Immigration Canada says the change is part of an effort to address the problem of immigrants who come to Canada, but cannot find work in their chosen field. The department stresses, though, that this early assessment won’t mean assured employment, nor will it guarantee that an immigrant will be allowed to practice in a regulated occupation, such as medicine.
OTTAWA – Jason Kenney, dubbed the Minister of Deportation for his active and aggressive stance against immigrants, is now proposing a major change to how foreign skilled workers’ education credentials are assessed.
The proposed new requirement would mean that applicants wanting to immigrate as Federal Skilled Workers would have their foreign education credentials assessed and verified by designated organizations before they arrive in Canada.
“By having their foreign education credentials assessed before their arrival to Canada, foreign skilled workers will have a better sense of how their credentials fit into the Canadian labour market and will be able to contribute their full skill set to the economy more quickly. This proposal is part of a broader package of transformational changes that will make Canada’s immigration policies work better for the Canadian economy,” Kenney said in a news release.
A pre-arrival assessment would let applicants know how their education credentials compare to Canadian credentials and it will give immigrants a sense of how Canadian employers are likely to value their education. This will also screen out people without proper education levels and is an important step in helping to address the problem of immigrants arriving and not being able to work in their field.
The assessment of international educational credentials would not mean that Federal Skilled Workers would automatically find employment in Canada commensurate with their skills nor would it guarantee that they would become licensed to practice in a regulated occupation. Applicants who intend to work in a regulated profession would likely need to have their qualifications assessed in greater depth for purposes of licensure by a regulatory body specific to their profession and intended province of work.
The question of how to assess foreign schooling and training has long been a contentious issue in immigration policy.
Immigration Canada says the change is part of an effort to address the problem of immigrants who come to Canada, but cannot find work in their chosen field.
The department stresses, though, that this early assessment won’t mean assured employment, nor will it guarantee that an immigrant will be allowed to practice in a regulated occupation, such as medicine.
