CIMM – Foreign Credential Recognition – October 24, 2023

Key Facts and Figures

Statistics Canada has released recent data indicating that in 2022, recent immigrants experienced higher unemployment rates (64% higher) than those born in Canadam (8.2% versus 5% respectively). The underutilization of immigrants’ skills persists: the 2021 Census notes that over one-quarter (25.8%) of all immigrants with foreign degrees were working in jobs that require, at most, a high school diploma, twice the over-qualification rate as for Canadian-born or Canadian-educated degree holders (10.6%).
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plays a supporting role in the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) process. We work collaboratively with partners – the provinces and territories, and federal partners such as Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Health Canada – who have the lead roles in reducing barriers towards credentialing for newcomers, specifically those in the health care professions.
Recent investments within the federal family provide opportunities for immigration levers to support FCR actions being taken, or introduce new ways to strengthen the FCR and selection nexus. For example, Budget 2022 provided $115M over five years, with $30M ongoing, to expand ESDC’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program, with a focus on supporting the labour market integration of internationally educated healthcare professionals.

Our government recognizes FCR processes can pose a barrier that can delay or prevent newcomers from participating to their full potential in the Canadian labour market. My Department works to reduce these barriers and make collective advancements with our federal, provincial and territorial partners.
The Department continues to advance key changes to immigration programs that will support the recruitment of immigrants and temporary workers into health occupations. We also fund settlement services that help connect newcomers to federal or provincial and territorial services that will support their awareness of and success in the credentialing process with the ultimate goal of integration into the labour market and life in Canada.
This government’s 2022 Fall Economic Statement committed $19M over two years to the Department to bolster these important settlement supports for newcomers – particularly related to healthcare human resources – including through select pre-arrival, information and orientation services, and in-Canada language training.

If pressed on national or federal FCR strategy:

Foreign credential recognition and licensure for regulated occupations is a provincial and territorial responsibility. Provincial and territorial governments and their regulators must come together to decide on acceptable national credentialing processes, standards or legislation for regulated professions.
Should the provinces and territories choose to proceed with a national strategy, in support of federal leads, IRCC is committed to communicating any potential new national credentialing requirement to newcomers to Canada.
If there are new national standards, the Department will strive to consider how national standards could be incorporated in our immigration programming to help streamline and reduce duplication between these processes.

If pressed on internationally trained healthcare workers:

Internationally educated healthcare professionals are essential to addressing current labour shortages across our healthcare system.
To help address these shortages, the Government of Canada is investing in projects through IRCC partner departments, Health Canada and ESDC. This investment is meant to give internationally educated health professionals the support needed to pursue opportunities in the areas where we need their skills most.
IRCC continues to build upon the existing Settlement Program supports, meant to welcome all newcomers, by funding services that direct internationally trained healthcare workers to the appropriate supports in their community of choice, as well as delivering other settlement supports, such as language training, to foster their integration in Canada.