For nurses looking to relocate to a new country to find nursing job opportunities, Canada is just a perfect option for you.
The economy and standard of living are great, the medical system is of high quality, a small population of 35 million, and a landmass that is the second biggest in the world.
Just mentioning these qualities won’t do enough justice, so let us discuss some of them in a detail.
The Canadian Economy
The Canadian economy is a well-developed one and is the ninth-largest economy in the world. Their economy is trade-dependent as exports and imports make up one-third of the country’s economy
Canada also has a low unemployment rate of 5.7%. The success of their economy and relatively low population has led to the country brimming with job opportunities in various industries.
One of such industries is the medical industry, let’s explore how the Canadian medical is faring.
Healthcare in Canada
Healthcare in Canada is delivered using a territorial system of publicly funded informally called Medicare. Medicare provides 70% of Canadian healthcare needs while the other 30% is paid for. The 30% not covered are services Medicare are not fully in charge of usually Prescription drugs, dentistry, etc.
The quality of the healthcare provided in Canada is of high quality. A study in 2017 shows that Canada spent 11.5% of the country’s GDP on their healthcare. This has led to Canada performing well according to most of the OECD indicators that show the quality of healthcare in the country. Also, 69% of Canadians have a self-reported improvement in health after utilizing Canadian healthcare.
It is hard to argue against these numbers in favor of the quality of Canadian healthcare, so let’s talk about the nurses who are also part of this successful system.
Nurses in Canada
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, there are 304,558 registered nurses in Canada. There has been an increase in demand for nurses in Canada over the past couple of years with the pandemic contributing massively to that. Another reason is the increasing aging population in Canada. This increase means a lot of nurses have to be dedicated to taking care of these elderly people.
It is anticipated that 191,100 nursing openings within 2020 and 2025, but it is also anticipated that without immigrants, Canada would struggle to fill all those openings with qualified nurses. The shortage in the nursing industry is expected to persist to 2028, and some even expect the shortage to become acute.
The Canadians are putting policies in place to nip this in its bud. They are one of the many countries worldwide suffering from a shortage of nurses and the Canadian government as well as the World Health Organization have made plans to help the situation. However, this is a good opportunity for registered nurses outside Canada to move to the North American country to work and also stay. So let us move on to how you can get into Canada.
How to Get into Canada
For nurses staying outside North America, air travel is easily the best way to get into Canada. Considering you have intentions to live and work in Canada, we can assure your stay to be permanent. The process to get into basically involves just getting the right visa that allows you to live and work in Canada. Once that is done, you can move to Canada then proceed to look for a nursing job, or you can find one before even moving.
Here are your options to get into Canada
1. Express Entry Program
This one allows foreigners to live and work in Canada as skilled workers. This program proactively assesses and recruits selected immigrants with specific skillsets or possess useful qualifications under the Federal economic immigration programs.
2. Family Class Sponsorship
A Canadian family can sponsor their relatives to come into the country permanently. The person sponsoring must be a permanent Canadian citizen and the person sponsored has to be the spouse or child of the person sponsoring.
3. LMIA Work Visa
In the case where you get a Canadian job before moving, this should be your best option. Your employers can apply for the LMIA through Service Canada, then you can apply for your work permit once that is approved. This is an easy route to becoming a permanent citizen.
4. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Certain provinces in Canada have immigration programs. These programs are usually processed quicker and require the applicants to reside in the said province. Most provinces offering this also require applicants to already have a job offer from a Canadian employer. Examples of such provinces are Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, etc.
5. Canadian Investor Immigration
Well, this is for high-earning individuals who have owned businesses and enterprises overseas. Canada is welcoming experienced business people to grow their economy as they believe these individuals would invest in their economy.
Asides from Canadian Investor Immigration and to an extent, Family Sponsorship, the other options seem pretty viable. So let us turn our focus to the best places you can work as a Nurse in Canada
Best Places to Work as a Nurse in Canada
Here we are going to discuss some of the best places to work as a Nurse in Canada.
1. Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ranks number one as the best place for nursing graduates. The Nurses here are paid a higher than the average salary of Nurses in the country. This Canadian province provides a lot of Nursing opportunities to both nursing graduates and qualified foreign nurses
2. New Brunswick
The working conditions here are part of the reasons being a nurse is better. Their flexible working hours, and pay which can be as high as $77,445 adds to their allure. They also welcome foreigners faster than most other provinces and nurses are not exempted
3. Manitoba
This is a province actively looking for nurses. The pandemic has made Nurses here overworked. To become a nurse here, you must fulfill all of the province’s educational requirements for advanced practice nursing.
Websites to Find Nursing Jobs in Canada
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