Recognizing international credentials makes sense

The International Credentials Recognition Act comes into effect July 1, requiring regulatory bodies to reduce red tape in 29 professions and make it easier for qualified professionals to have credentials recognized, no matter where they were trained.

A major change is eliminating the catch-22 that required someone to have work experience in Canada even though they couldn’t work in Canada because of the lack of Canadian work experience.

The professions include engineers, social workers, veterinarians, paramedics, early childhood educators, teachers, biologists, land surveyors, architects and more.

“The Chamber continues to call for changes to credentials to allow more trained professionals to do the work they have been trained to do,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We need a skilled labour force and these changes make sense.”