Canada Recognizes Licenses and University Degrees of Immigrants

2008POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 15-08CANADA RECOGNIZES LICENSES AND UNIVERSITY DEGREES OF IMMIGRANTSRecognition of licenses and university degrees among its immigrants is gaining wide interest in Canada. Observers noted that many immigrants with university degrees remain chronically unemployed because many Canadian professions are regulated. The governments of Ontario and Manitoba have recently introduced Fairness Commissioners to ensure that newcomer's credential are properly assessed. Similarly, the province of Nova Scotia is introducing a Fair Access legislation that will, among others, make information about registered professions accessible to Canadian embassies overseas. This legislation will enable prospective immigrants abroad to prepare the paperwork necessary for accreditation before coming to Canada.With Canada's proposed immigration policy to attract and admit more skilled workers to address the perceived labor shortage, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada established a Foreign Credentials Referral Office. Last year the Federal Credential Recognition Program was given a budget of more than $7.7 million for its programs.The "Embassy," Canada's news weekly on foreign policy, has cited findings in the 2006 Census of Statistics Canada that immigrants with a university...