IMMIGRATION AND RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN

QUALIFICATIONS: THE ROLE OF ENGINEERING

REGULATORS IN CANADA

THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION’S POSITION

• The engineering profession believes in a transparent, open, and equitable admission
process for qualified internationally trained engineers to practise in Canada, in line with
the principles of fairness, respect, and reciprocity.
• All practising engineers in Canada must meet the comprehensive requirements for
licensure set by one of the 12 provincial and territorial engineering regulators, regardless
of where they were educated or practise. This promotes the licensing of only qualified
professionals who can demonstrate their ability to practise engineering with competence
and integrity.
• Immigration-related legislation, policies, and programs must consider the engineering
regulators’ responsibility to protect the public by ensuring that all applicants for
engineering licensure, including those who trained or practiced abroad, meet the same
high standards for competence and integrity. This includes verifying the authenticity
and validity of academic credentials, work experience, language proficiency, and ethical
conduct. By upholding these high standards, the regulators can maintain public trust in
the engineering profession and safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of Canadians.

The challenge(s) experience. However, engineers trained outside

of Canada may find it challenging to navigate the
The growing disparity between labour demand licensure requirements due to language barriers and
and supply in Canada, coupled with the increasing the Canadian regulatory model.
number of immigrants who can help fill that gap,
presents a pressing challenge in recognizing The path to obtaining engineering licensure in Canada
foreign qualifications. The process, outlined in the involves a comprehensive review of an individual’s
“Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and academic background, work experience, language
Recognition of Foreign Qualifications” by Employment proficiency, ethical standing, and character by the
and Social Development Canada, involves assessing provincial or territorial regulator. These regulators work
the alignment of knowledge, skills, work experience, to promote the adherence of applicants to necessary
and education acquired in another country with educational standards and to safeguard the public
the standards for Canadian professionals and from fraudulent academic credentials.. They also assess
tradespersons.1 This challenge affects not only that applicants to understand Canadian engineering
immigrants but also Canadians who have pursued codes and standards, and the legislation that impacts
education and experience abroad, emphasizing the the practice of engineering in Canada.
need for effective policy measures to streamline the
recognition process, integrate highly skilled individuals Only professionals licensed by one of the 12 provincial
into the Canadian labor market, and optimize the or territorial engineering regulators are permitted
allocation of talent resources. to use the title ‘engineer,’ regardless of where they
completed their engineering degree. This emphasizes
More specifically, engineering is a regulated profession the regulators’ commitment to ensuring that only
in Canada, and all those seeking engineering licensure competent and qualified professionals practise
in Canada must meet the same high standards for engineering and safeguarding the public’s interests.
licensure, regardless of their education or work

1
Government of Canada (2022). A Pan-Canadian Framework for the
Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. https://www.canada.
ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/foreign-credential-
recognition/funding-framework.html

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 IMMIGRATION AND RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN
QUALIFICATIONS: THE ROLE OF ENGINEERING
REGULATORS IN CANADA

How Engineers Canada has academic evaluation is not uniform across the country.
When it comes to individuals without an engineering
contributed degree recognized by the CEAB, their academic
The engineering profession in Canada acknowledges credentials are considered as follows:
the important role that immigration plays in
promoting economic sustainability and innovation. Washington Accord
For over two decades, the profession has been
at the forefront of facilitating the integration of Engineers Canada is a signatory to The Washington
skilled professionals into the Canadian workforce. In Accord, an international agreement recognizing
partnership with provincial and territorial engineering comparable approaches and systems for accrediting
regulators, Engineers Canada works closely with undergraduate engineering programs. This
federal departments to provide unbiased guidance on allows for the expeditious review of an applicant’s
the integration of international engineering graduates academic credentials by the engineering regulator
into the profession. Additionally, we advocate for and promotes familiarity with the education and
aligning federal requirements with provincial and accreditation systems of over 20 other countries.
territorial licensing processes to prevent duplication Those who have engineering degrees recognized
and ensure efficiency. by the Washington Accord are generally accepted in
Canada as meeting the academic requirements for
Engineers Canada facilitates dialogue among licensure.
regulators to maintain consistency in licensure
requirements and admissions practices. This includes International Institutions and Degrees
developing and maintaining national guidelines for
admission to the practice of engineering in Canada
Database
and promoting best practices for assessing credentials Engineers Canada maintains the International
and recognizing qualifications earned outside of Institutions and Degrees Database (IIDD) as a tool to
Canada. This promotes consistency and transparency help regulators assess the academic qualifications
in the admissions process, ensuring that only qualified of international engineering graduates that are not
individuals are licensed to practise engineering in recognized by the Washington Accord. This database
Canada, and protecting the public from unqualified provides up-to-date information about engineering
practitioners. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation programs from over 140 countries around the world,
Board (CEAB) ensures that undergraduate engineering including background information about a country’s
programs at Canadian higher education institutions education system and the legitimacy of specific
meet the education requirements for licensure set institutions and degrees. The IIDD has undergone
by provincial and territorial regulators, maintaining several upgrades since its launch in 2009, with the
a list of accredited undergraduate engineering most recent in 2021, which expanded its information
programs that regulators and the public can access to include quality assurance systems and the link
to verify credentials. The Canadian Engineering between education and the licensing/registration
Qualifications Board (CEQB) creates tools to assist system in each country, where applicable.
in the fair assessment of applicant qualifications,
including a publicly available national guideline for The Canadian environment experience
admission to the practice of engineering in Canada,
and develops engineering syllabi that reflect what is requirement
taught at accredited engineering programs in Canada. Historically, all engineering regulators mandated that
These syllabi are the basis for examinations used by individuals seeking licensure fulfil a one-year Canadian
regulators to assess the academic formation of those experience requirement. This requirement aimed to
whose engineering degrees are not accredited by the guarantee that individuals were adequately exposed
CEAB. Finally, regulators verify and authenticate all to Canadian culture, engineering codes, legislation,
academic documents to ensure their validity. technical standards, and regulations. However, several
regulators have recently substituted this one-year
Regarding the academic requirements for licensure, requirement with a mandate to demonstrate defined
it’s important to note that each regulator evaluates Canadian competencies. These competencies are
the academic credentials of internationally trained a part of the competency-based assessment (CBA)
applicants individually. There is some variation in process and must be demonstrated by all licensure
how this assessment is conducted, as the approach to applicants, both domestic and internationally trained.

