Syed Khan – 28 August 30, 2021,
Nurses are in such high demand in Canada that the country simply can’t train them fast enough to fill the available jobs and so is doing everything it can to recruit them from other countries. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is trying to help solve the labor shortage in the healthcare sector with the introduction of six new pathways to permanent residency announced earlier this year, including one for francophone and another for anglophone healthcare workers.
The University of British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast saw a spike of 31 percent in enrolments to its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and interest in its graduate nursing programs has also doubled in the past year. Students are increasingly turning to nursing programs in Ontario too, where schools saw a 17.5-per cent bump up in applications in the last year. Ottawa is also taking steps to recognize the foreign nursing credentials of temporary foreign workers in Canada and trying to attract more to immigrate to Canada.
Quotes:
“When the healthcare system is stretched, it’s not because we don’t have enough space, enough beds. It’s because we don’t have enough people,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, earlier this year.
“There are many healthcare workers that are in under-employment situations because their healthcare credentials are not recognized,” she said.
“For registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, over the period 2019 – 2028, new job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 191,100, while 154,600 new job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration, and mobility) are expected to be available to fill them,” states the Jobbank website.
Statistical Data:
According to reports, the percentage of adult immigrants in nursing or healthcare support occupations was particularly high among immigrants born in the Caribbean and Bermuda (13 percent), Western Africa (12 percent), Central Africa (12 percent), Eastern Africa (eight percent), and Southeast Asia (10 percent). A top-earning nurse can rake in more than $131,000 annually for a 37.5-hour work week. The median salary based on that regular work week is more than $89,000 per year.
Quebec’s efforts to attract immigrants:
Canada’s francophone province of Quebec has also upped its efforts to attract immigrants to work in its healthcare system. Earlier this year, Quebec launched the Orderlies Pilot Program on March 31 for nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates. Those occupations with the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) numbers and descriptions are included:
- 3011 – Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
- 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- 3124 – Allied primary health practitioners
- 3233 – Licensed practical nurses
- 4412 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
Candidates need to have gotten a DEP in a related field of study in the two years prior to their application. They also have at least two years of experience in this type of occupation, currently work in such a job, and have a level seven proficiency in French.
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