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FOREIGN QUALIFICATION RECOGNITION

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Governments must take concerted action on the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications in order to create an environment where immigrants are able to apply their talents.

Foreign qualification recognition is the process of verifying that the knowledge, skills, work experience and education obtained in another country is comparable to the standards established for Canadian professionals and tradespersons.

While foreign qualification recognition is an obstacle faced primarily by immigrants, many Canadians also seek education and employment abroad. All foreign trained individuals, whether Canadian or foreign-born, may encounter issues related to the recognition of their academic credentials, occupational certifications and work experience upon their return. Given the additional challenges and barriers newcomers may face, this Framework focuses on immigrant labour market integration, although all individuals with international qualifications will also benefit.

There are a multitude of players involved in the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications. There are nearly 500 professional regulatory authorities and numerous credential assessment bodies in Canada, as well as hundreds of post-secondary and vocational institutions and countless numbers of employers, immigrant serving agencies, and most importantly, immigrants and other internationally-trained workers.

For occupations where no certification or license is required to practice, it is generally the employer’s responsibility to determine whether a potential worker possesses the appropriate qualifications, training or experience. While qualification recognition issues certainly exist within this domain, Governments have agreed to place an initial focus on qualification recognition issues related to regulated occupations.

Significant progress has already been made by these stakeholders to ensure that the necessary information, processes, standards and resources are in place to improve the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications.

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Date Modified:
2011-08-30