Canada has been facing serious\u00a0nursing shortages<\/strong>\u00a0in recent years \u2014 and internationally educated nurses are stepping up to help fill the gap. According to the\u00a0Canadian Institute for Health Information (2024)<\/strong>, job vacancies in nursing peaked at 7.7% in 2022. Although they\u2019ve dropped since, the demand for qualified nurses remains strong across provinces.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why\u00a0immigration plays such a vital role<\/strong>\u00a0in supporting Canada\u2019s health care system. But how well are immigrant nurses actually doing once they arrive? Among immigrants who arrived between 2010 and 2020 and\u00a0intended to work as nurses<\/strong>, about\u00a063% were employed as nurses<\/strong>\u00a0by 2021. This shows that while many internationally educated nurses succeed, there are still barriers preventing others from practicing in Canada.<\/p>\n The report found that\u00a0having Canadian work experience before immigrating<\/strong>\u00a0increases your chances of working in your field by\u00a028 percentage points<\/strong>. In simple terms: if you\u2019ve\u00a0worked or studied in Canada<\/strong>, you\u2019re much more likely to land a nursing job after immigration.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a surprising fact:\u00a065% of immigrants working as nurses in 2021 never planned to be nurses<\/strong>\u00a0when they applied for immigration!<\/p>\n Many newcomers\u00a0discovered nursing as a new career path after arriving<\/strong>, showing how flexible and determined immigrants can be. Many internationally educated nurses in Canada face challenges such as:<\/p>\n
\nThe COVID-19 pandemic made the situation worse, leading to\u00a0burnout, long hours, and high turnover<\/strong>\u00a0among health care staff.<\/p>\n
\nA\u00a0Statistics Canada 2025 study<\/strong>, conducted with IRCC, looked at how many newcomers who planned to work as nurses actually ended up in nursing jobs \u2014 and the results are both promising and revealing.<\/p>\nKey Insights: The Reality for Immigrant Nurses in Canada<\/h2>\n
1. Most who plan to be nurses make it \u2014 but not all<\/h3>\n
\nThat\u2019s great news \u2014 but it also means\u00a01 in 4 immigrant nurses ended up in lower-skilled or unrelated jobs<\/strong>, or were not working at all.<\/p>\n2. Canadian experience makes a huge difference<\/h3>\n
\nEven studying in Canada before applying for permanent residency helps \u2014 but work experience proved to be the strongest factor.<\/p>\n3. Two-thirds of immigrant nurses didn\u2019t plan to become nurses<\/h3>\n
\nThese career changers \u2014 including family-class immigrants, dependants, and refugees \u2014 now play a major role in addressing Canada\u2019s health care shortages.<\/p>\n4. Women, younger newcomers, and certain regions fare better<\/h3>\n
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What\u2019s Standing in the Way?<\/h2>\n