Fabio Ynoe de Moraes, Radiation Oncologist and Associate Professor at Queen’s University, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Canada just announced targeted immigration pathways to bring more physicians into the health-care system.
But as many colleagues asked today: Does any of this matter if you’re already Canadian or already licensed here?
For those of us who are Canadian physicians, the answer is: not directly — but the indirect implications are significant.
Here’s what this policy really means for our health system:
1. It won’t affect Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
The new Express Entry stream and the 5,000 reserved nomination spots are aimed exclusively at foreign-trained physicians seeking work permits or PR. Licensed Canadian physicians gain no personal immigration advantage.
2. It will affect the workforce around us.
Canada faces chronic shortages in family medicine, internal medicine, oncology, surgery, and community-based specialties. Provinces can now recruit more IMGs faster — with 14-day work permit processing and streamlined nomination pathways.
3. It opens strategic opportunities for academic centres.
More internationally-trained physicians means:
- greater capacity in hospitals and regional centres;
- increased demand for mentorship, onboarding, and standardized training;
- new talent for research programs, including global oncology, AI, and implementation science.
4. It reinforces Canada’s global health footprint.
For those working in global oncology and international collaboration, this policy creates a clearer bridge for LMIC clinicians to train, work, and engage in research within Canada’s academic ecosystem.
5. It’s a big moment for workforce and health-services researchers.
The intersection of immigration policy, physician supply, licensing, and health outcomes is a fertile area for implementation research, modelling, and policy evaluation.
Bottom line:
No direct benefit if you’re already Canadian.
But this is a consequential policy shift with real implications for clinical capacity, academic recruitment, global health partnerships, and Canada’s future cancer-care workforce.”
Read the full news release.
More posts featuring Fabio Ynoe de Moraes.