“Ranging from the autumn of 2026, all Ontario medical faculties shall be required to allocate no less than 95% of all undergraduate seats to residents of Ontario, with the opposite 5% reserved for college students from the remainder of Canada,” mentioned Ford in a press briefing on October 25.
“I’ve simply been throughout our schools and universities and there have been 18% college students from world wide taking our youngsters’ seats and never even staying right here however going again to their nation,” Ford claimed.
In line with provincial information, there have been 10 worldwide college students in Ontario medical faculties in 2023/24, making up 0.26% of the full 2,833 college students.
Ford’s unfounded declare that Ontario’s medical faculties are made up of 18% worldwide college students has sparked outrage within the sector, with Gautham Kolluri, founding father of CIP examine overseas company, calling Ford’s declare “completely absurd”.
“There are hardly any worldwide college students stepping into Ontario medical faculties. The acceptance may be very aggressive, and precedence is given to home college students.
“I hear that lower than 1% get accepted however I’ve not met or seen any worldwide college students getting accepted into an Ontario medical college,” mentioned Kolluri.
“So we are able to recruit them globally however not educate 0.26% right here?” requested one immigration advisor on LinkedIn, pointing to the hypocrisy of the brand new coverage.
In 2021, Ontario welcomed 116,310 internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPS) to work within the healthcare sector, practically half of all IEHPs in Canada, in response to Statistics Canada.
Ford additionally introduced a CAD$88 million funding over the subsequent three years in Ontario’s Study and Keep Grant that covers tuition and direct instructional prices for college students who decide to practising household drugs in Ontario after graduating.
The grant program, additionally starting in 2026, shall be prolonged to 1,360 eligible undergraduate college students which the province says will permit 1.36 million extra Ontarians to connect with main care.
Worldwide college students made up 0.26% of Ontario’s medical college students final 12 months
The coverage announcement comes after a new report which confirmed 12% of Ontarians would not have a household physician.
“The healthcare system in Ontario and Canada is struggling as a result of lack of docs. The provincial and federal governments ought to make pressing modifications to make sure ease of licensing for worldwide medical professionals and improve the seats in medical faculties for home college students,” mentioned Kolluri.
Earlier this month, the IRCC introduced Canada’s new eligibility standards outlining which faculty packages shall be eligible for post-graduate work permits, taking impact from November 1, 2024.
The latest announcement from Premier Ford has raised considerations as soon as once more about potential worldwide college students’ notion of Canada as a examine vacation spot, additional necessitating the sector’s mission to rebuild model Canada.
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