Manitoba upgrading foreign credential recognition for a fair assessment
Manitoba is improving the credential recognition process to make sure that foreign credentials are properly assessed for internationally-trained applicants.
Recently legislative changes made by the Manitoba government show their efforts to reduce the foreign credential processing times.
The Economic Development and Training Minister of Manitoba, Ralph Eichler announced this process on November 2, 2020.
In a media release,
“Our goal is to remove barriers so qualified, internationally educated applicants can practice their profession in Manitoba sooner and are treated fairly when they apply for a license to practice.”
Eichler said
The minister further said that many new immigrants to Manitoba have high education levels and in-demand skills and work experience, and they want to support them to keep their skills updated, so they can re-join their professions as soon as they come to Manitoba and contribute to economic growth.
These latest modifications announced in the media release are concerned with the Regulated Professions Act’s Fair Registration Practices. The purpose was to ensure that there were application and registration processes in place for regulated professions for candidates who had studied abroad and been willing to be a part of Manitoba’s workforce. This act was created to make sure that the application and registration processes were just, fair, transparent, and unbiased. There are 30 regulated professions in Manitoba; some of these are:
- Pharmacists
- Registered Nurses
- Practical Nurses
- The Manitoba Dental Association
- Physicians and Surgeons
- Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association
- Chartered Professional Accountants Manitoba
- Manitoba College of Social Workers
The proposed changes aim to overcome barriers and expedite the process of successful registration of internationally trained candidates to regulated professions. Moreover, they will be required to meet a 2019 election commitment, that is, regulating the registration practices for regulated professions to maintain consistency with the domestic trade agreements.
These new amendments would expedite the processing times of registration processes for regulated professions. These changes would also create a duty for regulators to make sure that requirements and assessments for registration are fulfilled to practice the profession.
Furthermore, these professions would have to take certain initiatives to work with post-secondary institutions and employers to close any gaps that the internationally-educated candidates might be facing to meet the requirements for registration.
The Minister would further ask the authorities to apply compliance; that is, similar fairness legislation will be implemented in Manitoba as in other Canadian provinces, including Nova Scotia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
The authority will also take necessary measures to alleviate disobedience of domestic trade agreements by ensuring that regulated professions adhere to the following:
- New West Partnership
- The Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
These new amendments would rationalize the act’s administration. Furthermore, the province would appoint a director for the act, who would be responsible for simplifying the reporting structure of the act. Also, additional staff would be appointed to take care of the administration of the act.
Most importantly, these new changes would require regulatory bodies to inform the director before implementing any changes in the fair registration practices for the assessment and registration. This would help them to gauge the impact of the changes on applicants, so they can ensure that none of the changes are negatively affecting the candidates.
In the media release,
“Regulated professions are responsible for protecting the public interest by ensuring a high standard of professional practice, and our government is working with Manitoba’s 30 regulated professions as the updated act would require them to take steps to improve their assessment and registration process.”
Eichler said
He also showed some statistics that between 2015 and 2017, only 16 percent of internationally-trained applicants were registered in Manitoba, while they were making 41 percent of the total number of applications for that period.
The Minister said that through this act, they aim to make immigration pathways easier for the newcomers willing to build their careers in Manitoba. They target to attract skilled foreign workers with relevant skills and experience to arrive in Manitoba and fill the workforce gaps through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
