TORONTO – Stephen Harper announced that a re-elected Conservative government will make it faster, fairer and more affordable for new Canadians and Canadians trained abroad to get their foreign credentials recognized in Canada, which was largely a non-announcement given that it was a rehash of what already exists.
“Canada is fortunate to attract hard-working immigrants from around the world who are eager to earn a better life for their families and contribute to Canadian society”, said Harper, “but financial impediments can make it difficult for these new Canadians to get their foreign credentials recognized, preventing them from filling in-demand jobs.”
The Conservative government has introduced a number of measures to improve the foreign credential recognition process, including establishing the Foreign Credential Recognition Loans program, which helps new Canadians who do not have sufficient credit history in Canada to obtain financial support to complete the credentialing process.
Harper announced that a re-elected Conservative government would more than double the Foreign Credential Recognition Loans program to provide 20,000 new loans to internationally-trained professionals over the next five years. He also announced that a re-elected Conservative government would work with the provinces and territories to accelerate accreditation decisions – from one year to 60 days – for high-demand occupations.
“Our government has done more to improve the foreign credential recognition process than any previous federal government in Canadian history”, said Harper. “We will continue to prioritize this important issue to help ensure that all hardworking Canadians have the opportunity to pursue meaningful work in their field of training.”
