441-01525 (Employment and labour)

The Government of Canada recognizes that skilled newcomers, including internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs), are sometimes not able to contribute to their full potential. They can face significant challenges obtaining employment commensurate with their education, skills and experience, due to barriers such as lack of Canadian work experience, occupation-specific language proficiency, discrimination and bias from employers, and lack of awareness of existing employment supports and other social and professional resources. The foreign credential recognition process itself can also be a significant barrier for the successful labour market integration of skilled newcomers, as it is complex, lengthy, and costly and varies by occupation and jurisdiction. 

Credential recognition and licensure in regulated occupations (e.g., nurses, physicians) is a provincial and territorial responsibility that is typically further delegated to regulatory authorities through legislation. Each jurisdiction is responsible for establishing education, training and licensing standards in the interest of public health and safety. Credential recognition and licensure processes may differ by regulated occupation and by province or territory.

Significantly, on May 1, 2023, the Atlantic premiers announced the launch of the Atlantic Physician Register that allows for greater mobility of fully licensed physicians in Atlantic Canada. Previously, physicians had to submit a separate full application to each provincial college, including a registration fee, to obtain a license to practice in that province. This Registry could be expanded to allow other jurisdictions to join.

National organizations are also helping to harmonize and coordinate the credential recognition process amongst the provincial and territorial regulatory bodies to make it easier for internationally educated physicians and nurses to have their credentials recognized and become licensed to practice in Canada. For example, the Medical Council of Canada and the National Nursing Assessment Services are national bodies that play a role in facilitating the credential recognition process of internationally educated physicians and nurses respectively. 

The Government’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program supports the labour market integration of skilled newcomers by funding provinces and territories, regulatory authorities and organizations to: 

• improve foreign credential recognition processes by funding projects that will make the credential recognition system faster and more efficient;  
• provide loans and support services to help skilled newcomers navigate the FCR process; and 

• provide employment supports, such as training, work placements, wage subsidies, mentoring and coaching, to help skilled newcomers gain Canadian work experience in their field of study. 

For example, the Program supported the Medical Council of Canada to create the Physicians Apply portal (https://physiciansapply.ca/). The portal has streamlined the process for international medical graduates to apply for a license to practice medicine in Canada by offering a platform where international and Canadian medical students and physicians can complete and submit the application for medical registration with medical regulatory authorities, access all Medical Council of Canada examinations, use source verification services, and share their credentials and documents with registered partners. The Physicians Apply portal has so far reached over 83, 000 individuals who now have accounts and can access the full range of services. The portal has made it easier for nearly 1.9 million documents to be shared in support of credential recognition and licensure for international and Canadian medical graduates.

Budget 2022 announced an additional $115 million over five years, with $30 million ongoing, to expand the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, with an initial focus on supporting IEHPs integrate into the Canadian labour market. The most recent open call for proposals ran from December 5, 2022, to January 30, 2023. The call invited eligible organizations and provincial and territorial governments to submit proposals for projects that support the labour market integration of IEHPs. Projects must improve FCR processes, provide Canadian work experience that is relevant to the IEHPs’ intended healthcare field of work, and/or facilitate labour mobility between jurisdictions in Canada for health care professionals. The Program will invest approximately $90 million through this call with projects starting as early as late summer 2023.