Droves of American nurses are packing up and taking their life-saving skills north, opting for Canada over President Donald Trump’s America.
Amid deep cuts to public health and medical research, as well as the declassification of nursing as a “professional” degree, a wave of American nurses has fled to Canada, NPR reports.
For many, Canada’s progressive policies and single-payer health care are a draw, according to the outlet. Others left over fears that political tensions in Trump’s America are boiling over into violence. Amy Miller, a nurse practitioner, noted that federal immigration agents killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, just a few days after she moved to Canada.
In the past ten months alone, more than 1,000 U.S.-trained nurses have been cleared to work in British Columbia, home to Vancouver, according to the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives. By contrast, that figure was just 127 in 2024.
Several Canadian provinces have mounted recruitment drives targeting American nurses, with British Columbia launching a $5 million ad campaign last year.
The exodus of American nurses is especially alarming because the U.S. could face a shortfall of roughly 270,000 registered nurses and at least 120,000 licensed practical nurses by 2028, according to estimates from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
But Trump’s signature domestic bill, passed by the GOP-controlled Congress last year, put new limits on federal student loans for nursing students, whose programs the Education Department has moved to remove from the “professional degree” designation.
The White House highlighted industry data showing that the number of nurses licensed in the U.S. increased in 2025 when contacted by NPR.
“The American health care workforce is the finest in the world, and it continues to expand under President Trump,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the outlet. “Employment opportunities in the American health care system remain robust, with career advancement and pay that far exceed that of other developed nations.”
The White House brushed off reports of nurses leaving for Canada as “anecdotes of individuals with severe cases of Trump derangement syndrome.”
Susan Fleishman, one of the U.S.-trained nurses who relocated to British Columbia in November, told NPR that Trump’s hateful rhetoric made American life difficult.
“It wasn’t an easy move—that’s for sure. But I think it’s definitely worth it,” she said. “I find there is a lot more kindness here. And I think that will keep me here.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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