CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada seeks to attract foreign trained nurses

Thursday, 3 January 2008

A project to attract foreign-trained nurses to apply for Canadian immigration has been promised by the Canadian government.

The funding for this pilot program in the state of Alberta will involve an off-shore assessment program for internationally educated nurses immigrating to Canada.

In the past, internationally educated nurses had to travel all the way to Calgary to take assessment exams. Under the pilot program, 36 nurses will now be assessed overseas, and their competencies will be measured against Registered Nurse standards, a method far more convenient for interested nurses.

The goal is to promote the assessment and integration of internationally educated health professionals into the Canadian health workforce. This ground-breaking initiative will help to alleviate Canada's nursing shortage, which in turn will lead to improved care and a reduction in wait times.

"Canada has a skills shortage and skilled immigrants want to contribute to our country by working in the fields for which they've been trained," Minister Finley of Citizenship and Immigration said. "We want to help them do that and one of the best ways is to help them get their credentials assessed before they enter the country so that when they arrive, they can find work faster in their fields."

Canada is in need of skilled nurses and other professionals. To find out if you qualify, take a free visa eligibility assessment, which will produce instant results.