Chapter 3 – Qualification Recognition
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Given an increasingly global employment market for skilled workers, the issue of qualification recognition has broad international dimensions. It cannot be handled properly if, at the national level, it is approached without coordination between the federal and provincial level. In cooperation with the provinces and regulatory bodies, a national solution needs to be found that respects the rights of the various jurisdictions but works towards the goal to which Canada has committed itself in international treaties. The portability of occupational and educational credentials has been addressed by UNESCO and Canada has undertaken to work within an international framework on these issues.
Canada has committed itself to facilitating international mobility and, with the cooperation of the provinces and territories, created an organization to promote the recognition of foreign credentials: the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials
. CICIC was created in 1990 following Canada's ratification of the first UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education. It distributes information and supports the recognition and portability of Canadian and international educational and occupational qualifications.15
In spite of the objective of the agreement, many professional associations in Canada continue to be almost autonomous in their power to admit or refuse new members. Many immigrants, however, are unaware that if they intend to practise a regulated profession, such as engineering or nursing, the recognition of such credentials for the purpose of immigration is entirely separate from their recognition by professional associations. As a result, the recognition, or often rather non-recognition, of foreign credentials is a painful experience for many immigrants.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada's latest form16 indicates that immigrants are now at least being informed about the potential hurdles to professional integration in Canada:
I understand that if I wish to work in a regulated occupation, it is my responsibility to obtain information on the licensing requirements from the appropriate regulatory body in Canada and that should I be issued a permanent resident visa for Canada, I am not guaranteed employment in Canada in my occupation or in any other occupation.
Clearly, the future for credential recognition can only lie in better intra-Canadian coordination and in closer international cooperation. Immigrants need to know which, if any, retraining steps they should undertake in order to become licensed, so that they will be able to practice their profession as soon as possible after their arrival in Canada.
The new joint [UNESCO] convention stipulates that mutual recognition of qualifications must be granted by contracting states unless significant difference can be proved. The burden of proof lies with the competent authorities of the receiving country.(Note: Canada has signed but not ratified the new convention. Only upon ratification does the convention become legally binding. For more information see http://www.cicic.ca/en/page.aspx?sortcode=2.19.23).
An opportunity exists for official language minority communities to play a role in working with professional associations to ensure faster recognition of immigrant credentials. Given the links of Francophone professionals with their associations, pilot projects could be explored that would fast-track minority language immigrants through the licensing procedure. Professionals within the minority community should lobby from within professional associations to achieve greater openness towards the acceptance of foreign-trained professionals. The advantage would be felt immediately by Francophone communities if, for example, medically underserviced areas with a need for Francophone doctors and nurses would be able to draw on foreign-trained Francophone health professionals who presently find it very difficult to be licensed to work in Canada. Minority communities can draw inspiration from existing initiatives, such as the B.C. Foreign-Trained Engineer Pilot Project. It is the result of cooperation between British Columbia's Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services and the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers. The plan is to allow immigrant engineers to write licensing exams soon after their arrival in B.C. (Godfrey et al. 2001) The project helps un- or underemployed engineers acquire the work experience they need to qualify for a professional licence and assists engineering associations to improve their accreditation policies. Official language minority communities should explore similar projects with the help of professionals in their own ranks which could specifically target areas where there is currently a shortage of minority language professionals.
Qualification Recognition (Recommendation 5)
The Federal Government, in cooperation with the provinces and territories, needs to pursue its commitment under the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education so that immigrants can exercise their professions in Canada. In its efforts, the Federal Government must ensure that immigrants settling in official language minority communities are not disadvantaged due to the origin and language of their credentials, which may differ from the majority of immigrants in a given province or territory.
15 For further information, see also: www.unesco.ca/en/interdisciplinary/peace/default.aspx.
16 Skilled worker immigrant application form
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