Working and settling in Canada as a physiotherapist
Registration with the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators and the provincial physiotherapy regulator comes first, and we prepare and file it; the visa after it is the Canadian government's decision.
We prepare and file; the regulator decides.
Credentis Global prepares and files
You are here
Fit check
Registration with the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators and the provincial physiotherapy regulator
Credentis Global prepares and filesThe government decides · with a licensed adviser
A job offer and the Employer-specific work permit (Temporary Foreign Worker Program), or the Express Entry: category-based selection for healthcare and social services occupations from home
Arrive and start
The government decidesSettle
The government decides
Is your occupation wanted here?
What the Canadian government's own lists say about physiotherapists.
- Listed
Express Entry category-based selection: healthcare and social services occupations
31202
Physiotherapists (NOC 2021 31202) is one of the occupations eligible under the healthcare and social services category.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) · Express Entry: Category-based selection · 22 Jun 2026
What the official pages leave open
- IRCC’s work permit and category pages do not name provincial licensing as a condition of either lane; licensing is set by the regulator in the province of practice.
- Provincial Nominee Programs are run by each province and territory; this note does not record any one province’s programme.
- IRCC’s category list changes from year to year; it is read as published on the date shown.
Two lanes after registration.
Both are the government's routes, named as it names them.
We prepare and fileRegistration with the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators and the provincial physiotherapy regulator
With a job offer · the government decides
Employer-specific work permit (Temporary Foreign Worker Program)
An employer-specific work permit needs a job offer, and your employer may need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before you apply. IRCC lists it as the most common type of work permit.
Registration requiredNo
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) · Find out if you need a work permit · 25 May 2026
On your own · the government decides
Express Entry: category-based selection for healthcare and social services occupations
Express Entry manages applications for permanent residence under federal programmes such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Category-based selection invites candidates with work experience in listed occupations, including the healthcare and social services occupations.
Registration requiredNo
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) · Express Entry: Category-based selection · 22 Jun 2026
Immigration steps are decided by the Canadian government and handled with a licensed adviser. Under section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, only lawyers and notaries in good standing with a provincial law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec, other law society members such as paralegals, and members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants may represent or advise for payment. We handle the registration that comes first. Government of Canada (Justice Laws Website) · Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, section 91 · read 5 Oct 2026
The numbers.
Published figures, named at source. The sentence under each chart is the publisher's own.
New credentialling applications to CAPR
Unit: applications
| Category | New applications |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 697 |
| 2019 | 819 |
| 2020 | 780 |
| 2021 | 1,074 |
| 2022 | 1,294 |
| 2023 | 1,599 |
Ontario physiotherapists educated abroad: top five countries
Unit: registrants
| Category | Registrants, 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| India | 3,101 |
| United Kingdom | 634 |
| United States | 334 |
| Philippines | 282 |
| Australia | 236 |
Express Entry healthcare draws: invitations issued
Unit: invitations
| Category | Invitations to apply |
|---|---|
| 14 Feb 2024 | 3,500 |
| 5 Jul 2024 | 3,750 |
| 20 Nov 2024 | 3,000 |
| 2 May 2025 | 500 |
| 4 Jun 2025 | 500 |
| 22 Jul 2025 | 4,000 |
| 19 Aug 2025 | 2,500 |
| 15 Oct 2025 | 2,500 |
| 14 Nov 2025 | 3,500 |
| 11 Dec 2025 | 1,000 |
| 20 Feb 2026 | 4,000 |
| 25 Jun 2026 | 4,000 |
| 4 Sep 2026 | 3,500 |
What we do
How Credentis Global helps with this route
You trained. We file. The regulator decides. Here is what that means for a physiotherapist in Canada.
Province first, then the national exam body
Canada licenses province by province. Once your province is settled, we prepare the credential file for its college alongside what the national exam body asks for.
Every document, in the order the regulator reads it
Each item is checked against the regulator’s own list: names matched to your passport, hours in writing, copies certified by the person the list names.
One portal, and a person who answers
Upload your documents, see every stage of the file and message us in one place. The person who replies is the specialist preparing your file.
We prepare and file. The regulator decides.
Your application goes in from your own regulator account with every page prepared, and every query is drafted against the regulator’s exact question.
One specialist owns your file
The specialist who reads your documents builds the file and answers the regulator’s queries. You always know who has it, and you pay the regulator directly.