This paper aims to compare professional re-establishing experiences in two welfare states, Canada and Sweden in the case of international medical graduates (IMGs). The two countries differ in migration policy strategy but on the other hand they have many similarities in regard to developed welfare systems and share of foreign trained medical doctors. The paper elaborates on how we could understand how these different national contexts shape doctors experiences of re-establishing as medical professionals. The study in a cross-national comparative study analysing qualitative data from interviews conducted with IMGs in Sweden and Canada. The focus of the paper is to understand how the context impact the experienced possibilities of “becoming a doctor” in Sweden and Canada. In an study conducted by Bourgeault and Wrede (2008) of International trained nurses in Finland and Canada, they argue that the Nordic countries and Canadaare interesting to compare as both have nationalized health care systems yet different histories in relation to migration patterns. Furthermore, the both countries provide interesting examples of how the national contexts influence experiences of IMGs.