You are on this page as you are a Pakistani Pharmacist looking to migrate to Canada.
Canada has several ways in which you can be enabled to call the country home as a qualified pharmacist. There are several options for you to apply to immigrate to Canada if you have the following job titles:
- Clinical pharmacist;
- Community pharmacist;
- Retail pharmacist;
- Hospital pharmacist;
- Industry pharmacist; or
- Pharmacist
What Visa Programs Can You Apply Under?
These are some of the programs that will let you immigrate to Canada as a pharmacist:
- Manitoba Provincial Nomination Program for In-demand Occupations;
- Express Entry Skilled Federal Worker Program;
The Manitoba Provincial Nomination Program for In-demand Occupations
The Manitoba Provincial Nomination Program has an in-demand list of occupations that includes pharmacists. Because it works under the Express Entry system, if you apply, you are more likely to receive an invitation in one of the many EE draws that happen around twice a month.
Just make sure that you have excellent French language ability as more emphasis is placed on approved French test results than through English ones. If you score a 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark test for reading, writing, listening and speaking you could apply! Here is the link from official MPNP.
Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker Class
The Federal Skilled Worker Class will allow you to immigrate to Canada as a pharmacist. In order to apply, you must first pass the selection criteria set out in the program that takes into account your education, language skills, work experience, age, arranged employment and adaptability.
These selection factors score all applicants out of a 100 and you need at least 67 to qualify.
What Documents Do You Need?
The documents you need vary and depend on the country you were born in, currently living in and your family members:
- Biometrics;
- Medical examination by a Canadian Panel of Physician approved doctor;
- Language tests for IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TEF (Test d’evaluation);
- Police Clearance Certificates;
- ID;
- Birth records; and
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
About the ECA
One of the many documents you need to have during the application is your ECA (Education Credential Assessment). Unlike many other occupations that can do their ECA through companies like World Education Services, pharmacists must have their degree verified through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC).
The ECA is used to prove that your qualification is equal to Canadian standards. It takes about eight weeks to get your ECA, so please take this into account when you fit it into your immigration plan.
Once you apply for an ECA, you do not need to worry about the Evaluation Examination, which you will only need to take once you arrive in Canada.
Where to Next?
If you pass the basic requirements for the program, your application will be entered into the EE pool. When you enter the pool, your application is scored using the CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) which is based on factors like:
- Language ability;
- Education;
- Occupation;
- Provincial nomination;
- Age;
- Valid job offer; and
- Adaptability factors
BC PNP Skills Immigration for Healthcare Professionals
If you are a clinical pharmacist, then you can consider applying through British Columbia’s Provincial Nomination Program for Healthcare Professionals.
Under this program, you must:
- Qualify for one of the three federal programs through EE;
- Qualify to work in your current occupations;
- Have at least two years of valid work experience as a clinical pharmacist; and
- Meet the minimum language requirements
It is a great way to get permanent residency in the province faster than through conventional visa programs. To get started, you need to complete an online application through the BCPNP Online and apply as a Healthcare Professional.
Once you complete your application on the BCPNP Online, you will be given a score based on your occupation and experience. If you score high enough, you could get an invitation to the province and be able to apply for permanent residence.