B.C. aims to attract more skilled workers with laws to fast-track professional immigrants

Premier David Eby and Workforce Development Minister Andrew Mercierintroduced a new bill Monday that aims to deliver on a promise ensuringnew arrivals to British Columbia can put their training and abilities to work as quickly as possible.

If passed, Bill 38, theInternational Credentials Recognition Act, will remove barriers such as redundant language testing and requirements for work experience in Canada for 29 professions, including engineers, lawyers, teachersand social workers.

"We have many unfair processes that force new arrivals toBritish Columbia to go through incredibly complex, contradictory,hard-to-understand, expensive, repetitive processes that arefrustrating and ultimately cause people to give up and work in afield that they're not trained in,'' said Eby, who announced the bill at a news conference Monday morning.

The promiseto further allow and vastly speed up the employment of immigrants with foreign training has been a priority for Eby since he became premier in November 2022.

'Navigating through a maze'

"Too often, artificial barriers to working in their fields limit new immigrants fromcontributing right away to help build our province to the full extent of their abilities," Eby wrote in his mandate letter to MercierlastDecember.

The goal of the legislation is to attract more skilled workers to B.C. from around the world while also bolstering the province's economy. The professions listed in the billare represented by 18 regulatory authorities.

The legislation will remove redundant language testing, set caps for maximum processing times, and require credential-assessment information to be available online.

David Lee, the director of employment, language, and social enterprise at MOSAIC, which helps immigrants and refugees settle in Canada, told CBC News that he was hopeful aboutthe new legislation.

He said his organization often seesinternationally trained skilled workers forced to return to their home countries due to struggles getting their foreign credentials recognized in Canada.

WATCH | Organizations helping immigrants settle in B.C. describe bureaucratic obstacles:

The struggle to recognize international credentials hurts employers and employees, advocate says

12 months ago

Duration 2:06

David Lee of MOSAIC, a Vancouver non-profit that helps newcomers to Canada, tells BC Today host Michelle Eliot that some internationally-trained skilled workers are forced to return to their home countries due to struggles getting their foreign credentials recognized in Canada.

Alice Wong, a social worker who trained in Hong Kong,toldthe news conference thatit was only through perseverance that she was able to find work in her field in B.C.

"Like navigating through a maze," is how she described her journey to employment in the province.

She began the process ofgetting registered with the B.C. College of Social Workers last August. She completed that process and moved to Vancouver this August, and had her first day on the job Tuesday.

"My story is not unique there are many other internationally trained social workerswho face similar obstacles," she said."I felt very alone in my journey."

Current wait times unclear:minister

Mercier said work with the regulatory authorities in devising the bill revealed there is little data to show how long it currently takes for a professional not trained in Canada to gain employment here, or how far along the process people go before they giveup.

A report from Mercier's officemade public earlier this monthlooked at five regulatory bodies and what process they had for recognizing applicants originating from abroad.

One of them, the Engineer and Geoscientists of B.C., said it took up to six months to review applications.

The new provincial act will require regulators to record data over the time between becoming accredited and becoming employed.

"So, we will know exactly where the lag times are," said Mercier.

If passed, a new superintendent responsible for promoting fair credential recognition will be appointed. Theact will come into force in summer 2024.

Eby saidnewcomers must account for at least one third of morethan one million jobs expected to open over the next decade if thosepositions are to be filled.

Shortly after taking office, Eby announced expanded measures that would bring more doctors to the province under a program that allows internationally educated family physicians to become licensed to work in B.C.

The Practice Ready Assessment programwilltriple from 32 seats to 96 seats by March 2024.