The Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills (IPGS) is leading a Consultation Process on Foreign Qualification Recognition (FQR). The NL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC) is pleased to collaborate on the promotion of the FQR Consultations to key labour market stakeholders across the province. 

We encourage everyone to participate in this Provincial Government Foreign Qualification Recognition Consultation including:

For more information on the full consultation process, see below for the IPGS News Release + Backgrounder and link to the engageNL webpage.

The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, today announced the launch of public consultations that will examine barriers to foreign qualification recognition in Newfoundland and Labrador, and identify opportunities for improvement from the perspectives of newcomers, occupational regulators, and employers while ensuring existing standards are maintained.

Improving foreign qualification recognition processes will help unlock the full economic potential of newcomers to Newfoundland and Labrador and increase the staffing of in-demand positions across many sectors of the economy. The consultations also support the ambitious Provincial Government immigration target of welcoming 5,100 newcomers per year by 2026.

Consultations will occur through engagement sessions with foreign-trained individuals and newcomers, provincial occupational regulatory bodies, educational institutions, Indigenous governments, industry associations and municipalities. Online consultations are open to the public and available through engageNL.

For a list of regulatory bodies and groups that will be engaged in the consultations, please see the enclosed backgrounder. Other groups that have an interest in foreign credential recognition are encouraged to provide a submission through engageNL.

“Newcomers are arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador in record numbers, bringing with them impressive credentials that we desperately need. Out of every province in Canada they chose to come here, and duty calls us to help unlock their full potential. Newcomers and foreign-trained professionals deserve our serious attention to this issue and they will have it through these foreign credential recognition consultations.”

- Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills

Jeremy Reynolds

Immigration, Population Growth and Skills

709-729-2377, 709-691-2298

This consultation process is intended to determine barriers to Foreign Qualification Recognition in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Why is the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador seeking public input?

Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest median age in the country, with a significant number of expected retirements and people leaving the workforce in the coming years. There are gaps in skilled and available labour in the provincial economy and this is particularly acute in a number of health care occupations.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has set a goal to triple the current immigration target from 1,700 to 5,100 newcomers per year by 2026. We are committed to implementation of a full suite of immigration policies to strengthen the province’s population and labour market.

We must make every effort to ensure we explore and consider all options to respond to an ever-changing demand for labour, across multiple sectors, including health care.

Many professionals, especially in regulated occupations, face challenges to full licensure, resulting in lengthy, and costly, processes. For others this can be the underutilization of skills and experience – such as a nurse working as a personal care attendant or an engineer driving a taxi cab.

Consultation on Foreign Qualification Recognition is necessary to remove barriers and make it easier for people to work in their field in our province.

Established in 2017 by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and administered by College of the North Atlantic, NL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC) has a provincial mandate to provide a coordinated, central point of access to engage all labour market stakeholders about challenges, opportunities and best practices in workforce development.

NLWIC’s goal is to promote the research, testing and sharing of ideas and models of innovation in workforce development that will positively impact employability, employment and entrepreneurship within the province’s labour force and particularly underrepresented groups. Funding for NLWIC is provided by the Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills (IPGS) under the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Development Agreement.

©NL Workforce Innovation Centre 2022