The Quebec government has introduced legislation aimed at making it easier for professionals trained abroad to work in their chosen fields after they immigrate to the province.
Lise Thériault, Quebec's minister of immigration and cultural communities, says she hears tales of those abandoned careers wherever she goes. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)
INDEPTH: Immigration
The government of Premier Jean Charest introduced a bill on Wednesday that would create new work permits that recognize abilities and diplomas earned in other countries.
The bill would create three types of permits:
FROM MARCH 28, 2006: Quebec study: Most newcomers find work in their field
A one-year restricted permit. A permanent restricted permit. A permit for immigrants who have already received a permit from a Canadian professional order outside of Quebec.
The restricted permits would allow professionals to do some professional work while they complete any training required to obtain their full accreditation.
The professional organizations would be responsible for determining what conditions and restrictions to put in place to assure competence from foreign-trained members.
The legislation is meant to reduce the amount of time that the province's 45 professional organizations take to recognize foreign credentials.
The waiting tends to be so prolonged that only a small percentage of immigrant professionals continue in their chosen fields after arriving. Most abandon their careers.
Quebec's minister of immigration and cultural communities, Lise Thériault, said she hears tales of those abandoned careers wherever she goes.
"Everybody knows an engineer or a doctor who drives a taxicab," she said. "It's not logical."
The provincial justice minister, Yvon Marcoux, said the bill would give professional orders more flexibility to recognize the equivalence of diplomas earned abroad. "It will certainly help facilitate access, mainly in the health sector – doctors, nurses, audiologists," he said.
The bill has yet to be voted on. When it comes into effect, the province intends to keep the French language requirement for professionals who wish to practise in Quebec.