Federal routes for physicians (Express Entry physician category and 5,000 reserved PNP spaces)
Since December 2025 IRCC has two physician-specific federal measures. Doctors with at least 1 year of Canadian work experience can be invited through a dedicated Express Entry category; doctors without Canadian experience can be nominated by a province or territory using 5,000 reserved federal spaces, with a 14-day work permit. Licensing and credential assessment are separate steps.
Who it suits
- Physicians (GPs, surgical or clinical/lab specialists) with 12+ months of Canadian work in the last 3 years: Express Entry physician category
- Doctors outside Canada who can get a job offer or support letter from a province or territory: PNP route with the reserved spaces
- Doctors already eligible for Express Entry, AIP, RCIP or FCIP through the normal rules
Requirements
- Ee categoryExpress Entry 'Physicians with Canadian work experience': at least 12 months of full-time (or equal part-time) work in the past 3 years in NOC 31100, 31101 or 31102, all gained in Canada, and the candidate must be in the pool as eligible for FSW, CEC or FST. Details are set per round. See the category file ee_categories_2026.json and the CEC/FSW pathway files for language and CRS; not repeated here. ↗ canada.ca
- Pnp spacesIRCC reserved 5,000 federal admission spaces, on top of regular PNP allocations, for provinces and territories to nominate licensed doctors who have a job offer or a letter of support. Nominated doctors can get a work permit processed in 14 days. The pages do not give a year-by-year split or the start/end of the 5,000 allocation. ↗ canada.ca
- Licence credentialBefore applying, doctors need their foreign credentials assessed (the Medical Council of Canada assessment for a primary medical diploma) and provincial or territorial licensure. ↗ canada.ca
- No experience optionsDoctors without Canadian experience can use: Provincial Nominee Program (job offer or support letter), Express Entry (if eligible for FSW, CEC or FST), Atlantic Immigration Program, Rural Community Immigration Pilot or Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (each needs 1 year of recent medical work or eligible education and a designated-employer job offer). ↗ canada.ca
- Temporary policyA 2023 temporary public policy lets physicians providing publicly funded services (including self-employed or fee-for-service doctors) qualify for PR under Express Entry (FSW, CEC) or PNP with an employment offer; the policy text says it stays in force until the Minister revokes it, and no revocation was seen. ↗ canada.ca
How candidates are selected
Two tracks: (1) Express Entry category rounds, with invitations to the highest CRS scores among eligible physician candidates; (2) provincial or territorial nomination using the reserved federal spaces, decided by each province's own physician stream and licensing body.
Location requirement: none for the Express Entry category (must plan to live outside Quebec); PNP route ties the doctor to the nominating province
Processing: Express Entry route: see the CEC and FSW pathway files for IRCC processing estimates. PNP route: a provincial nomination comes first; IRCC says the work permit for a nominated doctor is processed in 14 days.
Related pathways
Atlantic Immigration Program
ClosedHome Care Worker Immigration Pilots (Child Care and Home Support)
ClosedAgriculture and agri-food occupations category
Limited intakeEducation occupations category
OpenHealthcare and social services occupations category
Limited intakeScience, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category
Official sources
- canada.caMedical doctors hubChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.caDoctors with Canadian experienceChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.caDoctors without Canadian experienceChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.caNews release, 2025-12-08Checked 2026-10-01
- canada.caExpress Entry category-based selectionChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.ca2023 temporary public policy for physiciansChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.caIRCC economic immigration briefing (2026)Checked 2026-10-01
Program rules change often. This page summarizes the official pages listed above; the official page always takes precedence.