Best Countries for Doctors (2026): 7 Countries Compared

What "best" means on this page

There is no single best country for doctors. This page compares seven countries on the same four checks, all taken from official sources: (A) the registration or recognition route for a foreign-qualified doctor, (B) the main work-permit route, (C) any official shortage or priority listing that names doctors, and (D) the sequence the sources themselves state. It does not rank or score countries, does not call any route easiest, fastest or most generous, gives no salary averages or processing times and does not decide whether any route applies to you. It does not cover specialty recognition, fees (apart from the disputed US H-1B payment noted below), or the rules of every state, province or emirate. Where the official sources we read do not state a check, the page says so. Start with your qualification, specialty, experience and intended level of practice. Ask the regulator which route covers that profile and what supervision or further assessment is required. Keep professional registration and immigration permission separate.

USCIS: H-1B Specialty Occupations

Check these conditions first

- Registration comes first in the sources we read for New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. Immigration New Zealand says registration must be obtained before you apply for a visa for a job that needs it. Ireland's Department of Enterprise lists Medical Council registration as required for an employment permit. IRCC says you must first get licensed to work as a medical doctor in Canada. - Licensing can be local. The USMLE site points to a state medical license, and the Medical Council of Canada says each province or territory's authority sets its own requirements. - Registration can include examinations and a post. Ireland requires non-EU/EEA-qualified doctors seeking general registration to pass the PRES unless exempt, the New Zealand Examinations pathway needs a PGY1 job offer, and Germany requires knowledge of German.

Immigration New Zealand: Check if you need occupational registration for your job Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Registration bodies for certain employments IRCC: Live and work as a medical doctor in Canada USMLE (co-sponsored by the FSMB and NBME): The Path to Licensure Medical Council of Canada: Pathways for international medical graduates Medical Council of Ireland: General Registration — Non EU/EEA Trained Doctors Medical Council of New Zealand: Examinations registration pathway Bundesärzteordnung (BÄO), full text, gesetze-im-internet.de

Doctors in Canada: four checks

Registration: The Medical Council of Canada says each province or territory's regulatory authority sets its own requirements and you apply where you want to practise. Its pathways include a CaRMS residency match and, for doctors who completed residency and practised independently abroad, a Practice-Ready Assessment over 12 weeks. Work permit: IRCC reserves up to 5,000 federal spaces for provinces and territories to nominate medical doctors with job offers or letters of support; nominated doctors can apply for an expedited work permit. Shortage listing: IRCC's category-based selection page lists a physicians category requiring Canadian work experience and a healthcare and social services category counting experience in Canada or abroad; both list general practitioners and family physicians, specialists in surgery and specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine. Sequence: IRCC says you must first get licensed through a provincial or territorial regulatory authority, and that foreign credential recognition and licensing for doctors are the responsibility of each province and territory.

Medical Council of Canada: Pathways for international medical graduates IRCC: Live and work as a medical doctor in Canada IRCC: Medical doctors with experience in Canada IRCC: Express Entry — Category-based selection IRCC news release: Targeted immigration measures to boost Canada's supply of doctors

Doctors in Germany: four checks

Registration: The Bundesärzteordnung requires the Approbation to practise; a temporary permit (Erlaubnis) is also possible. Under the rules that apply to applications filed by 31 October 2026, for a third-country qualification the Approbation is to be granted if equivalence of the training standard is established; where the required knowledge must be proven, the proof is an exam on the content of the state final examination (Kenntnisprüfung). German language knowledge is also required. From 1 November 2026 parts of these rules change, including the route for third-country qualifications; see What changed recently or is about to change. Work permit: The EU Blue Card needs a concrete job offer of at least six months and, for the regular card, a minimum gross annual salary of €50,700 in 2026. Shortage listing: The ZAV page of the Federal Employment Agency lists medical doctors among shortage occupations, for which a lower salary minimum of €45,934.20 in 2026 applies with Federal Employment Agency approval. Sequence: A residence title for employment presupposes a professional practice permit that has been granted or promised, where one is required; the ZAV adds that a regulated profession needs a licence to practise.

