Foreign Credential Recognition

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Foreign Credential Recognition

The Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) program is one of the key components of the government’s Internationally Trained Workers Initiative. This initiative is an integrated, comprehensive strategy in which over 14 federal departments work together to address the barriers to working in Canada that internationally trained workers face.

Through the FCR program, the Government of Canada is working with provincial and territorial governments, licensing and regulatory bodies, sector councils, employers and many other groups who have jurisdiction over certain aspects of FCR.

To meet the needs of the 21^st century economy, Canada requires a highly skilled work force. One of the keys to our prosperity and competitiveness will be the degree to which internationally trained workers are able to contribute to Canada’s economic and social development.

FCR Program

Foreign credential recognition is the process of verifying that the education and job experience obtained in another country are equal to the standards established for Canadian workers.

In 2003 and 2004, the Government of Canada provided a total of $68 million for the next six years to implement the FCR program and to fund the key activities of our partners aimed at improving FCR processes in Canada. The objective of the program is to work with our partners to ensure that FCR processes across the country are:

• fair—individuals wishing to have their credentials assessed will be treated equitably;
  
• accessible—individuals wishing to have their credentials assessed will have access to appropriate services;
  
• coherent—there will be processes to assess and recognize credentials in all jurisdictions throughout Canada. This means that once an individual’s credentials are recognized in one province, they will be recognized across Canada;
  
• transparent—individuals will understand how to have their credentials assessed and recognized before they arrive in Canada and, if they do not meet the requirements, they will know what to do; and
  
• rigorous—high standards for competence and preserving quality service and public safety.

Progress in Regulated and Non-Regulated Occupations

Credential recognition for regulated occupations is mainly a provincial responsibility that has been delegated in legislation to regulatory bodies. Progress is being made with regulated occupations. For example, federal and provincial governments are working with key medical community stakeholders to improve procedures for licensing internationally trained doctors so that we can strengthen the healthcare system and increase the supply of doctors.

Similar work is under way to speed up the recognition process for internationally trained nurses and other health-care professionals, including pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists, medical radiation technologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Most recently, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provided funding to the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers to develop and implement an action plan to more quickly and efficiently integrate international engineering graduates into the Canadian labour market.

The Government of Canada is also playing a role in facilitating foreign credential recognition in nonregulated occupations, which make up about 85 percent of the labour market. Non-regulated occupations are in sectors such as tourism, textiles, software technology, and aviation maintenance. Through the FCR program, the government is supporting the work of Canada’s sector councils to develop innovative approaches to foreign credential recognition. For example, on November 29, 2004, the Government of Canada announced funding of $1,606,200 for the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Sector Council to develop a national system to assess the skills of internationally trained aviation workers seeking Canadian industry credentials and experience.

Canada’s Workplace Skills Strategy

The FCR program is linked to Canada’s Workplace Skills Strategy aimed at helping Canadians become the best trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, as well as ensuring that employers’ needs are met. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada’s future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled work force and on high-performance workplaces that focus on skills development. It will work with business, unions, provinces and territories, sector councils and workers to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to develop their skills so that they can obtain meaningful and productive jobs.