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A Position Paper from Capacity BC June 22, 2006

Capacity BC Is Launching Its Position Paper: “In BC’s Economic Interest! The Economic Benefit of Recognizing Credentials and Full Integration of Internationally Trained Professionals in BC”.

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A Position Paper from Capacity BC June 22, 2006

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  1. Capacity BC Is Launching Its Position Paper:“In BC’s Economic Interest!The Economic Benefit of Recognizing Credentials and Full Integration of Internationally Trained Professionals in BC”

  2. In BC’s Economic Interest!The Economic Benefit of Recognizing Credentials and Full Integration of Internationally Trained Professionals in BC A Position Paper from Capacity BC June 22, 2006

  3. Position Paper Table of Contents • 1. Executive Summary • 2. Commitment to Valuing Foreign Experience and Education • 3. British Columbia Requires Immigrants to Compensate for Demographic Changes • 4. British Columbia Requires Immigrants Competitiveness in a Knowledge Based Economy • 5. The Declining Position of Immigrants Within the Canadian Economy • 6. Professional Immigrants Pay a Penalty When They Move to Canada • 7. BC Faces a Human Resources Deficit Because Governments Have Failed to Help Immigrants Realize Their Full Potential • 8. Conclusion

  4. Presentation Outline • 1. What are the key issues? • 2. What are the BC government’s positions and needs? • 3. What are the ITP’s concerns and needs? • 4. What is our common interest? BC’s economic interest! • 5. Economic consequences versus economic benefits, which one BC wants? • 6. Let’s collaborate to build join-gain solutions: our five recommendations. • 7. Our conclusion.

  5. 1. What are the key issues? • The non-recognition of foreign credentials and work experience. • The progress in solving the credentials non-recognition issue by the provincial government,regulatory bodies and industry is slow. • Federal and provincial governments policies on immigrants employment are in a state of crisis resulting in the lack of full integration of internationally trained professionals into the BC workforce.

  6. 2. What are the BC government’s positions and needs • 2.1. BC government’s Human Resource Strategy recognized a current and growing shortage of skilled workers, and argued that much work needs to be done by relevant players in order to integrate ITP into the workforce. • 2.2. Though the government started to commit to this process, it is slow and has only just started to allocate a limited budget in implementing the policies and initiatives required for the integration of ITP.

  7. 2. What are the BC government’s positions and needs 2.3. BC requires immigrants for compensating aging population: 1) immigration already accounts for 70% all labour market growth; 2) this will increase to 100% by 2010; 3) about 1/3 of the provincial labour force came from immigration. Without immigration, our economy can hardly sustain.

  8. 2. What are the BC government’s positions and needs 2.4. BC requires immigrants of highly-educated and skilled professionals to build and advance BC’s economic competitiveness through innovation: 1) until 2000, BC labour productivity growth was among the lowest of the provinces. 2) immigrants are more highly educated than native-born Canadians; they are among the best and the brightest. 3) in 2001, 16% of the labour force required a university degree, while more than 80% of skilled immigrants had a degree.

  9. 3. What are the ITP’s concerns and needs • 3.1. As a result of non-recognition of foreign credentials and work experience, recent immigrants are suffering: 1) declining average incomes, 2) a widening income gap relative to native-born Canadians, and 3) increasing rates of poverty, in spite of their rising education levels (more than 80% of skilled workers and their spouses had diplomas or degrees).

  10. 3. What are the ITP’s concerns and needs • 3.2. Longitudinal Survey shows only 1/3 of skilled immigrant professionals had found employment in their intended field in 6 months, and most of them were downgraded to lower skilled work, often in survival jobs. • 3.3. The provincial licensing authorities have not adapted to the changes in the current demographics. • What we need? • 3.3. We just need a chance! We are ready, able and willing to assist BC meet its pressing need of skilled professionals in an increasingly competitive economy.

  11. 4. What is our common interest: BC’s economic interest! • 4.1. British Columbians are the losers of non-recognition of foreign credentials and lack of full integration of ITP. • 4.2. BC can convert these loses into tremendous gains for the province. • 4.3. ITPs are worth of billions of dollars economic potentials in terms of both earning power for immigrants and their families, and valuable human resources to the BC economy.

  12. 5. Economic consequences versus economic benefits, which one BC wants? • 5.1. Estimated for Canada a $4 billion dollars economic loss annually by the lack of appropriate recognition of immigrants’ qualifications and skills. • 5.2. Retaining or losing (to other competitive economies like China, USA, Aus.,India) highly-educated and skilled immigrants? • 5.3. Building or undermining the BC’s competitiveness, sustainability, and economic growth in a knowledge-based global economy?

  13. 6. Let’s collaborate to build join-gain solutions: our recommendations 5 Recommendations to the Provincial government: • 1) Establish a forum of all stakeholders to identify the problems and devise integrated solutions for the full integration of ITPs into the BC economy and workforce. • 2) Establish a secretariat based upon the recommendations of the forum to oversee all regulated professionals within the province.

  14. 6. Let’s collaborate to build join-gain solutions: our recommendations • 3) Establish clear, accountable and defined systems for the recognition of ITP credentials in conjunction with the regulating authorities. • 4) Provide funding for regulatory authorities to establish databases of international regulatory authorities, educational establishments and registration standards relevant to their profession. • 5) Define a timetable for the implementation of these objectives.

  15. 7. Our conclusion • Recognizing credentials and full integration of Internationally Trained Professionals adding billions of dollars economic benefit is a key solution to the economic growth and competitiveness of British Columbia. • We are ready, able and willing to assist British Columbia meet its pressing need of skilled professionals in an increasingly competitive economy.

  16. Thank You All ! Contact: Priti Shah, Project Coordinator, drishticonsulting@telus.net Meng Li, CCITA, president@ccita.com http://www.bcitp.net/

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