Canada's $90m plan to improve Foreign Credential Recognition

Surya Rathee
[Published 06 Dec, 2022 | 07:18 AM]
About Author - 4 min read
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“To cope with the drastic labor market crisis in Canada, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has announced a proposal to help internationally-trained healthcare professionals working in the country.”

Check Your Eligibility

The Canadian government will spend up to $90 million on projects under the Foreign Credential Recognition Program that aim to dismantle barriers standing in the way of qualified and competent immigrants getting Canadian work experience in their field of work or area of study.

Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Sean Fraser tweeted, "Your capacity to work in health care should depend on what you know, not where you come from."

“I am proud to announce Canada’s new and improved investments to support internationally-educated healthcare professionals to work in the healthcare sector. The efforts to support newcomers overcoming the barriers to Foreign Credential Recognition provide opportunities to gain on-the-job experience, and facilitate labor mobility announced today are essential ways of ensuring our healthcare system is one of the best in the world, and we look forward to welcoming newcomers who will contribute to this system.”, he added.

The Great White North is facing severe shortages across numerous occupations mentioned in the Canada Occupation in demand list, including those of physicians, nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and medical laboratory technologists.

Looking at the healthcare sector, skilled immigrants are underutilized.

According to a 2020 Statistics Canada report, “47% of skilled immigrants with healthcare degrees from other countries are unemployed or underemployed in non-healthcare jobs that only require a high school education.”

At least one of the following topics must be the focus of eligible projects:

• Minimizing barriers to Foreign Credential Recognition for healthcare professionals who have received international education (IEHPs) by strengthening recognition procedures, streamlining steps in credential recognition, and providing more opportunities to practice in the field.
• Providing IEHPs with Canadian work experience that is relevant to their desired fields of employment, together with wrap-around participant support including childcare and transportation costs along with mentoring and coaching.
• Easing systemic and administrative barriers for healthcare professionals who want to work in another Canadian jurisdiction by facilitating labor mobility between those jurisdictions and IEHPs.

Successful projects submitted in response to the proposals must include at least one of the following eligible activities:

• Systems for recognizing credentials - developed, tested, and put into use, with a focus on streamlining regulatory procedures and/or harmonizing occupational requirements to enhance the process for recognizing credentials from other countries and/or interprovincial labor mobility.
• Providing IEHPs with employment support to aid in their integration into the Canadian labor market, such as wage subsidies, work placements, and mentoring.

Organizations have until January 30, 2023, to apply for funding under this call for proposals.

Want to know more? Get in touch with an immigration consultant at Nationwide Visas.