A new bill in Alberta called the Fair Registration Practices Act aims to reduce the amount of time and bureaucracy involved in getting foreign credentials recognized.
If passed, it will require Canadian regulatory bodies performing assessments to do so within a specified time frame, in an effort to reduce the number of newcomers working in jobs that don’t match their skill sets.
There are certain professions, however, such as the legal profession, in which the process for becoming accredited in Canada depends on job training within timeframes that might vary depending on the circumstances.
In the law profession, assessments are first made nationally, obtaining the equivalent of a Canadian common law degree. Anyone with this credential in Alberta must then obtain an articling position and go through the bar admission program, making it difficult to predict how the bill will affect the legal profession.