Backgrounder

Foreign Credential Recognition Program

To meet the needs of the 21st century economy, Canada requires a highly skilled workforce. Our ability to compete in the global knowledge-based economy is dependent on the skills of our people.  Cities and communities that can attract the best talent, including highly skilled immigrants, provide opportunities for investment and contribute to keeping Canada’s economy strong.

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 professionals. Credential recognition for regulated occupations is mainly a provincial responsibility that has been delegated in legislation to regulatory bodies. Canada’s New Government is playing a facilitative role with provinces and territories and providing strategic leadership to foster the development of consistent, national approaches to this important issue. 

About the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Program

Canada’s New Government is providing an additional $5 million to top-up Human Resources and Social Development’s existing FCR Program.  This additional funding is over and above the $68 million that has already been committed for a six year period, and will allow the Program to further strengthen foreign credential assessment and recognition processes in both regulated and non-regulated occupations.

The Program is intended to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the work force by funding and working with provinces, territories, and stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, post secondary institutions, sector councils, and employers, to implement projects that facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries. 

The objectives of the FCR Program are to work with its partners to ensure FCR processes across the country are:

• Fair – individuals wishing to have their credentials assessed will be treated equitably;
• Consistent – there will be similar 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 preserving quality service and public safety.

Progress to date

The FCR Program has made investments in 19 out of the top 45 occupations identified by skilled immigrants entering Canada.

Some examples:

• The FCR Program has provided $3.6 million to the Medical Council of Canada to develop improved processes that will help integrate international medical graduates into the Canadian labour market.  This has led to an online self-assessment examination to allow applicants to assess their level of medical knowledge and determine their readiness to take the other examinations leading to licensure.  The Program has also supported the increased availability of the Medical Council of Canada's Evaluation Examination.  Originally offered in 12 locations up to three times per year, the exam is now offered in approximately 40 additional locations and up to 10 -12 times per year. Working with regulatory bodies, the Medical Council of Canada is in the process of establishing a single-source service to streamline the credential verification process for international medical graduates.

• The FCR Program has also invested more than $3 million over four years to help integrate international engineering graduates into the labour market.  This has helped achieve greater consistency in provincial assessment processes for engineers.  Furthermore, in 2005, the Professional Engineers of Ontario certified more international engineering graduates than domestic-trained graduates.

• The FCR Program is also facilitating foreign credential recognition in non-regulated occupations such as tourism, textiles and trucking.

 Overseas Projects

FCR Program has invested over $4.5 with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges to deliver overseas information services to improve the labour market outcomes for skilled worker class immigrants by helping them prepare for integration while completing the immigration process in their country of origin. The pilot offices are located in China, India and the Philippines.

New projects

The new FCR Program projects total more than $7.7 million and include:

• $515,313 for the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers to develop a database of foreign engineering degree programs that will be used by provincial regulatory bodies in their assessment of international engineering graduates.
• $2,500,000 for the Information and Communications Technology Council to develop a competency-based assessment and recognition tool for internationally educated information and technology professionals.  Activities also include developing and piloting a bridge-to-work and mentoring program, along with tools for small and medium-sized enterprises.
• $3,039,560 for the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council to develop FCR capacity in the tourism sector based on competency assessment and recognition.
• $395,250 for the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training  to help establish the International Credential and Competency Assessment and Recognition Agency in Atlantic Canada.
• $500,000 for National Alliance of Respiratory Therapy Regulatory Bodies to investigate issues related to the entry of foreign-trained practitioners into the profession of respiratory therapy in Canada, and to develop an entry-to-practice examination for competency assessments of foreign-trained and Canadian-educated individuals.
• $750,000 for BioTalent Canada, the sector council for biotechnology, to build capacity within the sector so that foreign trained professionals can be assessed and connected with employers in an efficient and reliable fashion. Some of the initiatives the council will undertake as part of this project include developing an industry-led internship program that would be consistent with a "Bridge-to-work" model approach and would facilitate the gaining of Canadian work experience for immigrants, developing and testing a national practical assessment approach for the integration of immigrants into the biotechnology sector, and developing a curriculum to "train the trainer" on soft skills that will assist in the assessment and integration of internationally trained professionals into the labour market.