Foreign Qualifications Recognition

The BC government supports projects and initiatives that improve the recognition of the education, skills, knowledge, and experience that immigrants bring to the province. BC has been working to improve Foreign Qualifications Recognition so that you are able to transition into a career upon arrival in the province. BC has worked with various organizations to develop fair, accurate, and reliable qualifications assessment and recognition practices across Canada.

Foreign Qualifications Recognition (FQR) is the process of verifying that the education, knowledge, skills, and work experience obtained in another country is comparable to the standards established for Canadian workers.

Have your qualifications assessed

Whether your qualifications will be recognized in BC depends on where your qualifications are from and which occupation you would like to apply to work in.

Over 200 occupations in BC are currently regulated. This means that, in order to be employed in these occupations, you need to be certified and registered. Each regulated occupation has different standards for entry into practice. In each regulated occupation, a regulatory authority is responsible for establishing and upholding occupational standards, as well as for assessing the qualifications of internationally-trained applicants seeking certification and registration.

In non-regulated occupations, employers will decide on whether or not your qualifications will be recognized. Employers may require an assessment of your educational credentials and/or previous work experience.

The assessment process

In regulated occupations:

The first step is to contact the relevant regulatory authority to determine what they need from you, and to discuss expected costs, timelines, and other requirements.

Some things that may be required during the assessment processes are:

  • Complete an application form and provide necessary documentation.
    Required documents vary depending on the occupation; however, they often include educational transcripts, reliable references, employment history, resumé, and completed application form.

  • Have your educational credentials assessed.
    Some regulatory authorities will perform the assessment of educational credentials internally. Others use external organizations to do this.
    The International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) will assess your credentials (education) on a fee-for-service basis; however, an ICES assessment is not always required. Before paying to have your credentials assessed by ICES, contact the relevant regulatory authority to find out what they require.

  • Regulatory authorities may also assess other aspects of your qualifications, using some of the following approaches:

    • Verifying previous work experience by contacting work references
    • Practical assessment of job-related competencies
    • Oral interview with applicant to verify information and to determine job-related capabilities

  • As part of the assessment process, you will likely be required to:
    • Take exams
    • Pay fees
    • Provide additional documentation or clarify information upon request

    • The total cost for the assessment process varies, depending on the occupation and the regulatory authority’s requirements. You can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

    The length of time that the certification process takes also varies depending on the occupation—anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

    It is recommended that you contact the appropriate regulatory authority (PDF - 94KB) prior to arriving in BC, or as soon as possible after you have arrived, in order to determine the process and requirements for the occupation in which you would like to work.

    To assist you in determining which regulatory authority is responsible for your occupation open the following: www.tilma.ca/pdf/BCRegulatoryAuthorities.pdf

In non-regulated occupations:

Since employers decide whether your qualifications will match the requirements for a specific job, you should check with the employer that you are looking to work for to determine whether an independent assessment of your educational credentials or past work experience will be required. Employers will be able to give you information regarding the requirements for demonstrating that your qualifications will be accepted for a specific position in BC

Upgrading options

If a regulatory authority or employers require that you upgrade your qualifications in order to become certified and/or employer, there are a few options to consider if you require assistance:

  • Regulatory authorities often have links with specialized educational or “bridging” programs within educational institutions that will assist individuals with international qualifications.
  • Services to support language upgrading can be found on this website.
  • You can contact post-secondary institutions directly.
  • Check out the Skills Connect for Immigrants Program – an individualized employment bridging program providing assistance with the assessment and career planning process, skill upgrading, workplace language supports and workplace practice opportunities.
  • Contact the InfoCentre for Skilled Immigrants.
  • Contact your local settlement agency.

Prepare

You can do as much research as soon as possible to learn:

  • if your desired occupation is regulated, and, if so, you can learn about the occupational standards that you must meet in order to become certified
  • about any requirements necessary to become certified or employed
  • about the various employers that can be found within your desired occupation or sector

Once you have the information you need, you should gather the necessary documents to submit with your application. Please note that in some cases, original documents (e.g. educational transcripts) are required—it is usually easier to get these documents before you leave your country. In many cases, regulatory authorities and employers allow applicants to submit applications online before arriving in Canada.

If your research indicates that you may require some upgrading in order to have your qualifications recognized, you should look into opportunities to upgrade as early as possible. This includes ensuring that your English language abilities meet the standards required for certification and/or employment.

To find out more, you can contact the:

What is the BC Government doing to improve Foreign Qualifications Recognition?

Workplace-focused English language training

Strong English language skills are important in all areas of BC - even though some jobs may require fluency in other languages. Good English is your ticket to a better job.

The BC government has invested in a range of pilot projects aimed at helping new immigrants improve their language skills so that they can succeed in the workplace. Pilot projects include online English language training for the workplace, and workplace-focused language curriculum for specific sectors.

Working with BC regulatory bodies

In regulated professions, regulatory authorities play a key role in recognizing qualifications of internationally-trained professionals. The BC government has been working with BC regulatory bodies since 2006 to simplify and improve their processes for assessing and certifying internationally-trained applicants.

Helping employers

Employers also need support in order to develop and maintain workplaces that welcome and are receptive to diversity. The BC government has been working to support BCemployers since 2006 to develop effective recruitment initiatives, fair hiring practices, as well as innovative retention strategies.

Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications

In cooperation with other provinces, territories, and the federal government, British Columbia has recently announced a pan-Canadian framework to improve the recognition of qualifications for immigrants coming to the province to seek work in regulated occupations. The framework is designed to make Foreign Qualifications Recognition process faster, fairer, more transparent, and consistent across the country; getting you working much sooner.

This framework will result in a number of changes, including:

  • better information to help you prepare for qualifications assessments
  • more ways to begin the qualifications assessment process before you get here
  • faster and cost effective processes for assessment
  • opportunities for upgrading your qualifications
  • more support to individuals like yourself and employers