DIVERSEcity CEO Neelam Sahota attended a roundtable on June 12, 2024, hosted by Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials Ravi Parmar on the new International Credentials Recognition Act.
As explained in a Government of BC press release, Parliamentary Secretary Parmar said, “For too long, skilled professionals from around the world have come to our province hoping for a better life, only to find roadblocks in their way. But now, with these regulations, we’re changing that. It means simpler, fairer rules so these professionals can start working in their fields faster, providing the services our communities need.”
The act, which comes into effect on July 1, 2024, will require regulatory bodies to reduce red tape and remove barriers in 29 professions — such as engineers, social workers, veterinarians, paramedics, early childhood educators, teachers, biologists, land surveyors, architects and more — and make it easier, more transparent and quicker for those qualified professionals to pursue and achieve credential recognition, no matter where they were trained.
Neelam was also quoted in the release: “It is time to do a re-set of how we envision an inclusive and prosperous economy that benefits everyone. The International Credentials Recognition Act is an important milestone for our province as it seeks to further eliminate barriers in various past models through thoughtful consultations and provides a renewed optimism that when we work collectively together, we can indeed forge a path forward for the betterment of all British Columbians.”
Regulations under the act will also remove unnecessary Canadian work experience requirements — a huge step forward for internationally trained professionals who have been caught in the catch-22 of having no Canadian experience.
At DIVERSEcity, we’re ready to work together with the government and community partners to support internationally trained professionals as they build successful lives in BC.
Learn more about international credential recognition here.