Hopefully this may help.
With regard to the intern position...
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/ap...mit.asp#health
Health-care students
Foreign students in residency, extern or fellowship positions in Canadian clinical settings need a work permit.
Foreign health-care students can do their clinical clerkships or work in Canada short-term without a work permit if:
the main purpose of the work is to acquire training,
they have a written approval from the Canadian regulatory board responsible for their occupation,
their normal training practicum does not exceed four months.
Foreign health-care students also need to undergo a Canadian immigration medical examination before coming to Canada.
also:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resourc...w/fw01-eng.pdf
Section 5:1
5.1. Overview
The Regulations specify that the worker class is a class of persons who may become temporary residents. A worker may be authorized to work without a work permit R186, or may be authorized to work by the issuance of a work permit pursuant to Part 11 of the Regulations.
Definition of “Work” [R2]
“Work” is defined in the Regulations as an activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that competes directly with activities of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market.
What is an activity that “competes directly”?
Officers should consider whether there is entry into the labour market. Questions to consider:
• Will they be doing an activity that a Canadian or permanent resident should really have an opportunity to do?
• Will they be engaging in a business activity that is competitive in the marketplace?
If the answer to either of these questions is ‘yes’, the foreign national intends to engage in a competitive activity, which would be onsidered “work”.
Examples of “work” include, but are not limited to:
• unpaid employment undertaken for the purpose of obtaining work experience, such as an internship or practicum normally done by a student.
5.17. Work without a work permit R186(p)—Health care students
Foreign students, registered at foreign educational institutions outside Canada, in fields such as medicine, occupational and physical therapy, nursing and medical technology may do their clinical clerkships or short-term practicums in Canada.
Written permission from the body that regulates the particular health field is required in order to ensure that Canadian health care students are placed for clinical practice first. The primary purpose of the practicum must be to acquire training; therefore these positions will often be unpaid and should not be of more than four months’ duration.
Foreign students in residency, extern or fellowship positions in Canadian clinical settings are not included in this exemption.
Note: A medical extern is a doctor or medical student who is partaking in a clinical learning opportunity generally known as Externship. Externships are generally offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. In medecine it generally refers to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff.
Typically externs:
• Have some extent of contact with patients
• Perform some procedures
• Usually cannot write formal orders
• Do not receive an academic credit for the externship
You should read 5:17 (too long to post) for more details of what is required.
