The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research recently published an article by Bukola Salami of the University of Alberta on migrant nursing. She sought to address the extent to which Canada should be relying on temporary migrant workers to meet its health care labour force needs. In doing so, she identified gaps in the linkages between the policy making silos of health human resources policy, immigration policy and education policy. Our interest in this article was the fact that it provided a useful insight into some of the settlement and integration linkages that needs to be made by migrant nurses and policy makers.
She argues that health human resource policy makers must recognize how the practical implication of immigration law and policy operate to deskill internationally educated nurses who migrant through the Caregiver Program or its predecessor, the Live-in caregiver program. There are several reasons for this sense of urgency including: (1) expressed desire by the Liberal Government to make it easier for employers to hire migrant workers; and (2) Lack of inclusion of migrant caregivers in the ongoing home care policy discussions, at a time when the sector continue to experience shortages to deal with our aging population.
In advocating for evidence based policy making to resolve the contradictions between health human resource, practice regulation policy and immigration policy, Salami urges stakeholders to leverage the integration of internationally educated nurses who migrate through the Caregiver Program. For this to effectively happen, she recommends further research by nursing regulators into their balancing of safety and access considerations when examining the optimum duration of “recent safe nursing practice experience” demanded of those intending to join the profession.
Furthermore, the shortcomings in the Caregiver Program regarding nurses integration requires attention. She recommends the need for health human resource researchers to consider the implication of the Program on the homecare workforce given the care for individuals of high medical needs stream within the program. Moreover, the length of time it takes to obtain their permanent residency status, once they have satisfied the 24 months eligibility threshold of working under the Program. Meanwhile, individuals are losing their nursing skills due to a number of identified barriers. Bridging the policy gaps between the immigration and health care human resource needs will be welcomed.
Reez Community Opinion
Indeed, those who migrate through the Caregiver Program wait 3 to 4 years to be issued permanent residency status. In the interim, those who are nurses, like all temporary migrants in Canada are subject to a range of costly integration necessary activities such as subject to paying international fees and ineligibility to access bridging programs as pointed out by Salami.
However, since the primary eligibility to apply for the permanent resident status is 24 months of working as a caregiver, there are certainly a range of factors that impacts on the delay from the 24 months mark. These includes how long after satisfying this eligibility, it takes an individual to submit their permanent residency application. Once submitted, the processing delays is another issue. Given the backlog in the system in last 5-6 years, it would not be surprising that a number of caregivers wait a total of 4 years or more to attain their permanent resident status.
Clearly, the sooner an individual submits their application the earlier they would receive a decision on their file. Those who have a greater appreciation of the professional nursing licensing landscape are better advised to govern themselves according. They will do well to prepare ahead with a view to submitting their application immediately after satisfying the eligibility period, say in their 25 month of working as a caregiver in Canada.
For more details on the paradoxes of health human resource policy, immigration policy and education policy highlighted by Bukola Salami, please refer to her full article.