Recognizing immigrant women’s credentials key to easing Canada’s nursing shortage: Report

Author Elisha Dacey
New Statistics Canada data show that half of immigrant women from some ethnic groups with credentialed nursing training are not working as nurses

Why It Matters

Canada’s nursing shortage is urgent, and thousands of internationally educated nurses already living here are trained and ready to help—but systemic barriers keep them out of the workforce. Recognizing their credentials and streamlining registration could unlock a vital, community-based solution to a national health care crisis.

In some ethnic groups, as many as half of immigrant women who have nursing training don’t have health care jobs, primarily due to regulatory red tape, according to Statistics Canada. (Canva/Supplied)

If Canada wants to significantly reduce its nursing shortage in a short period of time, the first step is to better recognize the nursing credentials of immigrants, according to Canada’s largest nursing organization and backed by data at StatsCan.

New data released Wednesday from Statistics Canada shows that within some ethnic groups, more than half of immigrant women with nursing training are not working in a health care field.

A spokesperson from the Canadian Nurses Association said the barriers internationally trained nurses face to be able to practice nursing here are complex.

“Canada has a highly educated pool of internationally educated nurses whose knowledge and skills are not being fully utilized because of inconsistent, complex, and often duplicative regulatory processes,” they said.

“Although the wait times for credential recognition have decreased, inconsistent requirements across provinces and territories, high costs, and limited access to bridging or mentorship programs create barriers [that] delay integration into the workforce.”

The data shows 49.6 per cent of Korean or Japanese and 52.6 per cent of Chinese immigrant women have a job in health care.

Other trained immigrant groups fare better, with about 75 per cent of South Asian, 83 per cent of Black, 72 per cent of Filipino, 73 per cent of Arab or West Asian, and 66 per cent of other groups working in health care jobs. 

The numbers average out to 66.9 per cent.

The numbers line up

A spokesperson from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions said the data and the conclusions align with their own.

“Arguably the most precious resource in our health care system is nurses – and like never before, we need more of them,” said CFNU president Linda Silas in a report released by the union in 2024.

“As it turns out, many of them are already living in our communities but for a multitude of reasons are not employed in our hospitals, long‑term care homes or community care settings.”

“We were aware that many IEN (internationally educated nurses) have been itching to provide care to us and our loved ones but have been unable to become registered in a timely fashion,” said Silas.

The study shows that the most significant barrier is where people have been trained, said Christoph Schimmele and Feng Hou, the study’s authors. 

The data shows immigrants who were educated here had more similar outcomes to those who were born and educated in Canada, they added.

“This is an important finding because it indicates that place of education matters more than immigrant status in terms of the employment of immigrant women in the nursing profession.”

The pair released a study in September of 2024 showing that it’s even worse for men, with about 59 per cent of foreign-born and foreign-educated men with nursing credentials working a health-care job.

The CFNU’s study made nine recommendations to reduce the barriers for internationally educated nurses to do the job they’re trained for in Canada.

The recommendations included creating a Health Canada-led group to coordinate strategy, planning and support for IEN registration and integration, standardizing the registration process across Canada, recognizing international nursing education that qualifies someone to practice as a regulated nurse, with a required transition-to-practice course in Canada and expanding language proficiency proof options, among others.

Canada is currently experiencing a nursing shortage, according to the data. In the first quarter of 2025, there were 31,000 registered nursing and licensed practical nursing jobs available nationwide. 

But the CNA said filling vacancies should not be the only goal.

“While we strengthen pathways for internationally educated nurses, we must also ensure we are doing everything possible to retain and support those already practising in Canada.”

The federal government announced earlier this year that it will continue to focus immigrant selection on needed job priorities, including those in the health care system. 

“This allows us to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents who have specific skills, training or language abilities in order to bring those in-demand professionals to Canada,” they said in February.

Immigration accounts for nearly 100 per cent of Canada’s labour force growth, they added.

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  • Elisha Dacey is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience in the field. She has worked in various newsrooms across Canada, ranging from small-town papers to major outlets like CBC Manitoba and Global News. Dacey began her journalism career in Manitoba and has held roles such as managing editor, senior producer and digital online journalist. Notably, she launched Metro Winnipeg, the city’s only free daily newspaper, which quickly became the second most-read paper in Winnipeg.

    Elisha Dacey is the Managing Editor for Future of Good.

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