Bundesärzteordnung (BÄO), full text, gesetze-im-internet.de Federal Employment Agency (ZAV): EU Blue Card Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG), full text, gesetze-im-internet.de Approbationsordnung für Ärzte (ÄApprO 2002), full text, gesetze-im-internet.de Bundesgesetzblatt 2026 I Nr. 225: Gesetz zur Beschleunigung der Anerkennungsverfahren ausländischer Berufsqualifikationen in Heilberufen

Doctors in Ireland: four checks

Registration: For general registration, the Medical Council of Ireland requires doctors who qualified outside the EU/EEA to pass, or be exempt from, its Pre-Registration Exam (PRES). Its routes to general registration are Certificate of Experience, Higher Qualification and PRES. General registrants may practise independently but may not represent themselves as specialists. Work permit: The Critical Skills Employment Permit is designed to attract highly skilled people and encourage permanent residence. It is issued only for a job offer of at least 2 years, needs no Labour Market Needs Test and covers the named employer and occupation; for shorter offers a General Employment Permit may be applied for. Shortage listing: The Critical Skills Occupations List published on gov.ie (page last updated 17 January 2025) lists 2211 Medical practitioners under 221 Health Professionals. Sequence: The Department lists the Medical Council of Ireland as the body whose registration is required for a medical practitioner to get an employment permit. Irish immigration says you need the permit first and can then apply for an Employment Visa.

Medical Council of Ireland: General Registration — Non EU/EEA Trained Doctors Medical Council of Ireland: General Registration — Certificate of Experience (COE) Medical Council of Ireland: General Registration — Higher Qualification (HQ) Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Critical Skills Employment Permit Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Critical Skills Occupations List (gov.ie) Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Registration bodies for certain employments Immigration Service Delivery: Employment visa

Doctors in New Zealand: four checks

Registration: The Medical Council of New Zealand's General scope pathways include Examinations and Comparable health system. The Examinations pathway needs a pass in NZREX Clinical, PLAB Parts 1 and 2 or the Australian Medical Council exams within five years, and a PGY1 job offer. International medical graduates in a provisional general, provisional vocational or special purpose scope must be supervised. Work permit: The Accredited Employer Work Visa needs a job offer of at least 30 hours a week from an accredited employer, and occupational registration if the job requires it; stay is up to 5 years. Shortage listing: The Green List (effective 23 March 2026) lists in Tier 1 General Practitioner, Resident Medical Officer, Anaesthetist and other medical occupations, with Medical Council registration (or a Council letter of eligibility) required. Tier 1 jobs allow you to apply for a Straight to Residence Visa. Sequence: Immigration New Zealand says registration must be obtained before you apply for a visa for a job that needs it. The Council's eligibility for registration letter confirms to Immigration New Zealand that you can be registered.

Medical Council of New Zealand: Pathways to registration in a general scope Medical Council of New Zealand: Examinations registration pathway Medical Council of New Zealand: Registration process (Doctors) Immigration New Zealand: Accredited Employer Work Visa Immigration New Zealand: Straight to Residence Visa Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual: Appendix 13 — Green List Immigration New Zealand: Check if you need occupational registration for your job

Doctors in the United Arab Emirates: four checks

Registration: The UAE health ministry and the Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah authorities present the unified Professional Qualification Requirements. For physicians it requires graduation from a recognised allopathic medical school, a 12-month internship and a valid licence in the home country and/or country of last employment (where applicable). Professionals must pass the Authority's examination unless exempt, for example through certain international examinations or registrations. Work permit: For private-sector employment, the u.ae portal says working without a valid MoHRE work permit is illegal; roles requiring a licence to practise must meet the legislation's conditions. The standard work visa is valid for two years; the employer applies. Shortage listing: The official sources we read do not state an occupation shortage list; the only listing in them that names doctors is a Golden visa category for exceptional talent or rare specialisations. Sequence: Dubai: after registration the employer activates the licence through its Sheryan account; non-UAE nationals need a valid labour card. Abu Dhabi: the DOH FAQ answer on where a new medical professional licence application can be submitted says documents go for Data Flow verification, then to the licensing department; applicants meeting DOH conditions are approved to enter the examination phase.

Department of Health Abu Dhabi: Introduction to the Professional Qualification Requirement (PQR) Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), 3rd version Dubai Health Authority: Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals, Version 1.3 Department of Health Abu Dhabi: FAQs UAE Government portal (u.ae): Work permits (content source MoHRE) UAE Government portal (u.ae): Work visa UAE Government portal (u.ae): Golden visa

Doctors in the United Kingdom: four checks

Registration: The GMC requires full registration with a licence for unsupervised UK practice. For graduates with an acceptable primary medical qualification from outside the UK, it lists six ways to prove enough clinical experience, one of which is a pass in the PLAB test, so PLAB is not a universal requirement. Work permit: Not reviewed in this update; the official sources we read do not state this. Shortage listing: Not reviewed in this update; the official sources we read do not state this. Sequence: Not reviewed in this update; the official sources we read do not state this.

