Foreign Credentials To Be Recognized In An Effort To Relieve Labour Shortage

A new law coming to effect on July 1, 2024, will remove barriers to recognizing foreign credentials to relieve B.C.'s labour shortage. The International Credentials Recognition Act will require 18 professional bodies to remove barriers to 29 professions, allowing credentials of foreign educated workers to be recognized. The new regulations will also require regulatory bodies to collect data on foreign trained workers.

The new act, which initially passed legislature in 2023, required revision before implementation; including the removal of work experience and language requirements, which parliamentary secretary for international credentials Ravi Parmar described as being "discriminatory" and a "big stop sign" to many foreign workers hoping to be employed in B.C. Parmar said these changes will create fairer, simpler rules for foreign-educated individuals looking to work in B.C.