Discourse / Discours - Workforce Integration of Philippine-Educated Nurses Who Migrate to Canada Through the Live-in Caregiver Program

Abstract

Nurses who migrate through the Canadian Live-in Caregiver Program face significant barriers to their subsequent workforce integration as registered nurses in Canada. This study applies the concept of global care chains and uses single case study methodology to explore the experiences of 15 Philippine-educated nurses who migrated to Ontario, Canada, through the Live-in Caregiver Program. The focus is the various challenges they encountered with nursing workforce integration and how they negotiated their contradictory class status. Due to their initial legal status in Canada and working conditions as migrant workers, they were challenged by credential assessment, the registration examination, access to bridging programs, high financial costs, and ambivalent employer support. The results of the study are pertinent for nursing policymakers and educators aiming to facilitate the integration of internationally educated nurses in Canada.