November 30, 2009

Feds announce quicker credential approvals for foreign-trained architects, engineers

Foreign-trained architects and engineers will know within one year whether their credentials allow them to work in their profession in Canada, according to a new federal-provincial initiative announced this morning in Toronto.

Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley, speaking in Toronto, says attracting and retaining the best international talent is critical to Canada's long-term economic success.

Finley says beginning Dec. 31, 2010, foreign-trained architects, engineers, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists and registered nurses will be among the groups that fall under the new framework.

Engineering technicians, doctors and others are slated to be included in the one-year timetable by the end of 2012.

The new framework also pledges that federal, provincial, and territorial governments will strive to create better services for immigrants before they arrive in Canada and once they're in the workforce.

Ottawa says the governments will work with regulatory bodies, colleges and universities, and other “key partners” to make the changes happen.

-Canadian Press

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