Working in Canada as a Physician
Physician is on a published shortage list in Canada, which is the shortest route in. Below: the exact list and code, the salary floor that applies, and how it compares with what the job actually pays.
Is this occupation on a shortage list?
Yes. It is named on the following:
- Express Entry - Physicians category
General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102)
Category draws invite from the Express Entry pool at a lower score than general draws, but a profile in the pool is still required.
Does the pay clear the visa salary floor?
This route publishes no salary floor.
Route to permanent residence
- Express Entry - Physicians categoryPoints-based pool
- Express Entry - general poolPoints-based pool
What else to know
- Express Entry categories and their occupation lists are re-announced each year. Only the categories new for 2026 have a published occupation list at the time of writing, so this page does not claim membership of the continuing ones.
- The work-experience minimum for category-based selection rose from 6 months to 12 months for 2026.
- Express Entry sets no salary threshold. Pay matters indirectly, through the job offer and ranking score.
See full pay percentiles for this role
Rules checked against the official source on 2026-08-01.
This is a summary of published rules, not immigration advice.