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On December 8, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced two new measures to support international doctors in working and remaining in Canada, namely, 1) a new Express Entry for international doctors and 2) additional spots for international doctors under the Provincial Nominee Program.
We have included the details from the announcement on both programs below. We expect more details about the new measures to be released in early 2026.
The announcement can be found here: Targeted immigration measures to boost Canada's supply of doctors - Canada.ca.
1. New Express Entry Category for international doctors – invitations to apply will be issued in early 2026
Currently, international doctors seeking Canadian Permanent Residence through Express Entry must apply under either the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program.
Under the Canadian Experience Class, the challenge some international doctors face are the high Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores required to be invited to apply. The Comprehensive Ranking System takes into account many factors, such as age, education, language results, work experience, etc. The CRS score under the CEC for the lowest-ranked candidates invited in the past 10 draws ranged from 518 to 547 points, which is quite high. This creates challenges for international doctors seeking permanent residence to stay in Canada despite their strong educational credentials.
Regarding the Federal Skilled Worker Program, it has essentially been on pause, as the last round of invitations under this program was in February 2023.
Here is what we know about the new Express Entry Category for international doctors so far:
- It will target international doctors with at least 12 months of full-time (or equal amount of part-time), continuous Canadian work experience gained within the last 3 years
- The international doctors will need to be in the following
eligible occupations:
- NOC 31102 - General practitioners and family physicians
- NOC 31101 - Specialist in surgery
- NOC 31100 - Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- Invitations to apply for the new Express Entry category will be issued in early 2026
Therefore, it is recommended that any international doctors who are working in Canada on a Work Permit and currently meet or will soon meet the eligibility requirements, obtain the necessary documents and submit an Express Entry Profile, so they may be in the best position to receive an invitation to apply when IRCC conducts the draw. Some required documents for an Express Entry Profile include a recent approved English language test and Educational Credential Assessment by an approved organization.
At TDS Law, we can guide interested physicians through the document-gathering process and review the documents to ensure they meet IRCC's requirements.
2. 5,000 additional spots for international doctors under the Provincial Nominee Program
IRCC has announced an additional 5,000 spots for provinces to nominate licensed doctors with job offers. In addition, IRCC committed to expediting the Work Permit processing time to 14 days for nominated doctors, allowing them to work while awaiting Permanent Residence. Essentially, this new measure could allow provinces to attract international doctors who have received a job offer to come to Canada and work within a short timeframe while their Permanent Residence application is pending.
Information about how the nomination spots will be allocated amongst the provinces or the eligibility requirements for each province has not been announced yet.
Next Steps
We will provide a more detailed update once more information on these new measures are released. At TDS Law, we can assist physicians and their families in navigating the immigration process through the Express Entry system and/or the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
