Province expected to streamline licensing process for internationally trained professionals
British Columbia is intensifying its efforts to recruit U.S. healthcare professionals as it faces a growing shortage of doctors and nurses, with hundreds of thousands of residents lacking a family physician and rural emergency rooms experiencing periodic closures, according to a report.
This comes at a time of urgent need, according to Wendy Cocchia, B.C.’s lieutenant-governor.
“Communities are growing, people are getting older and sicker, and many doctors and nurses are retiring. Your government is responding by adding more nurses and family doctors, opening more community clinics and building more hospitals than ever,” she said in a throne speech marking the start of the B.C. legislative session last week.
In the speech, the B.C. government committed to making it easier for internationally trained healthcare workers to get their credentials recognized, as part of a broader initiative to fill critical staffing gaps.
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said the province is also working to bring back Canadian healthcare professionals who have left for the U.S. or other provinces.
"We need health-care workers. We know how hard they work ... and we'd welcome anybody home," Osborne said Thursday, according to CBC.
A Health Ministry spokesperson stated that the province’s incoming Health Professions and Occupations Act is expected to streamline the licensing process for internationally trained professionals, according to the report. From January 2023 to December 2024, 1,607 internationally educated doctors received full or provisional registration in B.C.
The province has also expanded a key licensing program from 32 seats annually to 96, and the regulatory college has implemented a “fast-tracked licensure” policy to accelerate certification for professionals from other Canadian jurisdictions, CBC reported.
Currently, B.C.'s targeted recruitment efforts include well-established programs such as Health Match B.C. and B.C. Health Careers, which have been actively seeking candidates across Canada and internationally.
Adriane Gear, president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union, voiced her support for hiring both U.S. professionals and Canadians currently practicing abroad. However, she emphasized that licensing barriers continue to slow the process.
"There's definitely ... red tape and other challenges, that certainly slow down the process that I think the British Columbian government could work on," Gear said in an interview with CBC.
Beyond recruitment, however, healthcare worker retention remains a significant concern.
Gear highlighted the pressing need for improved working conditions, pointing out that B.C. currently has nearly 6,000 nursing vacancies.
"[We] know that we can recruit people, but the question is, can we retain them?" she said.
In late 2023, Mark Holland, minister of health, announced the federal government would provide $3.5 million over 5 years to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) to develop a “National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being”, which he said will improve health care workforce retention.
Jill Croteau, a doctor recruitment specialist for Ontario’s Niagara region and board chair of the Canadian Society of Physician Recruitment, has observed a surge in interest among U.S. healthcare workers looking to relocate to Canada.
"In the last ... few weeks we have had an increase of interest from physicians that are looking to come back to Ontario or looking to move into Ontario," Croteau told CBC.
She noted that family doctors, obstetricians and psychiatrists are particularly motivated to explore opportunities in Canada.
Canadian healthcare recruitment agencies are reporting a notable rise in interest from U.S. physicians, particularly women, as political uncertainty and restrictive healthcare policies push more American doctors to consider practising in Canada, citing the political climate in the U.S.
Recently, Trump ordered the heads of federal agencies to start preparing for major layoffs as the US government looks to continue to slash its federal workforce.
