Backgrounder - Foreign Credentials Referral Office

The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) is a new federal office that will be located within Citizenship and Immigration Canada to help internationally trained individuals find the information and access the services they need to put their skills to work quickly in Canada.

The Office will work closely with partners across jurisdictions to help ensure that the skills, training and credentials of newcomers and Canadians educated abroad are recognized in Canada. It will provide a clear path, and a one-stop shop for information and referral services to individuals both overseas and in Canada.  Essentially, it will offer comprehensive and authoritative information on the Canadian labour market and processes for credential assessment and recognition in Canada. This will help internationally trained individuals find employment commensurate with their skills and experience more quickly.

Canada’s New Government’s commitment to this issue was reaffirmed in Budget 2007 and Advantage Canada, the Government’s strategic, long-term economic plan designed to improve Canada’s economic prosperity.

On-Line

A key component of the FCRO will be a new website (www.credentials.gc.ca), featuring a new search engine called “Working in Canada”. This tool will help individuals identify occupations in Canada for which they may be qualified, as well as the regulatory body appropriate for their needs. The tool will also provide individuals with detailed labour market information, based on where they live (or plan to live). It is the first of its kind in Canada to be offered on a national scale and will be available both in Canada and overseas, through the FCRO website and the Going to Canada Immigration Portal (www.goingtocanada.gc.ca).

Dedicated phone line

Service Canada will provide information, client referral and pathfinding assistance to immigrants in Canada via a dedicated phone service (1-888-854-1805).

In-person service

At launch, in-person service will be available to clients at a Service Canada Centre in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax and Winnipeg. By fall 2007, as the initiative unfolds, this service will be available at more than 320 Service Canada Centres throughout the rest of Canada. Service Canada will support the FCRO initiative as part of its commitment to provide one-stop, easy access to a growing range of programs and services.

Overseas

Canada’s New Government currently provides prospective immigrants with basic information on settling in Canada, both online and in-person, at select locations abroad. These services will be improved to provide comprehensive and authoritative information about the Canadian labour market and processes for credential assessment and recognition in Canada. By providing prospective immigrants with improved information, path-finding and referral services, they will be able to make informed decisions early in the immigration process. In addition to the information available through the Going to Canada Immigration Portal and the new FCRO website, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is also looking at ways to enhance and expand the Canadian labour market information it makes available overseas, including its print resources, as well as in-person orientation sessions.

Canada’s New Government is also supporting the Association of Community Colleges of Canada, to deliver overseas pilot projects in India, China, and the Philippines, three major immigrant source countries. The Canadian Immigration Integration Project pilot offices are funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program and operated in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This project provides in-person orientation sessions, including up to date labour market information, to prospective immigrants. This will help them prepare for the Canadian labour market, particularly with respect to having their credentials assessed and recognized. The results of these three pilot projects will help determine future steps around overseas activities.

Funding breakdown

The $32.2 million for the first five years of operation of the FCRO includes the $18 million announced in Budget 2006. From the $32.2 million, $18.5 million will be for Service Canada to deliver dedicated 1-888 telephone and in-person services throughout Canada. By fall 2007, all Service Canada centres will offer in-person client services.

The remaining $13.7 million will be invested over five years for the operations of the FCRO including working with partners to improve the effectiveness of foreign credential recognition processes in Canada and overseas.