GMC: full registration

Doctors in the United States: four checks

Registration: The USMLE site says Step 1 and Step 2 CK are required for ECFMG Certification and points to the FSMB for applying for a state medical license. The FSMB (June 2026) says 24 states have enacted laws letting qualifying internationally trained physicians gain full licensure without accredited North American postgraduate training. Work permit: J-1: the State Department designates ECFMG as the only sponsor for alien physicians in graduate medical education or training. H-1B: the evidence a physician petition must include covers any required state licence and either a full and unrestricted foreign licence or medical school graduation. Shortage listing: The official sources we read do not state an occupation shortage list. USCIS ties the Conrad 30 and physician national interest waivers to designated shortage or underserved areas. Sequence: The USMLE site says eligibility for ECFMG Certification must be determined before you register for Step exams; a valid ECFMG Certification is required to enter accredited U.S. medical training. For the J-1, ECFMG issues Form DS-2019 once eligibility is established.

USMLE (co-sponsored by the FSMB and NBME): The Path to Licensure FSMB (Federation of State Medical Boards): States with Enacted and Proposed Licensure Pathways for Internationally Trained Physicians U.S. Department of State BridgeUSA: Physician (J-1 Alien Physician program) eCFR: 8 CFR 214.2 — special requirements for admission, extension and maintenance of status (H-1B physicians) USCIS: Conrad 30 Waiver Program USCIS: Green Card Through a Physician National Interest Waiver (NIW)

What changed recently or is about to change

Germany: The Act to accelerate recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications in healthcare professions (dated 22 July 2026, Federal Law Gazette 2026 I Nr. 225) amends the Bundesärzteordnung and enters into force on 1 November 2026, apart from some provisions that apply the day after promulgation. The government's recognition portal says the direct knowledge test will become the standard procedure for doctors with third-country qualifications and the document-based equivalence assessment only an option. In the Act, the choice of the equivalence procedure is possible only up to four weeks after applying, and applications for recognition of a third-country qualification filed by 31 October 2026 stay under the earlier version of the rules. The Federal Ministry of Health's press release of 26 March 2026 adds that the Länder will in future be able to test third-country applicants' language skills before the professional qualification. United States: USCIS (page reviewed 21 September 2026) says certain H-1B petitions filed at or after 21 September 2025 must be accompanied by a $100,000 payment; a district court vacated agency guidance implementing it on 8 June 2026, the First Circuit denied the government's motion on 24 July 2026, and DHS says it will comply with the court's order while it considers next steps but still plans to collect the payment if the order is later lifted. The official sources we read do not state how this applies to physician petitions. The USCIS Conrad 30 page (last reviewed 1 October 2025) carries a notice that foreign nationals admitted in or acquiring J-1 status on or after 1 October 2025 will not be eligible for a waiver of the two-year foreign residence requirement under the Conrad 30 program unless Congress extends the provision; check the current status with USCIS. Canada: IRCC's December 2025 news release announced a new Express Entry category for international doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation, gained within the last three years; IRCC's category-based selection page now lists it as Physicians with Canadian work experience. Ireland: The Medical Council says that from 1 December 2025 it only accepts Certificates of Experience issued by the relevant competent authority. New Zealand: The Medical Council says applications for the 5 September 2026 NZREX Clinical are closed and the next exams will be held on 6 March 2027 and 4 September 2027.

Bundesgesetzblatt 2026 I Nr. 225: Gesetz zur Beschleunigung der Anerkennungsverfahren ausländischer Berufsqualifikationen in Heilberufen Recognition in Germany portal: Recognition of healthcare professions should be accelerated Federal Ministry of Health: Bundestag beschließt Gesetz zur Beschleunigung der Anerkennungsverfahren (press release) USCIS: H-1B Specialty Occupations USCIS: Conrad 30 Waiver Program IRCC news release: Targeted immigration measures to boost Canada's supply of doctors Medical Council of Ireland: General Registration — Certificate of Experience (COE) Medical Council of New Zealand: New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical) IRCC: Express Entry — Category-based selection

Residency and specialty training for international medical graduates

Canada: Entry to first-year postgraduate training goes through CaRMS's R-1 Main Residency Match. For international graduates, CaRMS lists Canadian citizenship or permanent residence and passes in the NAC Examination and MCC Qualifying Exam Part I, with exceptions and provincial criteria.

