Hundreds of health care workers in B.C. are facing the difficult decision of leaving the country or going underground due to the federal changes to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
These are the workers who clean, feed, and care for patients in hospitals and long-term care homes across the province. Their work is critical to a well-functioning health care system.
B.C. is at risk of losing more than 500 trained and experienced health care workers in 2025 because these workers’ permits are set to expire in the coming months.
These workers took on health care jobs to fill staffing shortages, with the promise that these jobs would lead to permanent residency.
Without warning, the federal government slashed hundreds of PNP spots in B.C. for 2025. This means that many have been left without a choice as their work permits expire and they are forced to leave their jobs in health care, and uproot from the place they’ve called home for the past few years.
