Immigration Canada: News Release – New website promotes innovations in the assessment and recognition of international qualifications

Ottawa, January 16, 2012 – Citizenship and Immigration Canada has launched a website promoting innovations in the assessment and recognition of foreign worker qualifications.

The International Qualification Network (IQN) website serves as a virtual space for employers, regulatory bodies, governments and organizations serving immigrants to capitalize on promising qualification assessment and recognition practices.

“The Government of Canada is committed to improving the process of recognizing foreign worker qualifications, and the IQN website will help find solutions that will allow immigrants to integrate better into the Canadian labour market,” said Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Through the IQN website, stakeholders can share effective evaluation tools and practices, studies, pilot projects, reports and videos and post information on events, such as workshops and conferences.

The website was created with the guidance of the IQN Advisory Council, a group of 20 partners and stakeholders who represent various provinces, employers and post-secondary education institutions from across Canada.

The information posted on the IQN will benefit everyone in all jurisdictions across Canada. Examples of innovative foreign qualifications practices include:

The Registered Nurses Professional Development Centre in Nova Scotia posted a profile of its program to assist internationally educated health-care professionals in getting their credentials recognized and integrating into the province’s labour market. The profile serves as a model for other nursing associations in other provinces to design their own program.
The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Project (MMBP) posted an outline of its eight-month bridging program for internationally educated midwives who want to practice in British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. The outline provides valuable information to foreign midwives and organizations assisting immigrants.

With the creation of the IQN website, the Government of Canada is delivering on a two-year commitment to support provincial, territorial and stakeholder efforts to improve international credential recognition through the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

The IQN website is administered by the Foreign Credentials Referral Office, a branch of Citizenship and Immigration Canada that offers referral services in Canada and overseas to immigrants, and develops tools for employers and regulatory bodies so they can help immigrants integrate into the Canadian workforce.

Visit the website at http://www.credentials-competences.gc.ca.

Photo of Minister Kenney available at:www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Candice Malcolm
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca