Why More American Doctors Are Moving to Canada After Trump’s Return
Earlier this year, as Donald Trump began reshaping the U.S. government after being reelected, an emergency room doctor named Michael packed up and moved his family to Canada. Michael, who was born, raised, and trained in the U.S., now works in a small-town Canadian hospital. He asked for anonymity because he fears facing problems if he returns to the U.S.
Michael said he left because the U.S. had become too cruel and violent.
“As a doctor, you’re supposed to help people at their weakest. But I feel like the country is becoming a place where we hurt the weak instead of helping them,” he explained.
Scientists Losing Support, Too
Michael isn’t the only one leaving. Young scientists, like geneticist Adelaide Tovar at the University of Michigan, are also affected. A major diversity grant for early-career scientists was canceled, and now hundreds of researchers are losing funding.
A Growing Trend: Doctors Heading North
Since Trump’s return to the White House, many U.S. doctors have shown interest in moving to Canada. According to the Medical Council of Canada, American doctors registering for a license in Canada jumped by over 750% in just seven months—rising from 71 to 615 applicants.
John Philpott, head of CanAm Physician Recruiting, said doctors tell him they’re ashamed of being American. They often say things like:
“I have to leave this country. It’s not what it used to be.”
Why Canada?
Canada offers universal health care and fewer political issues in medicine. In the past, U.S. doctors faced hurdles getting licensed in Canada. But today, many provinces are making it easier and faster for American-trained doctors to practice.
Philpott said his company saw a 65% rise in job inquiries from U.S. doctors in early 2025. One of his recruiters, Dr. Rohini Patel, said some doctors don’t even care if they earn less. They just want out—now.
“They’re ready to move to Canada tomorrow,” she said.
Provinces Confirm the Surge
- Ontario licensed 116 U.S.-trained doctors in early 2025—a 50% increase.
- British Columbia tripled its licenses for U.S. doctors in one year.
- Quebec also reported more American doctors applying.
Some Canadian doctors who had moved to the U.S. are now returning, citing political concerns.
Michael’s Breaking Point
Michael said gun violence and rising right-wing rhetoric in the U.S. pushed him to leave. He thought about moving as early as 2020 but made his decision after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
“I told my family Biden would be a one-term president and things would get worse,” he said.
It took about a year to get his Canadian license and secure a job. Though the paperwork was complex, Michael said it wasn’t harder than getting a medical license in the U.S. The difference? Many American doctors are simply burned out from red tape.
Now, Michael gets texts and emails almost every day from U.S. doctors asking how they can move to Canada too.
Doctors Looking for a Way Out
The growing demand has been noticed by Hippocratic Adventures, a company helping doctors move abroad. Co-founder Dr. Ashwini Bapat, who moved to Portugal in 2020, said their clients used to seek adventure. Now, they’re seeking escape.
“When Trump won reelection, the number of people contacting us exploded,” she said.
Canada Welcomes Them
Doctors Manitoba, an organization in one of Canada’s most rural provinces, launched a campaign targeting doctors in Florida and the Dakotas. Their pitch? A place with “zero political interference“ in doctor-patient relationships.
Dr. Alison Carleton, who moved from Iowa to Manitoba in 2017, said she left because of Trump and the broken U.S. health care system. Now, she runs a peaceful clinic with less stress, no excessive paperwork, and no patients drowning in medical debt.
She even gave up her American citizenship.
“People tell me I left just in time,” Carleton said. “I tell them, ‘I know. When are you leaving?’”
