Assessing the qualifications of refugees: best practices and guidelines: final report

In the fall of 2015, federal, provincial, and territorial governments committed to welcoming and settling 25,000 Syrian refugees in communities across Canada. At the time, the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), along with other organizations in Canada, began discussing the ramifications that could arise once these newcomers settled and sought recognition of previously completed studies in order to work or undertake further studies in Canada. How would the broad and diverse organizations responsible for assessing and recognizing academic credentials and professional qualifications support refugees? This is especially crucial, as refugees and those in refugee-like situations may not have access to the documentation normally required for these procedures.

This report provides an overview of academic credential and qualification assessment in Canada. It identifies not only which organizations are responsible for assessing and recognizing these documents, but also the growing number of tools and resources developed to support these procedures. It outlines the legal framework for assessing the qualifications of refugees in Canada and identifies some of the barriers they face. It also provides context for the different levels of risk for organizations.

A summary of the two-day workshop titled 'Assessing the Qualifications of Refugees', organized by CICIC and held on November 24 and 25, 2016, in Mississauga, Ontario, is provided. The workshop was attended by 93 participants working in key sectors: members of the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC); professional regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities; postsecondary educational institutions; government departments and agencies; and additional guest speakers from Canada and Europe. The workshop was designed to assist refugees in entering the labour market and gaining admission to further studies by building knowledge within the pan-Canadian academic credential assessment community of alternative approaches to assessment and recognition for refugees and persons in refugee-like situations.

Discussions at the workshop and additional consultations with key sectors led to the identification and development of best practices and guidelines that can be used by organizations to put in place an alternative qualification-assessment procedure without access to verifiable documentation. These consist of: (1) five different approaches that may be used, depending on the situation and type of organization: country profile plus comparability statement; background paper; some documentation; some verifiable documentation; testing of skills and competencies; (2) 13 recommended best practices and guidelines that are consistent with the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC) in the context of international best practices. These are related to: governance; building awareness; eligibility; minimum documentation requirements; translation requirements; use of background paper and sworn affidavits; use of competency-based assessments; use of prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR); sharing documentation; contacting institutions; transparency and public communications; transparency in the assessment report; and fees; and (3) a practical worksheet developed to support organizations that are thinking of developing new policies or refining existing ones. It is a companion to the 13 recommended best practices and guidelines.

Executive summary from publication. Show less