Opportunities for Dentists in Canada's Immigration Landscape

 Every Canadian province needs dentists to fill Canadian jobs and is hoping Canadian immigration will help tackle a growing labor shortage for these medical professionals.

Job Bank, Canada’s job-hunting and career-planning website, ranks the anticipated job prospects for dentists across the country as “good” to “very good”, its highest ranking, over the coming eight years.

“For dentists, over the period 2022 – 2031, new job openings arising from expansion demand and replacement demand are expected to total 13,500, while 10,500 new job seekers arising from school leavers, immigration, and mobility are expected to be available to fill them,” notes Job Bank.

That’s an anticipated 3,000 jobs for dentists that will be going begging for a want of qualified candidates to fill those positions.

"In recent years, the occupational group of dentists has experienced a relatively balanced job market. However, projections indicate that the number of job openings will significantly surpass the number of available job seekers, leading to a shortage of workers between 2022 and 2031."

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Changes to the Express Entry System and Occupations

Earlier this year, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Canada's Express Entry system. It revealed that starting this summer, the system will focus on 82 key occupations in sectors such as healthcare, technology, trades, transport, and agriculture, including dentists. This development offers foreign nationals aspiring to immigrate to Canada a fresh opportunity to obtain permanent residency.

Traditionally, the Express Entry system conducted draws based on immigration programs rather than targeting specific occupations. However, with this new approach, candidates aiming to immigrate to Canada must have at least six months of continuous work experience within the past three years in one of the designated occupations. This experience can be acquired either in Canada or abroad. For instance, individuals may have gained relevant experience while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with valid work permits or as international students holding student visas.

Insights from Canada Job Bank

Opportunities abound for dentists seeking employment in Canada. As of late June, Job Bank listed 80 job postings for dentists under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 31110. Some of these postings were from employers seeking multiple hires. Additionally, a search on Indeed.ca yielded 1,481 results for the term "dentist," although many of these positions were for dental assistants and hygienists.

Notably, the majority of dentist positions listed on Job Bank, approximately 56.5%, were located in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. If you're a candidate seeking employment in Canada or an employer interested in recruiting foreign talent, immigration.ca can provide valuable assistance. Our in-house recruitment enterprise, skilledworker.com, is renowned as "the leader in foreign recruitment."

In Canada, the median annual income for dentists is $118,394, according to data from Job Bank. However, this figure varies significantly, ranging from a low of $30,128 annually to a high of $261,517. Dentists in Alberta have the highest earning potential, with some professionals earning up to $344,374 annually.

Recent changes announced at the end of May have made the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program, Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and certain Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), more responsive to the needs of the labor market. These changes aim to better align immigration policies with current job market demands.

Targeted Express Entry Draws For 82 Occupations Were Opened By the Immigration Minister

"Everywhere I go, I've heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labor shortages," stated Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

"These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labor shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities."

Canada first signaled its intention to initiate occupation-specific draws through the Express Entry system in June last year. Changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee, and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.

The majority of Canada's provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years now.

Following the changes to the act, the immigration minister is now required to engage in consultations with provinces, territories, industry members, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners before announcing new categories.

Moreover, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) is mandated to report to parliament annually on the chosen categories and provide the rationale behind the selections.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the number of occupations facing shortages has doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high-skilled admissions constituted between 34 and 40 percent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which independently manages its immigration intake.