Health Minister Marjorie Michel used a joint news conference with Ontario counterpart Sylvia Jones to unveil more than $31 million in federal funding that will help internationally educated doctors, nurses and therapists secure Canadian licences more quickly. The largest slice—$20 million—will fund 50 extra residency-style “Practice Ready Ontario” positions a year, creating up to 200 new family-physician seats by 2029. Other grants will build online navigation hubs, exam-prep tools and mentoring networks for foreign-trained nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The announcement is Ottawa’s first major deployment of the $77 million Foreign Credential Recognition Action Fund promised in Budget 2024. Officials say it complements immigration measures introduced last December that give physicians dedicated Express Entry streams, 5,000 extra Provincial Nominee spaces and two-week work-permit processing. By attacking licensing backlogs, the government hopes to make immigration targets more politically palatable while easing the family-doctor shortage that affects one in five Canadians. For employers, the money means a larger, quicker pipeline of health-care talent—especially in northern, rural and Francophone communities where vacancies are acute. International medical graduates who once waited two or three years for assessment may now complete bridging programs in 12-18 months, cutting the time they practise under supervision and accelerating their path to permanent residence. Consultancies that place foreign clinicians say demand for credential-recognition advice will spike. They urge candidates to gather notarised transcripts and proof of practice hours early, and to budget for language exams even if they trained in English or French. Provinces retain control over licences, so requirements still vary, but advocates call coordinated federal funding a “turning point” after decades of patchwork reform. The initiative also signals that economic immigration is being tied directly to domestic service gaps. If the six pilot projects succeed, Health Canada is expected to push for similar funding envelopes in construction and childcare—sectors that face comparable credential barriers.
Source: Health Canada
