Working as a veterinarian in Canada: Immigration and Employment

Working as a veterinarian in Canada: Immigration and Employment

Veterinarians are among the top three occupations of 2019 in Canada. These professionals are in high demand and earn a lot.

We tell you how difficult it is for foreigners to become a veterinarian in Canada and find out:

  • how in-demand veterinarians are in Canada;
  • the level of salaries of veterinarians and their assistants;
  • what programs you can immigrate under;
  • how to get a license to work;
  • vocational training options in Canada;
  • availability of current vacancies.

Demand for veterinarians in Canada

The largest job search service Indeed considers the profession of veterinarian one of the best jobs in Canada, to be exact — second after machine learning engineer (third place went to the profession of developer). The top jobs, according to Indeed, offer an average salary of more than $70,000 CAD per year (the average salary across Canada is $55,000 CAD per year), and the number of job openings for them has been steadily increasing for the past three years.

Indeed, the pet industry in Canada has boomed over the past few years. Millennials (note: the generation born after 1981), consider pets as their first children. This generation not only gives a large portion of their income to their pets, but is also driving the development of pet-related businesses.

The Canadian Institute of Animal Health says that the proportion of pet owners who use veterinary consultations is steadily increasing. What's more, there are many retirees living in Canada and their numbers are increasing every year as the working-age population retires. They also often have pets, which affects the consumption of veterinary services.

Unsurprisingly, Veterinarians job growth rate was 245% in 2015-2018. Veterinarians and veterinary assistants are also among the top 17 most in-demand occupations in Canada for the next five years.

The size of the veterinary services market is estimated at $5 billion CAD. At the same time, the average growth of the industry in 2014-2019 was 3.8%. The number of enterprises exceeds 6,000, and the number of employed specialists is more than 43 thousand people.

There are now approximately 8.3 million cats and 8.2 million dogs in Canadian households. Pets are almost never thrown out into the street in Canada and are taken seriously in their care and upkeep. In Montreal, dog and cat owners are required to microchip and spay their dogs and cats. These services cost a lot but the fines are even higher.

Salaries of veterinarians and their assistants

The average salary veterinarians in Canada is $75,150 CAD per year ($40.5 CAD per hour). They diagnose and treat diseases and disorders in animals. These professionals also advise clients on feeding, hygiene, housing and general animal care. Veterinarians are in private practice and work in animal clinics, farms, laboratories, government or industry.

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