From the office of the Chief Executive Officer / Du cabinet du chef de la direction January 12, 2015 J. David Adams, FEC, P.Eng., MBA President Professional Engineers Ontario Dear President Adams, RE: Questions regarding the Education Credential Assessment (ECA) Program Thank you for your questions regarding the program. 1. Will PEO continue to have the final say on the granting of licences to immigrants if Engineers Canada becomes an agency designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) under its Express Entry system? Yes. Neither Engineers Canada nor CIC have jurisdiction to grant licenses or opine whether an applicant meets the requirement for a licence to practice engineering. The program only examines engineering education. The Express Entry website notes If you plan to work in a regulated profession, you must still get your licence in the province or territory that you plan on settling in. 2. Is there an education requirement for all immigration programs? There is no education requirement for family class, refugee class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. 3. Who needs an ECA? The principal applicant, who wants to be considered for the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class, to earn points for their education under Express Entry, needs either: a Canadian post secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or an ECA report produced by an agency approved by CIC to show their foreign degree, diploma or certificate is equivalent to Canadian education standards.
January 12, 2015 2 4. How does the prospective immigrant select who will conduct their ECA? If prospective immigrant is applying: as a physician the Medical Council of Canada must provide an ECA, as a pharmacist the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada must provide an ECA, and for all other occupations, the applicant can select one of the other three generic CIC designated organizations. 5. Would Engineers Canada be assessing all engineering degrees? No, we would expect that all applicants applying for engineering National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes below would be required to have Engineers Canada do their ECA: 0211 Engineering managers 2131 Civil engineers 2132 Mechanical engineers 2133 Electrical and electronics engineers 2134 Chemical engineers 2141 Industrial and manufacturing engineers 2142 Metallurgical and materials engineers 2143 Mining engineers 2144 Geological engineers 2145 Petroleum engineers 2146 Aerospace engineers 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) 2148 Other professional engineers, n.e.c. 2173 Software engineers and designers If the applicant was not planning to apply under one of the above NOCs, they would be able to apply to any ECA agency. However, they would not be considered under the Federal Skill Worker program as an engineer. 6. What does the ECA do for the individual? The ECA can give the applicant early feedback on how their credentials compare to credentials obtained in Canada. It may also help when they are looking for a job. But, being assessed does not guarantee that: they will get a job in their field or at a certain level, their work experience and professional credentials would be automatically recognized in Canada, or they will be licensed to practice in a regulated profession.
January 12, 2015 3 7. What other information will Engineers Canada provide to a prospective immigrant considering an ECA? Engineers Canada will be providing rich information to the prospective immigrant considering an ECA. Before the applicant considers applying to have an engineering ECA, the applicant would be walked through our Roadmap to Engineering in Canada website (www.newcomers.engineeerscanada.ca). This is to help them determine if engineering in Canada, as we define it may be a good fit for them. It includes an academic information tool. Prospective immigrants will learn about the requirements to be licensed as an engineer to do engineering work in Canada. The information will be expanded to help those who would be seeking information regarding other NOC with engineer or engineering in the title, including: 2231 Civil engineering technologists and technicians 2232 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians 2233 Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists & technicians 2234 Construction estimators 2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians 2271 Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors 2272 Air traffic controllers and related occupations 2273 Deck officers, water transport 2274 Engineer officers, water transport 7361 Railway and yard locomotive engineers 9241 Power engineers and power systems operators We would direct them to the appropriate ECA agents to assess their credentials. For applicants who appear to be either engineering technologists or technicians, we would suggest the applicant find out where their engineering skills might better fit within the engineering team www.engineeringcareerpathways.ca. 8. How will you know if an applicant reviewed the information? We will require the applicant to acknowledge their understanding of the requirements for licensure in Canada before we permit them to complete the application for an ECA. We want to ensure that applicants are crystal clear that only a provincial/territorial engineering regulatory authority will decide if the applicant can be licensed to practice engineering. We will advise that the regulators will assess factors such as education, experience/competencies, engineering law, ability to communicate, good character, as well as other factors. 9. What will you tell the applicant when you provide them the results of the ECA?
January 12, 2015 4 If the applicant s education may meet the academic requirements for licensure, or the applicant could write exams and be able to meet the academic requirements then we would advise them to apply for a licence with the regulatory authority in the province where they plan to live as soon as possible. We would place emphasis that only the regulator can confirm that academics meet the requirements for licensure. We would note that some regulators take engineering experience into consideration to waive some or all of the exams. We would indicate that the regulators can give the applicant specific information about the process for being licensed, including steps the applicant can take before leaving their home country. We would note the specifics for the various jurisdictions and that not all regulators accept applications before arrival in the jurisdiction. We would also inform the applicant that Engineers Canada will provide a $100 rebate to the cost of application. We will inform the applicant that the documents used in the ECA that have been authenticated/translated will be available to the engineering regulators for a period of 10 years. If the applicant does not meet the minimum to likely be successful, we will suggest that they explore applying as a technologist or technician or consider alternate careers that do not require a licence to practice engineering. 10. If PEO has already assessed an applicant and they met the academic requirement for licensure will they still require an engineering ECA? Yes, if the applicant wants points for Express Entry. Engineers Canada will have a fast track progress, at a reduced cost, to facilitate the assessment done by an engineering regulator to suffice for points in the Express Entry system. 11. Once the system is up and running does Engineers Canada have plans to further enhance the program? Yes. To help prospective immigrants, with engineering credentials, make an informed decision, we would like to offer webinars about engineering in Canada. We are in the process of updating the labour market information. We plan to package it to help prospective immigrants identify the region of the country where there may be labour shortages requiring their skills. We track the enrolment in accredited engineering programs. Today there are 73,000 undergraduate engineering students in Canada, an increase of over 25% since 2009. We have the information by discipline. Being part of the ECA process enables Engineers Canada to have richer information about newcomers. This will be able us to build better supply side models.
January 12, 2015 5 We want to make good labour market information available to policy makers, including government, to make informed decisions regarding the engineering workforce. Additional points are available for Express Entry candidates in some professions when an applicants ECA meets the entry to the profession requirement. We would like to work with the constituent associations to use the process to upgrade the points for those who have met the academic requirement. 12. What are the advantages to PEO? PEO will end up with pre screened applicants who are better informed about engineering in Canada. There should be fewer applicants who will not be able to meet the academic requirement for licensure. Documents used in the ECA that have been authenticated and/or translated will be available to PEO for a period of 10 years. The International Institute Degree Database will have information available on the program the applicant studied. This will save considerable time preparing files for the Academic Requirements Committee. PEO should also receive more applicants before candidates arrive. There is a 4 6 month delay from the time the Express Entry candidate is invited to become a permanent resident and when they arrive in Canada. Today, fewer than 30% of immigrants claiming to have engineering credentials ever apply to one of the constituent associations. That number should increase. Please note that addition details regarding the program are provided on our website http://www.engineerscanada.ca/educational credential assessment project Dave, thank you again for your questions. I would be pleased to answer any additional questions you may have on this important program. Yours truly, Kim Allen, FEC, P.Eng. cc. Paul Amyotte, Ph.D., FEC, P.Eng. Gerard McDonald, P.Eng. Engineer Canada Directors from Ontario