British Columbia streamlining credential recognition for internationally trained professionals

On November 8, 2023, the B.C. government passed Bill 38, the 2023 International Credentials Recognition Act (the Act). According to a B.C. government news release, the Act is aimed at addressing delays in accreditation by streamlining the international credential recognition process, thereby reducing barriers for internationally trained professionals in B.C. The new legislation is designed to help internationally trained applicants carve a path to working in their chosen careers with a view to filling the province’s crucial skilled labour shortages.

The Act outlines new responsibilities for professional regulatory authorities to ensure the credential recognition process is fair, efficient, and transparent. The Act requires 18 regulatory bodies to remove barriers in 29 professions, including veterinarians, lawyers, early childhood educators, registered clinical social workers, paramedics, architects, teachers, and chartered professional accountants. The government hopes that these decreased barriers will simplify the accreditation of internationally trained applicants who have substantially equivalent knowledge, skills, ability, and judgment, as that required of professionals trained in Canada.

The key provisions of the Act are as follows:

• Recognizing international work experience and eliminating Canadian work experience requirements.
• Prohibiting the need for applicants to provide new English language test results if they have already submitted valid results.
• Charging similar fees to international and domestic applicants.
• Applicants obtaining the information they need to get professional certification quickly and without unnecessary delays. To aid in this endeavour, the province will set maximum processing timelines for regulators.
• Regulators will be required to publish all information about their credential assessment processes online, making it easier for applicants to understand the process for certification.

To ensure compliance with the Act, the B.C. government will appoint a superintendent responsible for promoting fair credential recognition, monitoring regulatory authority performance, and enforcing compliance with the Act. The superintendent will work closely with regulatory bodies to transition them to their new responsibilities under the Act.

The Act, scheduled to come into effect in the summer of 2024, is a crucial step towards making it easier and quicker for qualified professionals to seek credential recognition, regardless of where they were trained. The introduction of a streamlined accreditation process is being heralded as a significant milestone in making the province more welcoming to internationally educated professionals. Employers of individuals in these regulated professions should prepare for guidance from regulatory bodies, and should be prepared to review and reform their hiring processes if necessary to comply with the Act.