BC’s International Credentials Recognition Act Now in Force

The International Credentials Recognition Act (“the Act”) came into force in British Columbia on July 1st, 2024. Its purpose is to improve the credential recognition process for internationally trained professionals to make it fairer, faster and easier for these professionals to become licensed to work in their profession in the province. The changes introduced by the Act are intended to increase the amount of skilled professionals in BC’s labour market.

The Act impacts 29 professions across various sectors including education, engineering, health, finance and legal professions. A full list of affected regulators and professions can be found here.

Overview of the Act

Under the Act, affected professional regulators will be required to:

1. Remove Canadian work experience requirements for new applicants – as discussed further below, this requirement is not yet in effect;
2. Remove requirements for redundant English language testing;
3. Charge similar fees to domestic and internationally trained applicants;
4. Make timely determinations in the credential process after receiving an application from an internationally trained applicant;
5. Publish information regarding the international credential assessment process on its website; and
6. Annually report to the Superintendent of International Credentials Recognition.

Though the Act came into force July 1, 2024, the provision dealing with prohibiting Canadian work experience requirements is not yet in force. The International Credentials Recognition Regulation provides that the relevant section comes into effect January 1, 2025, but will not apply during a transitional period (Jan 1 – Jun 30, 2025), during which regulatory authorities may apply for an exemption.

If you have any questions regarding the Act, please contact your Harris lawyer.