Healthcare Workers: Paths to Permanent Residence in 2026

IRCC's healthcare and social services category covers 38 occupations, from physicians, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists to licensed practical nurses, paramedics, medical laboratory staff, nurse aides and orderlies, pharmacy assistants, social workers and social and community service workers. You need at least 12 months of full-time work, or the same amount part time, in the past 3 years in one of those occupations. The work can be in Canada or abroad and does not have to be continuous.

You still have to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the category adds no points. Express Entry categories explains how category rounds work, and find your NOC and TEER helps you match your duties to IRCC's codes.

A separate category covers specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100), specialists in surgery (31101), and general practitioners and family physicians (31102). It needs at least 12 months of that work in the past 3 years in Canada. Experience abroad does not count for this category, although it can still count for the healthcare category.

Healthcare and social services rounds invited 4,000 candidates at 467 on February 20, 4,000 at 475 on June 25 and 3,500 at 475 on September 4. Physician rounds invited 391 at 169 on February 19, 271 at 223 on June 24 and 229 at 198 on September 3. These are IRCC's figures as of November 12, 2026; the healthcare rounds and physician rounds pages update when IRCC publishes a new one.

The CRS calculator shows where your own score sits against those cutoffs.

The BC PNP Health Authority stream is for workers in a health authority eligible occupation with a full-time job offer with no end date from a B.C. health authority employer. You need the support of an authorized person at that employer and a completed Employer Declaration Form, the licence or registration your occupation requires, the work experience the BC PNP and the employer require, at least CLB 4, and the program's wage and income requirements.

If you are also in the federal Express Entry pool and qualify, you can use the Express Entry BC option. WelcomeBC says a nomination that way adds points to your federal profile and the permanent residence application may be processed faster. The BC PNP also runs targeted Care: Health rounds for priority health occupations in the Skilled Worker stream, shown in the BC PNP calculator.

Alberta's pathway needs a job offer from an Alberta health sector employer in one of nine professions: physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, clinical social workers and psychologists. You must also show you meet the requirements of the Alberta regulatory body to practise.

If you can create an Express Entry profile with a CRS score of 300 or more and qualify for one of its three programs, you must use the Express Entry option. The non-Express Entry option is for those who cannot, and it needs CLB 5 in every ability or the language level your licence required. Recent Alberta health care draws invited at expression of interest scores of 50 to 60; the Alberta PNP calculator lists each draw.

ESDC lists physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, nurse aides and several medical technologist occupations among the occupations it prioritizes for LMIA processing outside Quebec. Positions in hospitals and in nursing and residential care facilities are also exempt from the pause on low-wage LMIAs in cities with high unemployment. LMIA rules in 2026 covers the rest.

Which NOC code your duties match, whether your 12 months fall inside the 3-year window, whether you qualify for one of the three Express Entry programs, and whether a provincial health stream would add a nomination. Licensing is often the slowest step, so we look at where you are with the regulator first.