Immigration to British Columbia for Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals can immigrate to Canada through the British Columbia Health Authority provincial program.
The Health Authority stream is part of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program for healthcare professionals working in the province's public health authorities. This stream offers a pathway to permanent residency for doctors, midwives, and nurse practitioners who are working or have received a job offer from public health authorities in British Columbia.
Requirements
There are two options for participating in the Health Authority stream:
- for candidates with an Express Entry profile who qualify for one of the federal programs;
- for candidates without a profile.
To participate, you must:
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Have either a permanent full-time job offer (with no set end date) from one of British Columbia's public health authorities or a letter from a healthcare organization or midwifery group confirming that you are working as a physician, nurse practitioner, or midwife in British Columbia.
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Meet the education, training, experience, and qualification requirements set by the health authorities.
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Have support from the public health system to apply.
Candidates without an Express Entry profile must meet the following criteria:
- Have the necessary licenses or certificates obtained in British Columbia if required for your profession.
- For TEER 2, 3, 4, or 5 occupations: provide language test results at CLB 4 level.
- Have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family.
Those participating in the stream through Express Entry must additionally meet the minimum requirements of one of the three federal programs:
Public Health Authorities
To immigrate through the Health Authority stream, candidates must receive a job offer and support from one of the following organizations:
- Provincial Health Services Authority;
- First Nations Health Authority;
- Fraser Health;
- Interior Health;
- Island Health;
- Northern Health;
- Vancouver Coastal Health;
- Providence Health Care.
Financial Requirements
Candidates must demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family after moving. The amount depends on where the applicant intends to live. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.
Number of family members | Greater Vancouver Area | Rest of the province |
1 | $29,380 | $24,486 |
2 | $36,576 | $30,482 |
3 | $44,966 | $37,473 |
4 | $54,594 | $45,499 |
5 | $61,920 | $51,604 |
6 | $69,835 | $58,201 |
7 or more | $77,751 | $64,798 |
Application Process
To apply for immigration, candidates must create an account on the official British Columbia website and provide the necessary information. If a candidate qualifies for one of the federal programs, they must first create a profile in the Express Entry system.
You can find healthcare jobs in British Columbia using the free Health Match BC service.
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To learn about other streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, check out the article "Immigration to British Columbia — Canada's Provincial Program".