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Ottawa, November 8, 2012 — The Government of Canada needs the cooperation of regulators to help trained newcomers find meaningful work in Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said today.
“Our Government’s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity,”
said Minister Kenney, speaking to the Canadian Network of National Associations of Regulators Conference. “Attracting and retaining the best international talent to fill skills shortages in key occupations is critical to Canada’s economic success. Our regulatory partners are vital to ensuring newcomers can start working in their fields faster.”
The Government of Canada has worked with provincial and territorial governments, and the regulatory community to improve foreign credential recognition. In 2010, service standards were established allowing internationally trained professionals in eight priority occupations to have their qualifications assessed within one year, anywhere in Canada. The Government of Canada is currently improving foreign qualification recognition for six more target occupations.
Earlier this year, Minister Kenney and the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, launched a three-year pilot project that will develop and test innovative projects to provide financial assistance, commonly known as micro-loans, to internationally trained professionals.
This past spring, Minister Kenney announced a proposed new requirement whereby applicants wanting to immigrate as Federal Skilled Workers will have their foreign education credentials assessed and verified by designated organizations before they arrive in Canada. This is an important step to address the problem of immigrants arriving and not being able to work in their field.
“Our improvements will help immigrants position themselves to succeed in our economy,”
said Minister Kenney. “We will continue to work with regulators to improve the process for assessing and recognizing newcomers’ qualifications for licensure in their professions soon after they arrive in Canada. Working together, we can speed up the integration of newcomers into the Canadian labour market.”
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For further information (media only), please contact:
Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.
