Canadian Provinces Offering Incentives to Skilled Immigrants in Healthcare Occupations

To grow its workforce and economy, Canada is constantly seeking to bring in talented professionals. While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has moved to address critical shortages, including those in the healthcare sector, several provinces are making an effort to draw in talented people by offering financial incentives. These include reimbursement for various costs, tuition refunds, and more.

A breakdown of some of these incentives, arranged by province, will be given in this article.

1. Manitoba (MB)

The goal of Manitoba’s Health Human Resource Action Plan, which was first unveiled in November 2022, is to recruit and hire 2,000 healthcare professionals for the province’s healthcare system. The three most recent incentives added to this program by the Manitoba government are as follows:

• Wellness Incentive: In addition to their current allowances, all full-time employees will get a one-time $500 boost in their Health Spending Accounts as part of this incentive. The same incentive will pay $250 to part-time workers.
• All qualified Manitoba government workers are given access to Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSAs) to assist with the cost of qualified costs. The province “deposits a pre-determined amount of benefit dollars into [each account, which] can be used to top-off existing benefit maximums, or to pay for any medical expenses you incur that meet the requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency’s medical expense credit,” according to a government-published online fact sheet.
• Licensure Compensation: For the 2023–24 and 2024–25 licensure years, this incentive will reimburse qualified employees for any professional licensing or association membership expenses. Employees must be hired by an included employer, be employed throughout the relevant licensure years, and be able to show proof of payment for eligible fees.
• Weekend Premium: Under this promotion, workers who put in labor on weekends that qualify will be able to claim an $8.00 premium. The Manitoba government adds that this incentive will last until the next collective agreement is finalized and that the premium is retroactive to November 18, 2022.

Note: Only three of the more than ten benefits that participants in this Manitoba-based program can receive are represented by the incentives listed above.

2. Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

NL offers incentives to workers in the healthcare profession through a range of schemes, from financing for individuals starting their own family offices around the province to signing bonuses. The Come Home Initiative is one instance.

This effort is for people who have studied in Newfoundland and Labrador, completed a residency there, had training there, or have previously worked as medical professionals throughout the province, among other categories. In exchange for a “return-in-service” agreement, the province is providing a range of financial incentives to those who are prepared to return to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Put another way, the province will provide various cash incentives depending on the individual’s employment for those with past ties to the region who are prepared to commit to returning to NL and practicing for three or five years. Here are a few instances of this incentive:

• Physicians: $100,000 for a five-year return-in-service contract
• A three-year return-in-service agreement for nurse practitioners amounts to $60,000.
• $50,000 or a contract for three years of return-in-service for the following professions:

1. Registered Nurse
2. Licensed Practical Nurse
3. Primary Care Paramedic
4. Clinical Pharmacist

For individuals who have never been in the province before, there is also the Come Home Incentive offered by Newfoundland and Labrador. But the financial motivation isn’t the same as it is for people who already have a relationship with NL.

3. Prince Edward Island (PEI)

The Allied Health Professional Recruitment Incentive has had a recent increase in funding from the PEI government. Eligible candidates may be eligible for up to $10,000 should they commit to a return-in-service agreement that is 1,950 working hours (or a one-year full-time equivalent). This incentive is accessible to qualifying health professionals in 11 occupations.

Eligible occupations include:

1. Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs)
2. Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs)
3. Respiratory Therapists (RTs)
4. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologists
5. Social Workers
6. Sonographers
7. Pharmacists
8. Dental Hygienists
9. Pharmacy Technicians
10. Occupational Therapists
11. Physiotherapists

• According to a news release issued by the PEI government on July 10, candidates who fulfill the following requirements may be qualified:
• Be a fresh applicant to the PEI labor market.
• Not have spent the previous two years working for Health PEI (or any other PEI-based employer, in the public or private sector)
• Not previously gotten an incentive

4. Saskatchewan (SK)

The government of Saskatchewan provides professionals and students in the healthcare business with several incentives. The Graduate Retention Program (GRP) is one instance. A $20,000 tuition reimbursement incentive is offered by the GRP to qualifying graduates who reside in Saskatchewan and file their income taxes there.

GRP eligibility

To qualify for this incentive, candidates need to:

• Possess a degree from a post-secondary education accredited by
• An approved program must match at least six months of full-time instruction at a recognized university; and yield a journeyperson certification or an undergraduate degree, certificate, or diploma.
• Applied to the GRP no later than seven years following graduation Note: The deadline for 2018 graduates to apply is April 30, 2025.
• Becoming or currently residing in Saskatchewan