If you are a healthcare worker inside Canada and you have been working in the healthcare industry for at least one year and you are not yet a permanent resident, your chances of becoming a permanent resident may have improved significantly. The Canadian government recently announced a new pathway for healthcare workers that may enable you to apply right away for your Canadian permanent residency.
The new permanent resident pathway is still open and will remain open until enough persons have applied or until the deadline passes, whichever comes first. Currently, the number of applications received under the program is significantly below what would have been received for other programs. Therefore, this means that there is still ample time for eligible healthcare workers to apply for their Canadian permanent residency under this program.
The Temporary Public Policy Program For Healthcare Workers
The new temporary public policy program for healthcare workers recently announced by the Canadian government is currently accepting applications. A total of 20,000 applications will be accepted from persons working in the healthcare industry. As of 30th May 2021, the government had received only about 1,600 applications.
Compared to the international graduate’s category under the temporary public policy program, the government of Canada announced that it would allow applications up to 40,000 applications. The 40,000 slots available to recent international graduates were filled up in just about two days.
Evidently, the number of applications in the healthcare category is substantially below those that would have been received under the international graduate’s category, and yet the international graduate’s category has already reached its cap.
Eligibility Criteria
Firstly, the program is targeted at healthcare workers in Canada. For you to be eligible, you must be present in Canada. Secondly, you must have valid status in Canada, either by way of a work permit or a visitor record. Thirdly, you must plan to live outside Quebec. Fourthly, you must meet the language requirement and in this case, the language requirement is a level four in reading, writing, and speaking English. In addition, you must be currently employed, however, you do not have to be currently employed in a healthcare job.
In other words, you need to be employed in any job that is registered on the National Occupational Classification website. Importantly, you need to have had at least one year of work experience in the last three years and this experience must be in one of the eligible healthcare occupations. Therefore, if you worked in one of the eligible healthcare occupations two years ago and you are no longer working in that occupation, you are not disqualified.
Listed Healthcare Occupations
The program provides an extensive list of eligible healthcare occupations including registered nurses, other nursing related careers, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, dieticians, audiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical lab technologists, opticians, practical nurses, massage therapists, dental assistants, nurses aides, orderlies, or patient service associates, other assisting occupations, psychologists, social workers, marriage and related counselors, health policy researchers, home support workers, housekeepers among other related occupations.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, provided you are currently inside Canada and you are currently working or worked in any of the healthcare occupations in the last three years for at least one year, you are eligible to apply for permanent residency under the temporary public policy program for healthcare workers. Therefore, if you are eligible and you are not yet a Canadian permanent resident and you wish to become one, this would be an ideal opportunity for you to take advantage of while there are still available slots.
Let Us Help
Should you be interested in applying for Canadian permanent residency under the temporary public policy program for healthcare workers living in Canada, we are available to assist you to put together the ideal documentation required for your application and guide you throughout the process.
We are also happy to provide the best professional advice in case you have any questions or inquiries regarding the program.
Please feel free to contact us. Book a call with us today!
