The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in Canada, Sean Fraser, has revealed plans to bring additional healthcare workers to the country as part of a revamped immigration approach targeting sectors grappling with significant labour shortages.
The healthcare industry will be the first sector to benefit from this new initiative.
He made this known in a series of tweets on his official Twitter account (@SeanFraserMP) on Wednesday.
“We are bringing more health care workers to Canada!
We’ve changed the approach to immigration by bringing an additional focus on certain sectors facing serious labour shortages. The first sector to benefit from this new process is healthcare,” he said.
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Under the program, 500 skilled healthcare professionals have been invited to immigrate to Canada, with another 1,500 set to receive invitations on July 5. This initiative is expected to double the number of healthcare workers entering Canada through the federal Express Entry system this year.
“Today, 500 skilled healthcare workers will be invited to immigrate to Canada, and on July 5, we will invite 1500 more. This new program is expected to double the number of healthcare workers coming to Canada through the federal Express Entry system this year.”
According to Fraser, “the announcement will strengthen our healthcare system and help provide more Canadians with the high-quality care they deserve.”
The PUNCH reports on Wednesday that the country has unveiled its inaugural tech talent strategy, introducing fresh immigration pathways to entice foreign tech experts into the country’s thriving digital landscape.
As part of the strategy, the Canadian government has introduced an “innovation stream,” offering open work permits for up to five years to highly skilled professionals in select high-demand occupations. Additionally, the program includes employer-specific work permits for the same duration, benefiting talents employed by companies that contribute to Canada’s industrial innovation objectives.