When John returned to Canada after spending a month and a half in the Philippines, he said he felt a mix of emotions.
The Toronto nurse, whose real name we’re withholding due to his ongoing immigration application, flew to the Philippines after falling out of status while exhausting avenues to become a permanent resident in April, despite almost two years of working at a hospital.
His future, then, he said, was uncertain. But now, he is back in Toronto.
“I got worried because I had to look again for a place to stay,” said John. “But at that time I was really anxious, excited in a way, but I had told myself I’m already there, so I was really ready to stay longer in the Philippines.”
John, an international student graduate who obtained his licence as a registered nurse in Ontario in 2023, first shared his story with OMNI News earlier this year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refused John’s permanent residency (PR) application in 2024. IRCC also did not approve John’s extension application for a work permit in February, leading to him losing his immigration status and being unable to work in the country.
In the letter shown to and reviewed by OMNI News in April, John’s PR application was refused because the immigration officer was not convinced that he met the one year of skilled Canadian work experience needed. The officer was also not satisfied that John performed the primary duties he declared for his employment.
“Excitement, anxiety, uncertainty, that time was really a rollercoaster for me,” John said as he recalled the weeks after receiving the refusal letter. “I was in a waiting game. I have uncertainties like when is this [going to] finish?”
Until one day, his situation took a turn when he received an email.
“They emailed me that there’s progress. There’s a dialogue that they’re trying their best, and I was surprised they hired an immigration specialist. Then at some point, I received a decision from immigration that I now have a work permit,” he said, adding his employer eventually paid the compliance fee a few days before its deadline. “I thought it wouldn’t be possible.”
The developments prompted John to book a flight back to Canada within weeks.
He credits the initiative of the Integrated Filipino Canadian Nurses Association (IFCNA), an advocacy group for internationally educated nurses, with prompting his employer to take action.
About 60 internationally educated nurses share a similar story: IFCNA
“It’s a very rare case that an employer will reach out to you and ask you to come back,” said IFCNA president Mark Gravoso when asked about the issues faced by internationally educated nurses (IEN).
“Because of the initiatives, stories we shared, it opened a lot of opportunities for them to improve,” he said. “Our advocacy empowered them, like Nurse John and other IENs, to find their voice, to be seen, heard, and take their place with confidence.”
Gravoso said John is only one of many IENs who became registered nurses in Ontario but chose to leave the province due to problems with immigration.
“In 2024, a group of IENs, almost 60 of them, reached out to me asking me to advocate for them,” Gravoso shared. He added originally it was fewer than 20 but, he “told them that with great numbers, I can advocate for you. One by one, they showed up, they spoke up.”
“We found out they have similar challenges, which is immigration pathways. Their employers are not supporting them with the compliance fee and some documents, like a job offer,” said Gravoso.
“We also found out the main issue is just some employers are having a hard time navigating the new system of [Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program] by the [Ontario] Ministry of Labour and Immigration, so they need a specific person to navigate this one.”
In a statement to OMNI News, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said, “Ontario is proud to lead the country with the largest healthcare workforce, and since 2018, we have registered over 100,000 new nurses, and we have another 30,000 nurses currently studying at one of Ontario’s colleges and universities.”
“To continue to support and grow our nursing workforce, we have removed financial barriers for nurses wanting to upskill and broken down barriers for internationally educated nurses so they can practice in Ontario faster, including removing lengthy education assessments and unnecessary requirements in the registration process while creating new pathways for internationally educated nurses to receive nominations through an updated Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).”
“With our new employer portal, Ontario is cutting red tape and modernizing the OINP system, supporting healthcare employers to fill critical vacancies faster.
“Through [OINP], Ontario has also nominated over 3,300 healthcare applicants in 2024 and is on track to nominate more than 3,800 in 2025, even with a reduced federal allocation, with health occupations making up about 35 per cent of all nominations this year.”
IEN registered nurses who experienced challenges in immigration: Where are they now?
With scrubs folded and various items on his bed, John carefully puts his belongings into his backpack as he prepares for work, now as a full-time ICU nurse.
IRCC is also currently processing his permanent residency application, another “wait and see” process for John. But this time, he said it’s different.
“When I learned that there’s progress, I felt more comfortable and more at ease,” John said. “Helping the community through this kind of service, I was really shaped by God to really serve and help people through this profession.”
Meanwhile, Gravoso said he considers the developments a win for many IEN registered nurses whose immigration status was in limbo. He said some of them also found “peace of mind” by taking opportunities outside of Ontario.
Gravoso called on healthcare employers to listen to the needs of nurses in their units and provide support; for hiring managers to be transparent during the onboarding process about the support they can offer; and for IENs who have overcome this challenge to guide those still experiencing immigration concerns.
“I’m an IEN myself,” Gravoso said. “I believe in building a system where empowerment leads to action, and that action leads to long-lasting change.”
