Dr. Saad Khan and his wife, Samantha, recently stepped into their new home in West Kelowna, B.C. While the apartment is still empty, it’s filled with hope and excitement for what lies ahead.
“I’m a U.K.-trained British GP,” Saad said. “About a month ago, my wife and I moved to Canada.”
The couple made the life-changing decision after seeing an ad from Health Match BC, a government initiative recruiting doctors. They packed up everything and left the United Kingdom, drawn by the promise of new opportunities — and a better quality of life.
“As family doctors, there’s a shortage worldwide,” said Saad. “Canada has one too. I think all provinces are doing what they can to lure doctors over.”
Saad’s move comes as British Columbia’s Ministry of Health ramps up efforts to attract international health care workers. The province has introduced measures like fairer pay and faster credential recognition to support new arrivals.
Between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year, over 5,000 internationally trained physicians were practising in B.C. — 660 of them newly registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.
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“We know the incredible impact internationally educated health-care professionals have on the health-care system in B.C., which is why we’re making our province an attractive place to work, with fair pay and faster credential recognition to support getting health-care workers into the workforce as quickly as possible,” said the ministry.
Saad and Samantha have been documenting their immigration journey on social media, offering an unfiltered glimpse into what it’s really like to start over in a new country.
“We were looking for others in the same situation,” says Samantha. “People working in health care and trying to get permanent residency in Canada.”
In one Instagram video, Saad shares a deeply personal reflection.
“I moved to Canada from the U.K. because I felt unsafe there. That’s the truth. I’m a brown man from Pakistan — I will never be a white man who’s British.”
It’s one of many challenges the couple hopes to leave behind.
“In the U.K., family doctors are overbooked and underpaid,” Saad said. “Unfortunately, that’s common in many places. But here in Canada, you treat your doctors better. That’s been my personal experience.”
Now working at Westside Medical Associates, Khan already has a growing roster of patients.
“I have a few hundred now,” he laughed.
As the couple settles into their new life, they continue sharing their story — not just the journey of getting to Canada, but what it means to build a future here.
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