Canada pledges $10M to help highly skilled newcomers settle in

Canada has pledged up to $10m to fund projects that will help highly skilled newcomers to the country land well-paying jobs.

Through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP), the government will select 15 projects that either provide employment support for newcomers or facilitate the recognition process of foreign credentials. Each project will receive as much as $800,000 in funding.

The Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) said it is looking for “innovative and collaborative concepts” that can help the government address barriers to the integration of highly skilled newcomers into the labour market.

“Helping newcomers obtain assistance to have their foreign credentials recognised will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster,” said Patty Hajdu, Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister. “Through this call for concepts, we are giving more newcomers a fair chance at success in Canada.”

The FCRP works with provincial and territorial governments and other groups tasked with recognising and assessing the credentials of skilled immigrants so that they can find suitable employment in Canada.

The initiative is open to all organisations involved in recognising foreign credentials or integrating skilled newcomers into Canada’s labour market, according to the ESDC.

The program provides funding to these organisations, which include regulatory bodies, professional associations, and credential assessment agencies.

Selected organisations will be invited to develop and submit a full project proposal to the ESDC. The government will announce its decision on the 15 projects by January 2020. The deadline for submitting concepts is on April 11.