Nigeria's healthcare system is under tremendous strain due to the country's ongoing severe doctor shortage, with some states reporting that a single physician treats over 43,000 patients. However, things are about to get worse, as Canada will launch a new Express Entry category in early 2026 to help foreign physicians working in Nigeria become permanent residents.
As ongoing insecurity exacerbates professional migration, northern Nigeria already faces a severe shortage of physicians and other vital healthcare staff.
In a statement released yesterday, Lena Diab, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, and Maggie Chi, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, announced the introduction of a new express entry category for foreign physicians who have worked in Canada for at least a year in a qualifying capacity during the previous three years.
The action is a part of larger initiatives to stabilize Canada's health system while drawing in highly qualified people, and it comes after ongoing physician shortages.
Canada is restricting its broader immigration system for 2026 while also introducing a new Express Entry channel for foreign physicians.
Nigeria already has a shortage of physicians, but the distribution is heavily skewed to the south.
States like Yobe, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Jigawa have 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people, according to the Joint Annual Review Health Sector Statistical Book 2025.
This indicates that there is around one doctor for every 20,000 people and half a doctor for every 10,000.
For background, a minimum density of 2.5 physicians per 1,000 inhabitants is advised by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although no state in Nigeria satisfies this requirement, the scarcity is particularly severe in the north.
