Foreign Credential Recognition

• Foreign Credential Recognition (PDF version, '94' KB)

Measures for Employers

New in Canada’s Economic Action Plan

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada is investing $50 million over the next two years to develop a framework to speed up the assessment and recognition of foreign credentials. The Government will work with provinces and territories to develop a common framework.

About foreign credential recognition

With the support of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) and the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), real progress is being made in addressing barriers to foreign credential recognition in Canada. The FCRP helps integrate internationally trained workers into the work force by working with key stakeholders to speed up the assessment and recognition of newcomers’ credentials. The FCRO helps internationally trained professionals access the information they need to have their credentials assessed as quickly as possible.

How it works

The framework on foreign credential recognition will help ensure foreign credentials are recognized faster and in a more consistent way. It will also help newcomers integrate into the labour market more successfully.

The framework will establish:

• principles that the federal, provincial, and territorial governments agree will guide the recognition of foreign credentials;
• standards for the timely treatment of people looking to have their credentials recognized;
• occupations that will be the first priority for coordinated action to achieve standards for timeliness; and
• a consistent approach that will see applications for licensing and credential assessment processes increasingly begin overseas.

Who is eligible

Professional organizations and industry groups that are responsible for regulating foreign credential recognition (for example, professional engineering associations) and provincial governments can apply for funding to support projects that will improve Canada’s processes and systems for recognizing foreign credentials. Projects will aim to address the barriers to working in Canada that workers trained abroad face, with the goal of ensuring that assessment processes are fair, accessible, coherent across jurisdictions, transparent, and rigorous.

How to find out more

For more information about foreign credential recognition, please visit the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Web site at www.hrsdc.gc.ca. Internet services for internationally trained immigrants are available on the FCRO Web site at www.credentials.gc.ca.

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