The Canadian government has announced plans to outsource foreign credential assessment, according to a recent speech by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
For years the Conservative government has sought ways of improving the process of foreign credential assessment so that immigrants’ education and experience are not wasted in low-skilled work.
Now that the Conservatives finally have a majority government, they have more freedom to implement new immigration policies and have sent out a demand for proposals from third-party organizations interested in working on the credential assessments.
“Our visa offices simply don’t have the time or expertise to do a qualitative assessment of every single applicant,” said Minister Kenney. “This is an opportunity for specialized assessment of their credentials and their education by going to the experts….Unlike immigration officers, they know what the standards are to be licensed as an engineer or as a physician in Canada.”
Additionally, immigration officials are aiming to have credential assessment be done before application approval so that new arrivals can get to work in their specialty field right away – though pre-assessment will not mean guaranteed employment or licenses.
Critics, such as the NDP’s Don Davies, remain skeptical that the move will result in any substantial change. However, Davies does say the move is a step in the right direction.
Source: National Post