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An ongoing nursing shortage means well-trained international nurses are in high demand with many job openings to pick from.
There’s no one cause of the nursing shortage in Canada; a combination of several factors mean the supply of nursing staff isn’t enough to meet demand:
Canada's population is aging rapidly, with seniors projected to make up to 25% of the population by 2036. This demographic shift is increasing the demand for healthcare services, including nursing care.
A substantial portion of Canada's nursing workforce is nearing retirement age. According to the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, a third of registered nurses providing direct care were over 50 years old in 2020, meaning a wave of retirements is on the horizon.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of as many as 83% of registered nurses in Ontario, with 34% considering leaving the profession as a result.
Despite growing demand, Canadian nursing schools have limited capacity to train new nurses. This bottleneck in education contributes to the ongoing shortage.
The Canadian government has made a commitment to address the nursing shortage, allocating $2.8 million CAD to the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing to develop a National Nurse Residency program.
Nurses are in high demand across Canada’s ten provinces and three territories, with significant numbers of job openings across the country.
That demand is increasing, with the number of job vacancies for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses increasing by almost 10% in the third quarter of 2023.
To help address the shortage, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has allocated $115 million CAD over the next five years, and $57 million CAD ongoing for expanding Canada's Foreign Credential Recognition Program, helping international nurses get their qualifications recognized by the Canadian government.
The biggest Canadian province is also the hungriest for nurses. In 2023, the Ontario Nurses Association reported a shortage of about 24,000 nurses, and the province has held the dubious honor of having the lowest nurse-to-population ratio for almost a decade.
French-speaking Quebec isn’t far behind in the nursing need department. Canadian think tank MEI projected a shortage of about 10,000 nurses in 2021. French is the official language of the province, so you’ll need to have professional level French or be willing to learn.
With an increasing number of residents over the age of 65, prairie province, Alberta, is facing its own nursing crunch. The provincial government even announced a Health Workforce Strategy with a pillar dedicated to attracting international healthcare workers.
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are also worth highlighting as they’ve recently introduced an accelerated license process for international nurses.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, about 8.9% of registered nurses in Canada in 2021 were internationally educated, highlighting the significant contribution of foreign-trained professionals to Canada's healthcare system.
Nurses relocate to Canada from the Philippines and India, with many coming from the southern state of Kerala, known for its nursing education programs. More recently, there’s a growing trend of Nigerian, Jamaican, and Chinese nurses moving to call Canada home.
From getting ahead in their careers to feeling welcome, here are eight key reasons why international nurses are drawn to Canada.
If you’re eyeing up a move North, you’ll need to submit your nursing credentials, take the NCLEX-RN to qualify for a Canadian nursing license if needed, and show you’ve got the necessary language skills.
Get your move off to a stress-free start with the Pearson Test of English (PTE).
With no additional speaking exam, PTE covers all four skills in one test using computer-based assessments to remove bias. It’s the faster, fairer, simpler way to evidence your English skills and start your next chapter.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Ready to get started?
Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
