Canadian province will help its physicians

For several months now, there has been talking in Canada that physicians who have studied abroad cannot work in the country without restrictions. Now they have to take additional exams and go through many obligatory procedures.

Ontario is becoming one of those places where physicians who have studied in the United States, Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom will be able to apply their knowledge without any restrictions. A similar step was recently taken by Alberta. They launched a pilot project there that makes it easier for physicians who have gained experience in the same four countries. And Nova Scotia a month ago allowed medics trained in the U.S. not to take mandatory exams.

However, many people in the medical community do not support such measures and believe that it discriminates against other professionals. Those who have studied in other countries will be left out of the program.

"We're glad to see the changes coming. But there is also a serious concern that this program excludes the vast majority of people who come from other countries," one expert said. "It's still very much a system that rewards white people from the Commonwealth. And if you don't belong to any of them, the restrictions are still very high for you."

"We’re glad there’s going to be some fast-tracking. But there’s a very serious concern it’s excluding the vast majority of people who come from other countries. And if you don’t come from one of those, the barriers are still very much up for you," said one of the experts.

Of the 5,948 new physicians registered in Ontario in 2021, 296 came from Saudi Arabia. There were 284 who studied in Ireland, 133 in the United Kingdom, 129 in India, and 82 in the United States. It is Ontario that employs the most physicians who trained outside the country and then returned.

If you are a physician and want to move to Canada, our immigration consultants can help you with that.