Ontario making it easier to poach U.S. health-care workers with registration change [Video]

Ontario is tweaking its registration rules for health-care professionals to make it easier to poach nurses from the United States and allow them to begin practising in the province sooner.

On Thursday, the Ford government announced it would allow nurses and board-certified physicians to move to Ontario from the United States and begin working immediately while they apply to have their credentials recognized.

According to a news release from the government, U.S.-licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and registered practical nurses can work for six months while transferring their qualifications and registering.

“By cutting the red tape that is delaying highly trained U.S.-licensed doctors and nurses from being able to live and work in Ontario, we are making bold strides to ensure Ontario patients receive timely and accessible care,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said.

“These changes build on our government’s historic action to reduce labour mobility barriers for health-care professionals within Canada, and will now …