Nova Scotia Goes to Ireland and United Kingdom to Recruit Doctors

Nova Scotia will be represented in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Ireland next week in efforts to attract more family doctors and specialists to the province. Fourteen new doctors have already been approved through the new Physician Immigration Stream since it launched in February.

The new stream makes the immigration process easier and faster for those who have already received job offers from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.

“Things are going good for me and my family in Nova Scotia,” said Dr. Farrukh Suhail, one of the doctors recruited through the new stream who is now living and working in Antigonish. “My experience with Nova Scotia’s Provincial Nominee Program is great – I got my work permit within few days after applying without any Labour Market Impact Assessment.

“I have applied for permanent residency and am hoping to get it soon. I like the work-life balance in my new town – it was very easy to settle here, and the people are nice and friendly.”

A team from the Office of Immigration, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons will be attending recruitment events. Family physician, Dr. Simon Bonnington, who immigrated to Nova Scotia from the U.K and practises in Annapolis Royal, will also attend to share his insights with doctors interested in moving to the province.

Key events will include:

• one-on-one meetings with doctors in Dublin, Oct. 14-15 and London, Oct. 16-18
• British Medical Journal Careers Fair in Islington, London -Oct. 19-20, with up to 1,700 medical professionals expected to attend

“We are continuing to aggressively target doctors who are interested in living and working in Nova Scotia,” said Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration. “Our goal, in attending these recruitment events, is to help bring more doctors from Ireland and the U.K. to Nova Scotia communities. I am pleased our work is helping more Nova Scotians access the care they need.”

The 14 doctors hired through the new immigration stream are on a path to permanent residency. They include 12 family doctors and two specialists who are currently working in, or will work in, Sydney, Baddeck, Antigonish, New Glasgow, Truro and Halifax.

“We are encouraged by the increased interest from the U.K. and Ireland arising from our trips last year and will continue building our presence in these areas. Recruitment is most successful when it is a community effort, and in Nova Scotia we see our partners as a strategic advantage that is hard to match,” said Dr. Nicole Boutilier, co-vice president of Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Office of Immigration representatives will also attend two recruitment events targeting a variety of sectors. They are the Dublin Jobs Expo on Oct. 13 and an Atlantic Canada-focused event in London on Oct. 10-11. A representative from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will also attend this event to recruit early childhood educators.

Source: Release