have a paid skilled work experience of at least one year as a nurse (30hours/week) for full-time and for part-time it could be (15hours/week)
- You must have an education certificate of high school diploma or degree from secondary school or post-secondary school in Canada and if you have a foreign certificate, it must be equivalent to the Canadian standard and so you will have to go through the Educational Credential Assessment to check the credentials.
- You must take the approved language test in English or French in writing, speaking, listening or reading and you must get a minimum score of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all abilities.
- You must prove that you have sufficient funds to help you settle in Canada and also take care of any other family member coming with you unless you have a valid job offer
- You must successfully pass the security background check which shows that you have no criminal record and also pass the medical examination check meaning that you are in good health.
You will also need to attach some documents when applying for this Express Entry program. These documents are:
- Means of identification
- Birth certificate or record
- Medical clearance certificate
- Language proficiency test results for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS ( International English Language Testing System) or TEF (Test d’ Evaluation de Francias)
- Educational Credentials Assessment
- Police clearance report
2. The Provincial Nominee Program
This is an immigration program that allows Canadian provincial government to nominate applicants to get permanent residence in Canada. The provinces work hand in hand with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to help immigrants get jobs and settle in a particular province.
The program allows the provinces to sets their own requirements which are directed to meet the economic needs of each province and fill up labour shortages. The program also allows employers in a province can hire foreign skilled workers to come fill up job spaces. So as a nurse, you can search for provinces where the services of nurses are highly needed so as to speed up you nomination.
You should bear in mind that the province does not give you permanent residence but a nomination from a province can increase your chances of getting a permanent residence in Canada. A nomination from a province gives you 600points which adds to your score from the Express Entry System, this means that you are a step by closer to receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada.
You can choose to apply through direct application meaning that you will have to submit paper through mail or courier service and this takes time about 15 to 19months or you can choose to go through the Express Entry linked with PNP since it is faster and in this option, you can either apply by showing your interest in a particular province when setting up your online profile in the Entry System) or you apply for the Provincial Nominee Entry Stream which is for occupations that are highly in-demand in that particular province and nursing is one of the highly demanded occupations in many provinces in Canada.
3. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
This program is designed for foreign workers and international graduates who plan to live and work in any of the four Atlantic Provinces of Canada and also offer them to get permanent residence. The program was introduced by the Atlantic Provinces in together with the Canadian government to fill up labour shortages because there are no much citizens and permanent residents to handle them.
For an applicant to be eligible for this program, you must have gotten a job offer from an employer in any of the four Atlantic Provinces which are:
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Prince Edward Island
You will have to must meet the eligibility requirements which includes; work experience, education and language proficiency.
Provinces In Canada Where Nurses Are Highly Needed
There are some provinces in Canada where the services of nurses are needed. Let’s see these 3 provinces that offer more to nurses when compared to other provinces.
1. New Brunswick
This is one of the Atlantic Provinces in Canada and is one of provinces in Canada where nurses are highly in-demand. You can also study nursing in this province and work at hospitals during your course of study. A nurse in this province could earn about $35 per hour working in the hospital and about $75, 000 to $77, 000 per year. The working conditions are flexible since there are work-shifts.
2. Nova Scotia
This is another Atlantic province just like New Brunswick. It is one of the best provinces for foreigners to immigrate to and it presents nurses with so many unique opportunities and benefits, excitingly nurses in this province earn higher than the average Canadian salary.
An experienced nurse in this province could earn around $38-$40 per hour and an average salary of about $75, 000 to $78, 600 per year.
3. Manitoba
This is a big province that is in need of foreign skilled workers and among which nurses are included. Nurses in this province could earn about $37 per hour and an average of about $77, 000 per year.
Benefits Of Immigrating To Canada As A Nurse
Healthcare workers are very essential in any country and Canada is not an exception. As a nurse in Canada you stand to enjoy so many benefits and some of them are;
- Life Assurance
- Pension plan
- Accidental death insurance
- Counseling services
- Disability benefits whether short or long term
- Medical care
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which province is best for nursing?
If you are a nurse and you want to immigrate to Canada as a nurse then you should definitely go for it because nursing is one of the most in-demand job in Canada.
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
- Manitoba
2. Which province pays nurses highest in Canada?
The highest-paid nurses are nurses in the northern territories, where an experienced nurse can earn as high as $170,000 per year in Nunavut.
Final Note
Haven gone through the article, you should be more confident to start sending in your applications as there is no better time to immigrate to Canada as a nurse than now.
With the guide you’ve gotten from this article, you stand a good chance to be accepted, get a valid job offer and to immigrate to Canada as a nurse.
All you have to do is to meet the eligibility requirements for any of the programs you choose and you can immigrate to Canada as a nurse, if that is your dream then yes, it can definitely come through!
Reference
workstudyvisa.com -Provinces to Find Work in Canada Nurse
britsincanada.ca -What is a Nurses Salary in Canada by Province
newcanadianlife.com -Best Province to Work as a Nurse in Canada
immigtoronto.com -Best Canadian Provinces for nurses to live and work
