Apply for funding to support the labour market integration of internationally educated health professionals - Foreign Credential Recognition Program

Application period

You can apply between December 5, 2022, and January 30, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Description of this funding

The objective of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) is to improve the integration of skilled newcomers into the Canadian labour market. This includes:

• Developing and strengthening Canada’s foreign credential recognition assessment and recognition capacity
• Contributing to improving labour market integration outcomes of skilled newcomers, and
• Supporting interprovincial labour mobility

Eligible organizations can apply for funding at a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum of $10,000,000.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) expects that successful projects may begin as early as August 2023.

Objective 

The objective of this Call for Proposals (CFP) is to support projects enabling the labour market integration of internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs).

Find information on funded grants and contribution projects in proactive disclosure.

National priorities

Priority may be given to organizations that demonstrate they will:

• provide employment and wrap-around services tailored to the needs of skilled newcomer women, who face additional barriers to having their credentials recognized and integrating into the labour market compared to their male counterparts
• Provide support services to skilled refugees, including those without documentation of their academic credentials and qualifications
• develop an outreach strategy to improve awareness among skilled newcomers and increase program participation

The Department may also prioritize projects based on:

• geographical representation (in an effort to have pan-Canadian coverage)
• service to Official Language Minority Communities (where there is a need), and/or
• funding a distribution of projects that align with all CFP project areas

Eligibility

This is an open Call for Proposals. To apply for funding under this competitive process, your application must meet all of the following eligibility criteria. 

Eligible applicants

Your organization must be one of the following types:

• Provincial, territorial, or municipal governments
• Regulatory bodies
• Professional associations
• Industry associations
• Unions
• Post-secondary institutions
• Hospitals and healthcare institutions
• Not-for-profit organizations

Eligible participants are skilled newcomers. For the purposes of this call for proposals, skilled newcomers must be internationally educated health providers (IEHPs).

Only 1 funding application per organization will be accepted.

Eligible projects

The following requirements must be met for projects to be considered eligible for funding:   

• Projects must focus on addressing workforce challenges in one or more of the following 3 project areas:
  • Reduce barriers to foreign credential recognition for IEHPs:
    • Projects that reduce barriers to foreign credential recognition must demonstrate solutions to improving foreign credential recognition processes (for example, pre-arrival supports, easier access to information, faster timelines, increased access to assessments (including clinical assessments or placements), simplified steps in the credential recognition process, and increased access to practice in the field (for example, alternative careers in the health field, provisional licenses))
  • Provide IEHPs with Canadian work experience:
    • Projects that provide Canadian work experience must provide work experience that is relevant to the IEHPs’ intended health care fields of work. It must also incorporate wrap-around supports for participants (for example, childcare costs, transportation costs), and must include employer engagement (for example, diversity and inclusivity training for employers and non-newcomer colleagues, mentoring, coaching, networking)
  • Facilitate labour mobility between jurisdictions in Canada for health care professionals, including IEHPS:
    • Projects that facilitate labour mobility must reduce the systemic and administrative barriers for health care professionals, including IEHPs, who wish to work in another jurisdiction in Canada
• Projects must also demonstrate that they:
  • have a maximum duration of 48 months
  • have a request for project funding between $500,000 and $10,000,000, and
  • have a national scope, meaning:
    • project activities are implemented in at least two provinces/territories
    • a pilot project that could be replicated/scaled up in other jurisdictions, and/or
      • if submitting a pilot project, further justification must be provided in your application as to how your project could be replicated/scaled up in another province/territory
    • a project from one province/territory that will be replicated/scaled up in another province/territory

Eligible activities

Eligible activities must include at least 1 of the following:

• Development, testing and implementation of credential recognition systems focusing on streamlining regulatory processes and/or harmonization of occupational requirements
  • For example, your project can include (but is not limited to) the following:
    • Enhancing prearrival supports, easier access to information, faster timelines, increased access to assessments (including clinical assessments or placements), simplified steps in the credential recognition process, and increased access to practice in the field (for example, alternative careers in the health field, provisional licenses)
• Employment supports (for example, wage subsidies, work placements, mentoring) to IEHPs to help them integrate into the Canadian labour market

Ineligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• The provision of financial assistance (for example, loans, direct supports) to individuals for purposes unrelated to the FCR process and/or employment supports
• Project activities unrelated to supporting the FCRP Contributions objectives are not eligible. Project activities must contribute to the labour market integration of IEHPs in their field or related field of study and/or expertise

Eligible costs

Eligible costs include, but are not limited to:

• Wages and mandatory employment related costs (for example MERCS)
• Costs of materials and supplies
• Participant costs (for example, targeted wage subsidies, minimal costs associated with IEHPs’ participation in pilot initiatives)
• Professional fees (for example, consultants, research, IT, technical expertise, facilitation and legal)
• Overhead costs, including costs related to central administrative functions of the recipient organization, that are drawn upon to support agreement activities (for example shared postage, telephones, information technology (IT) maintenance and head office support)
• Hospitality costs
• Printing and communication costs
• Travel costs (international travel must be specifically authorized), and
• Costs of the purchase of tools, equipment, computers, and furniture

Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to:

• costs associated with fundraising activities
• Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties
• parking tickets
• fines or penalties
• entertainment costs
• depreciation on fixed assets
• board membership fees
• capital costs for the construction of a building or the purchase of land or buildings
• purchase of motor vehicles
• legal fees and court awards for inappropriate dismissal or other inappropriate/illegal activity
• membership fees for private clubs (golf clubs, gyms, etc.), etc. unless part of existing (non-monetary) employment benefits package
• staff salary bonuses if not originally negotiated into agreement
• purchase of alcoholic beverages
• purchase of any illegal substances
• gifts or payments for recognition, and
• other costs ineligible as per program terms and conditions

How we assess your application

Organizational capacity

• Demonstrate that your organization has the knowledge of the specific issues in the health field required for this project
• Demonstrate that your organization has recent, relevant, and significant experience delivering initiatives that align with at least one of the three project areas

Note

• Recent: within the last 5 years
• Relevant: experience in delivering projects and support services to similar clientele of IEHPs
• Significant: experience for a minimum of 3 years delivering the same type of activities

Project areas

• Identify and clearly state which of the 3 mandatory project areas that your organization will focus on:
  • Reduce barriers to foreign credential recognition for IEHPs
  • Provide IEHPs with Canadian work experience, and
  • Facilitate labour mobility between jurisdictions in Canada for health care professionals, including IEHPs
• Describe what area(s) your project will address and how the objectives of your project will be achieved

Project activities

• Identify and clearly state which of the following mandatory project activities will be included in your project:
  • Development, testing and implementation of credential recognition systems focusing on streamlining regulatory processes and/or harmonization of occupational requirements. For example, your project can include (but is not limited to) the following:
    • enhancing prearrival supports, easier access to information, faster timelines, increased access to assessments (including clinical assessments or placements), simplified steps in the credential recognition process, and increased access to practice in the field (for example, alternative careers in the health field, provisional licenses)
  • Employment supports (for example, wage subsidies, work placements, mentoring) to IEHPs to help them integrate into the Canadian labour market
• Provide a clear and relevant description of the project activities
• Provide clear and feasible timelines to complete the project activities
• If applicable, describe how partner(s) will be involved in this project
• If applicable, describe how Provincial, Territorial, and/or Municipal Governments will be engaged

Project results

• Describe how IEHPs will benefit from the project
• Describe the expected results of your project. They must be specific, concrete and measurable. Results must include (at least 1 of) the following:
  • Barriers reduced for foreign credential recognition for IEHPs
  • IEHPs provided with Canadian work experience in their intended field of work
  • Labour mobility facilitated between jurisdictions in Canada for health care professionals, including IEHPs
• Describe how you plan to gather, measure and report on results achieved by your project

Project costs

• Demonstrate that the costs are reasonable and support the project activities

Note

• Applications received after the deadline, or those postmarked after the deadline will not be evaluated or considered
• ESDC may refuse applications that are incomplete or contain errors
• Should applications exceed the expected volume, ESDC may assess applications based on national priorities

Steps to apply

Step 1. Read the applicant guide

Step 2. Gather your supporting documents and information

Step 3. Decide how to apply

Step 1. Read the applicant guide

Read the applicant guide to complete your application form. This guide includes details for each question of the form.

