British Columbia Aims to Accelerate Immigration Process for Skilled Professionals

On the 23rd of October 2023, Premier David Eby and Workforce Development Minister Andrew Mercier formally introduced Bill 38. This legislative proposal aims to facilitate the expeditious and uncomplicated integration of newcomers into the labour force of British Columbia, enabling them to leverage their skills for the benefit of the province.

The objective of Bill 38, known as the International Credentials Recognition Act, is twofold: to attract highly skilled individuals from across the globe to British Columbia and concurrently bolster the province's economic prowess.

The "General Responsibilities" delineated within the bill encompass the establishment and execution of an international credential assessment procedure characterized by equitability, expediency, and clarity.

If this bill is enacted, it will mandate regulatory authorities to eliminate obstacles within 29 professional fields, thereby simplifying and expediting the process for duly qualified professionals to pursue the recognition of their credentials, irrespective of the origin of their training.

The 29 occupations encompass legal practitioners, engineers, social service professionals, paramedical personnel, and professionals in early childhood education.

The proposed legislation also seeks to eliminate the requirement for redundant language testing. In cases where an applicant has already provided valid language testing results as part of their application, regulatory bodies will be prohibited from compelling the submission of new language testing results.

Moreover, the proposed measures encompass the establishment of limits on the maximum processing durations and an assurance of timely decisions on applications. To be more precise, with respect to international credential assessments, a commitment is made to communicate determinations to the applicant within a 14-day timeframe. Additionally, the legislation mandates the accessibility of credential assessment information through online channels.

According to Eby, there exist numerous inequitable procedures that compel recent arrivals to British Columbia to navigate exceedingly intricate, conflicting, perplexing, financially burdensome, repetitive protocols that prove exasperating and, ultimately, induce individuals to abandon their pursuit and engage in occupations for which they lack the requisite training."

Frequently, artificial impediments to entry within their respective professions hinder recent immigrants from promptly making substantial contributions to the comprehensive development of our province," stated Eby in his mandate correspondence to Mercier in December 2022.

Since assuming the office of Premier in November 2022, Eby has pledged to enhance and expedite the employment process for immigrants possessing foreign qualifications.

Should Bill 38 be enacted, it will be implemented in the summer of 2024, at which point a new superintendent shall be duly appointed, tasked with the responsibility of promoting equitable recognition of credentials.