300–55 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 (613) 232-2474 | [email protected] | www.engineerscanada.ca
 IMMIGRATION AND RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN
QUALIFICATIONS: THE ROLE OF ENGINEERING
REGULATORS IN CANADA

Applicants who demonstrate these competencies Canada. The website was developed with input from
through examples that occurred outside of Canada engineering regulators, experts, and international
must also reflect on how their actions would differ engineering graduates, and has since been enhanced
if the work were conducted in Canada. If gaps with licensure information in 11 different languages.
still exist, and the competency has not been met, Engineers Canada continues to update and improve
applicants may also need to complete the Working in the website to support the global audience.
Canada seminar and all assessments to demonstrate
that they possess the necessary competencies to Engineers Canada Mobility Register
work in a Canadian engineering environment and
acquire an engineering licence. The inclusion of The Engineers Canada Mobility Register serves
these competencies, the Working in Canada seminar, as a platform for Canadian engineers who have
and other alternatives allows greater flexibility for met the international standard of competence for
international engineering applicants and may permit independent engineering practice to be included.
them to acquire a licence without any Canadian work Engineers Canada is not a regulator but plays a pivotal
experience. role in promoting recognition and mobility between
member jurisdictions through its membership in
the International Professional Engineers Agreement
Competency-based assessment of (IPEA) and the APEC Engineers Agreement (APEC EA).
engineering work experience It’s important to note that it is up to each provincial
Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, in and territorial regulator whether to adopt these
collaboration with Engineers Canada and other agreements. By utilizing the IntPE (Canada) and APEC
engineering regulators, have developed a CBA system Engineer designations, which are internationally
to evaluate individual’s engineering work experience. recognized, the register facilitates a streamlined
This assessment simplifies the licensure process by licensure process for engineers seeking mobility. As
offering an online tool, enabling individuals to initiate a founding member of these agreements, Engineers
the licensure process from anywhere in the world. Canada actively promotes their value and usage to
support the licensure of international engineering
The competencies identified are measurable and practitioners both within Canada and globally.
observable skill sets, knowledge, abilities, motivations,
and traits that applicants must demonstrate to We acknowledge that the current system has its
acquire a licence. Many provincial and territorial limitations, and we are committed to continuous
engineering regulators throughout Canada have improvement at both the national level and within
either implemented or are actively adopting CBA. our organization. We are actively taking steps to
The transition to CBA provides applicants with enhance our efforts and make further advancements
a clearer understanding of what is necessary to in addressing these challenges.
obtain licensure, resulting in more specific licensure
requirements. CBA is also more objective, transparent, Recommendations to the federal
and consistent for individuals, providing them with government
specific and actionable feedback on how to improve
their application in the event of an unsuccessful As part of its mandate to facilitate the integration of
licensure attempt. highly skilled immigrants into Canada, the federal
government should proactively communicate the
regulatory requirements for practising engineering in
EngineerHere.ca Canada to international engineering graduates. This
Engineers Canada recognized that international includes setting clear expectations about the need for
engineering graduates often face difficulties obtaining licensure in Canada to practise their profession and
accurate and consistent information about the the regulatory requirements for practising engineering
licensure process in Canada. To address this issue, in Canada, including the importance of assessment by
Engineers Canada launched EngineerHere.ca in an engineering regulator, which is separate from the
2019, a web resource specifically designed to assist evaluations required for immigration. By enhancing
international engineering graduates in understanding international engineering graduates’ understanding
the initial steps toward becoming an engineer in of these requirements and procedures, the federal

300–55 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 (613) 232-2474 | [email protected] | www.engineerscanada.ca
 IMMIGRATION AND RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN
QUALIFICATIONS: THE ROLE OF ENGINEERING
REGULATORS IN CANADA

government can help reduce confusion and

frustration during the licensure processes and ensure
that international engineering graduates can make
full use of their skills and expertise to contribute to the
Canadian engineering profession and the Canadian
economy. Furthermore, the federal government
should work with regulators towards greater
alignment between federal immigration processes
and current engineering regulatory processes. For
example, aligning language ability requirements of
the Federal Skilled Workers Program with those set out
by provincial/territorial regulatory bodies would be an
initial step towards achieving this goal.
Additionally, ongoing engagement with regulated
professions such as engineering is crucial as federal
policies are implemented that impact the ability
of provincial and territorial regulators to protect
the public and integrate qualified internationally
trained engineers into the Canadian profession.
Continuous dialogue will ensure that these policies
are implemented in a manner that benefits both the
profession and the Canadian public.

How Engineers Canada will

contribute
Engineers Canada is committed to collaborating
with the federal government to maintain a robust,
fair, and responsive immigration system that meets
the economic needs of communities across Canada.
In addition, Engineers Canada will continue to
partner with provincial and territorial engineering
regulators to ensure that the licensure process remains
accessible, transparent, objective, impartial, and fair.
Through this collaborative effort, Engineers Canada
aims to ensure that all applicants, irrespective of their
educational background or country of origin, fulfil
the high standards required to safeguard the public
interest and competently practise engineering in
Canada.

300–55 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 (613) 232-2474 | [email protected] | www.engineerscanada.ca