Step 2. Gather your supporting documents

• Proof of organization’s type and status (document that confirms Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business or registration number or proof of provincial incorporation or registration)
• Signed attestation from the application
• Budget Detail Template
• Completed Application for Funding form (if you are not applying through the online application method that doesn’t require the PDF form)

Note: If you are unable to provide a supporting document with your application package, please provide a rationale as to why you cannot provide it.

Download files

Step 3. Decide how to apply

Please note that fax numbers will not be used for this call.

After you’ve applied

We will review your application and decide if you will receive funding. We expect to make funding decisions in Summer 2023.

ESDC will notify you, in writing of the outcome of the review of your application within 18 weeks of the closing date of this call.

Decisions are final and there is no appeal process.

Please note that not all applications submitted under this CFP will be approved. Funding is limited and is subject to budget considerations of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program and ESDC, and allocation of funds by Parliament.

Contact us

 If you have questions, please email us at NC-DGOP-POB-RTCE-FCR-GD@servicecanada.gc.ca before January 23, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

If you need any accessibility-related accommodations, please email us with the details. We strive to accommodate all of your needs in line with accessibility standards. We will accept accessibility requests until January 23, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Please note that fax numbers will not be used for this call.

Information sessions

 We will hold an information session on December 20, 2022 to provide an overview of this application process. You can participate online or by teleconference. If you are interested, send an email to NC-DGOP-POB-RTCE-FCR-GD@servicecanada.gc.ca. In your email, specify your preferred language (English or French). We will provide you with the instructions on how and when to attend. If you need special accommodations, let us know by December 13, 2022.

• December 20, 2022 at 11:00 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) (French)
• December 20, 2022 at 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) (English)

Glossary

Employment Supports

• A set of supports provided to skilled newcomers to help them integrate into the Canadian labour market such as:
  • Wage subsidies
  • Work placements
  • Mentoring

Internationally Educated Health Professional

• An Internationally Educated Health Professional (IEHP) is a skilled newcomer who has been educated, trained or worked in a role that supports the delivery of health care and health care supports outside of Canada.
  • This includes, but is not limited to, internationally educated audiology and speech language pathologists, dentists, medical laboratory technologists, medical radiation technologists, midwives, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, optometrists, paramedics, physiotherapists, psychologists, respiratory therapists and social workers.

Jurisdictions

• Province and/or Territory 

Milestones

• Significant events or points of progress during the project.

National Scope

• Implemented in at least two provinces/territories;
• A pilot project that could be replicated/scaled up in another province/territory; and/or,
• A project from another province/territory that will be replicated/scaled up in another province/territory

Outcomes

• The short-term and medium-term changes that you expect the project to deliver. You can link more than one outcome to an objective. Outcomes answer the questions, “How do we know the project is a success?” and “How do the activities address the workforce needs of Canadian workers and employers?

Outputs

• Direct products or services that you will produce to get the outcomes you want. They answer the question, “What will the project produce?”

Performance Indicators

• Measurable values that show the progress of the project towards its expected results.

Skilled newcomers

• Are permanent and temporary residents, Canadian citizens or persons granted refugee status in Canada, who are legally entitled to work in Canada; and
• Hold an internationally obtained post-secondary degree, diploma or certification

Wrap-around Supports

• A set of supports or services provided to an individual, particularly, though not exclusively from an equity-deserving group, that are necessary to remove barriers to their participation in the project. The types of supports or services provided depends on the individual’s level of need, as determined by the project proponent. Wrap-around supports may include but are not limited to:
  • Temporary childcare and/or dependent care costs
  • Temporary accommodation
  • Public transportation to and from project activities
  • Access to technology relevant to project participation