Work experience in a high-demand healthcare role can improve a person’s chances of getting Canadian permanent residence (PR).
Graduates from healthcare programs are more likely to find jobs related to their studies and often have stronger long-term prospects for PR.
While some healthcare careers require many years of education, several important roles only need a short college program—sometimes as little as six months.
Below are the six healthcare programs that can lead to PR in Canada. These healthcare occupations usually require two years or less of college education:
| Occupation | Length Of College Progam |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations (33101) | 1 year |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102) | 6-12 months |
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment (32109) | 2 years |
| Paramedical occupations (32102) | 1–2 years |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103) | 6–12 months |
| Pharmacy technicians (32124) | 2 years |
In most parts of Canada, these roles are regulated. This means workers must be licensed by the appropriate professional body in their province or territory before they can work.
Licensing often involves completing supervised training or clinical placements, as well as passing a licensing exam.
Some college programs include part of this practical training as part of the curriculum, which can help graduates meet licensing requirements faster.
In Canada, licensing rules for healthcare occupations are mainly handled at the provincial level.
How Are Healthcare Workers Prioritized For Permanent Residence?
Canada gives priority to healthcare workers through Express Entry, which is the main system used to manage applications for permanent residence.
To apply through Express Entry, a person must:
- Take an approved language test
- Meet the minimum requirements for the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, or Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Create a profile in the Express Entry pool
- Receive an invitation to apply (ITA) from the federal government
Candidates in the pool are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and those with the highest scores are usually invited to apply.
However, the government also runs special draws for people working in high-demand fields, including healthcare and social services. These are called category-based draws.
To qualify for one of these category-based draws, a person must have at least six months of full-time (or equivalent part-time), continuous work experience in a single eligible healthcare occupation within the past three years.
During a category-based draw, only candidates who meet the occupation requirements are considered, and the highest-ranked among them receive invitations.
This process allows healthcare workers to receive invitations with lower CRS scores than would normally be needed in general draws, such as those under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Between October 2025 and January 2026, CRS cut-off scores for healthcare and social services category draws ranged from 462 to 476.
During the same period, cut-off scores for CEC draws were higher, ranging from 509 to 534.
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