Canada has a plan to stop qualified immigrant doctors from driving taxis…

Canada has a plan to stop qualified immigrant doctors from driving taxis…But how?

This was the headline in the National Observer some time ago. The Trudeau government promised to bring new solution for immigrants that arrive in Canada but wind up without a job in their field of expertise.

A report released in January 2016 indicated that over 60 per cent of whom are immigrants end up underemployed or unemployed because their credentials aren't recognized in Canada. Earlier, a survey in 2012 found that of 50,000 cab drivers across Canada, 200 were doctors or have PhDs, and that 20 per cent of drivers who immigrated to Canada have undergraduate university degrees or master’s.

One reason identified for this problem was the high cost of skill evaluations and recognition of their international experiences. The government planned to expand pre-arrival services that would help newcomers obtain their certification and licensing before arriving in Canada. Government also stated that immigrants would be able to apply for a loan to them get their foreign credentials recognized, such as licensing exams, training, travel and skills upgrading.

Has anything changed on ground? I don’t think so. Immigrants contribution to Canadian economy is immense but it is under-recoganised by the powers-to-be. The gap in government’s promise and action is because the employers’ mind set has not changed. Canadian employers still think that a job can be well performed only if a candidate has either previous Canadian experience or Canadian education. And this attitude is not going to change in near future if governments at all levels initiate steps to inform and educate the employer’s fraternity about the virtues of immigrants.