TheStar.com - Editorial: Open up professions to skilled immigrants

When Gurmeet Bambrah came to Canada five years ago, she immediately applied to have her engineering credentials recognized here. But despite 20 years of professional experience and advanced degrees from British universities, she still is not licensed to practise in Ontario.

The problem?

After waiting months to have her qualifications assessed and write an exam, she has not been able to obtain the year of Canadian work experience she needs to become accredited.

"I set about looking for a job (but) I hadn't a clue where to go for this because nobody would advise me," says Bambrah, co-ordinator of the Council for Access to the Profession of Engineering, a Toronto-based group that advocates for internationally trained engineers.

Bambrah is not unique. Every year, Ontario welcomes as many as 140,000 new immigrants. More than half hold university degrees, and about 13,000 have professions or trades.
TheStar.com - Editorial: Open up professions to skilled immigrants