American doctors look to relocate to Canada to avoid the Trump administration

Oona Zenda, KFF Health News

Earlier this year, arsenic President Donald Trump was opening to reshape nan American government, Michael, an emergency room expert who was born, raised, and trained successful nan United States, packed up his family and near nan country.

Michael now useful successful a small-town infirmary successful Canada. KFF Health News and NPR granted him anonymity because of fears he mightiness look reprisal from nan Trump management if he returns to nan U.S. He said he feels immoderate guilt that he did not enactment to defy nan Trump schedule but is assured successful his determination to leave. Too overmuch of America has simply grown excessively comfortable pinch unit and cruelty, he said.

"Part of being a expert is being benignant to group who are successful their weakest place," Michael said. "And I consciousness for illustration our state is devolving to really measurement connected group who are anemic and vulnerable."

Michael is among a caller activity of doctors who are leaving nan United States to flight nan Trump administration. In nan months since Trump was reelected and returned to nan White House, American doctors person shown skyrocketing liking successful becoming licensed successful Canada, wherever dozens much than normal person already been cleared to practice, according to Canadian licensing officials and recruiting businesses.

The Medical Council of Canada said successful an email connection that nan number of American doctors creating accounts on physiciansapply.ca, which is "typically nan first step" to being licensed successful Canada, has accrued much than 750% complete nan past 7 months compared pinch nan aforesaid clip play past twelvemonth — from 71 applicants to 615. Separately, aesculapian licensing organizations successful Canada's astir populous provinces reported a emergence successful Americans either applying for aliases receiving Canadian licenses, pinch astatine slightest immoderate doctors disclosing they were moving specifically because of Trump.

"The doctors that we are talking to are embarrassed to opportunity they're Americans," said John Philpott, CEO of CanAm Physician Recruiting, which recruits doctors into Canada. "They authorities that correct retired of nan gate: 'I person to time off this country. It is not what it utilized to be.'"

Canada, which has cosmopolitan publically funded wellness care, has agelong been an action for U.S.-trained doctors seeking an replacement to nan American healthcare system. While it was erstwhile much difficult for American doctors to believe successful Canada owed to discrepancies successful aesculapian acquisition standards, Canadian provinces person relaxed immoderate licensing regulations successful caller years, and immoderate are expediting licensing for U.S.-trained physicians.

The Trump management did not supply immoderate remark for this article. When asked to respond to doctors' leaving nan U.S. for Canada, White House spokesperson Kush Desai asked whether KFF Health News knew nan precise number of doctors and their "citizenship status," past provided nary further comment. KFF Health News did not person aliases supply this information.

Philpott, who founded CanAm Physician Recruiting successful nan 1990s, said nan cross-border activity of American and Canadian doctors has for decades ebbed and flowed successful guidance to governmental and economical fluctuations, but that nan propulsion toward Canada has ne'er been arsenic beardown arsenic now.

Philpott said CanAm has seen a 65% summation successful American doctors looking for Canadian jobs betwixt January and April, and that nan institution has been contacted by arsenic galore arsenic 15 American doctors a day.

Rohini Patel, a CanAm recruiter and doctor, said immoderate see salary cuts to move quickly.

"They're fresh to move to Canada tomorrow," she said. "They are not concerned astir what their income is."

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, which handles licensing successful Canada's astir populous province, said successful a connection that it registered 116 U.S.-trained doctors successful nan first 4th of 2025 — an summation of astatine slightest 50% complete nan anterior 2 quarters. Ontario besides received licence applications from astir 260 U.S.-trained doctors successful nan first 4th of this year, nan statement said.

British Columbia, different populous province, saw a surge of licensure applications from U.S.-trained doctors aft Election Day, according to an email connection from nan College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. The connection besides said nan statement licensed 28 specified doctors successful nan fiscal twelvemonth that ended successful February — triple nan full of nan anterior year.

Quebec's College of Physicians said applications from U.S.-trained doctors person increased, on pinch nan number of Canadian doctors returning from America to believe wrong nan province, but it did not supply specifics. In a statement, nan statement said immoderate applicants were trying to get permitted to believe successful Canada "specifically because of nan existent statesmanlike administration."

Michael, nan expert who moved to Canada this year, said he had agelong been wary of what he describes arsenic escalating right-wing governmental rhetoric and unchecked weapon unit successful nan United States, nan second of which he witnessed firsthand during a decade moving successful American emergency rooms.

Michael said he began considering nan move arsenic Trump was moving for reelection successful 2020. His breaking constituent came connected Jan. 6, 2021, erstwhile a convulsive mob of Trump supporters besieged nan U.S. Capitol successful an effort to extremity nan certification of nan predetermination of Joe Biden arsenic president.

"Civil sermon was falling apart," he said. "I had a speech pinch my family astir really Biden was going to beryllium a one-term president and we were still headed successful a guidance of being progressively radicalized toward nan correct and an acceptance of vigilantism."

It past took astir a twelvemonth for Michael to go licensed successful Canada, past longer for him to finalize his occupation and move, he said. While nan licensing process was "not difficult," he said, it did require him to get certified documents from his aesculapian schoolhouse and residency program.

"The process wasn't immoderate harder than getting your first licence successful nan United States, which is besides very bureaucratic," Michael said. "The quality is, I deliberation astir group practicing successful nan U.S. person sewage truthful overmuch administrative fatigue that they don't want to spell done that process again."

Michael said he now receives near-daily emails aliases texts from American doctors who are seeking proposal astir moving to Canada.

This desire to time off has besides been striking to Hippocratic Adventures, a mini business that helps American doctors believe medicine successful different countries.

The institution was co-founded by Ashwini Bapat, a Yale-educated expert who moved to Portugal successful 2020 successful portion because she was "terrified that Trump would triumph again." For years, Hippocratic Adventures catered to physicians pinch wanderlust, guiding them done nan bureaucracy of getting licensed successful overseas nations aliases conducting telemedicine from afar, Bapat said.

But aft Trump was reelected, customers were nary longer seeking expansive travels crossed nan globe, Bapat said. Now they were searching for nan nearest emergency exit, she said.

"Previously it had been astir adventure," Bapat said. "But nan biggest spike that we saw, for sure, hands down, was erstwhile Trump won reelection successful November. And past Inauguration Day. And fundamentally each azygous time since then."

At slightest 1 Canadian state is actively trading itself to American doctors.

Doctors Manitoba, which represents physicians successful nan agrarian state that struggles pinch 1 of Canada's worst expert shortages, launched a recruiting run aft nan predetermination to capitalize connected Trump and nan emergence of far-right authorities successful nan U.S.

The run focuses connected Florida and North and South Dakota and advertises "zero governmental interference successful expert diligent relationship" arsenic a trading point.

Alison Carleton, a family medicine expert who moved from Iowa to Manitoba successful 2017, said she near to flight nan regular grind of America's for-profit wellness attraction strategy and because she was appalled that Trump was elected nan first time.

Carleton said she now runs a small-town session pinch debased stress, little paperwork, and nary fearfulness of burying her patients successful aesculapian debt.

She dropped her American citizenship past year.

"People I cognize person said, 'You near conscionable successful time,'" Carleton said. "I show people, 'I know. When are you going to move?'"

KFF Health News is simply a nationalist newsroom that produces in-depth publicity astir wellness issues and is 1 of nan halfway operating programs at KFF — nan independent root for wellness argumentation research, polling, and journalism.