Germany: The Bundesärztekammer says specialist training (Weiterbildung) follows medical studies and permission to practise, in paid posts at approved sites under authorised doctors, with completion assessed by certificates and an examination; the Landesärztekammern are responsible.

Ireland: Initial Specialist Training is supervised by the postgraduate training bodies, which organise recruitment; places are agreed with the HSE. The International Medical Graduate Training Initiative, for overseas trainees, is not intended to lead to settlement; its scholarship strand usually lasts two years.

New Zealand: The Medical Council says doctors with general-scope registration who have completed prevocational training can enrol in vocational (specialist) training, usually working as registrars.

United Arab Emirates: In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Health oversees the residency programmes in the emirate and runs a DoH-regulated matching system that is open to eligible international graduates; some programmes may be restricted to UAE nationals. In Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid University (MBRU) lists the Emirates Medical Residency Entrance Examination (EMREE) or the Saudi Medical Licensing Examination (SMLE) for residency admission, and enrolment is subject to the Dubai Health Authority licensing process.

United Kingdom: CT1/ST1 specialty applicants need evidence of foundation competence from the last 3½ years, often a CREST form for international graduates; CREST applicants also need 12 months' experience after full GMC registration (or equivalent).

United States: Accredited U.S. training requires a valid ECFMG Certification, which needs USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK. Over 6,000 programmes join the NRMP Main Residency Match; international graduates register with an ECFMG ID/USMLE ID.

CaRMS: R-1 Main Residency Match, Eligibility criteria Bundesärztekammer (working group of the Landesärztekammern): Ärztliche Weiterbildung HSE National Doctors Training and Planning (medicalcareers.ie): Senior house officer (SHO) HSE National Doctors Training and Planning (medicalcareers.ie): Training in Ireland for international doctors (IMGTI) Medical Council of New Zealand: Vocational (specialist) training and recertification programmes Department of Health Abu Dhabi: Medical Residency Program Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU, Dubai Health): Graduate Medical Education, Residency Admissions NHS England (Workforce, training and education) Medical Hub: Medical Specialty Recruitment, Foundation competencies USMLE (co-sponsored by the FSMB and NBME): The Path to Licensure National Resident Matching Program (NRMP): Get Ready for the Match (residency applicants)

Doctors' pay: where the official figures are

The figures below describe different jobs (trainees, a consultant, general practitioners and all physicians), so they are not comparable with each other.

Canada: For general practitioners and family physicians, the Government of Canada's Job Bank lists a national median of $232,227 a year (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025), from a CIHI and Canadian Medical Association tabulation.

Germany: The TV-Ärzte pay table for university hospitals, published by the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL), sets pay group Ä1 for the first year at €5,792.90 a month for 40 hours a week, valid 1 April 2026 to 31 August 2027.

Ireland: The HSE's consolidated salary scales, approved by the Department of Health and effective 1 June 2026, start the Senior House Officer scale at €55,292 a year.

New Zealand: Health New Zealand's collective agreement with STONZ sets the house officer salary from 2 March 2026 at $84,040 a year for step 1, category F (40 to 44.9 hours a week).

United Arab Emirates: The official sources we read publish no salary figure for doctors; MBRU says its trainees receive a monthly salary and benefits package.

United Kingdom: For England, NHS Employers' pay circular 1/2026 R2 (24 July 2026) lists a consultant (2003 contract) basic salary of £113,565 with 0 years completed as a consultant, from 1 April 2026.

United States: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median annual wage for all physicians and surgeons, not only trainees, was $275,930 in May 2025.

Government of Canada Job Bank: Wages for General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL, employers' association of the German Länder): TV-Ärzte (university hospitals) TdL: Anlage A zum TV-Ärzte, Entgelttabelle (1 April 2026 to 31 August 2027) HSE: Pay scales (consolidated pay scales index) HSE: Health Sector Consolidated Salary Scales, 1 June 2026 Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and STONZ: RMO Collective Agreement, 1 March 2026 to 30 April 2028 Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU, Dubai Health): Graduate Medical Education, Residency Admissions NHS Employers: Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2 (England) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physicians and Surgeons