'It aims to facilitate decision-making for prospecting, hiring, or admission activities for individuals trained abroad'
The Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) has introduced new features to its comparative tool for foreign diplomas, aiming to make it easier for employers to evaluate the credentials of internationally trained candidates.
“The comparative tool allows businesses, public bodies, educational institutions, and regulatory authorities to search, on a self-service basis, for foreign diplomas comparable to Quebec diplomas,” said the Quebec government. “It aims to facilitate decision-making for prospecting, hiring, or admission activities for individuals trained abroad.”
The tool, first launched in March 2023, enables businesses, public bodies, educational institutions, and regulatory authorities to independently search for foreign diplomas that are comparable to Quebec qualifications. The goal is to support employers and organisations in their recruitment, admissions, and talent acquisition processes for individuals educated abroad.
With the latest update, employers can now:
- Search for a Quebec diploma that corresponds to a foreign credential.
- Identify foreign educational institutions and verify their recognition status by competent foreign authorities.
The comparative tool is available online, free of charge, to any business or organisation established in Quebec that holds a Quebec business number and is registered on Arrima to access the Ministry’s business services.
The tool provides access to a database built on 30 years of expertise in evaluating foreign diplomas.
The Ministry encourages employers to visit Québec.ca for more information about the comparative tool for foreign diplomas.
The initiative is intended to help Quebec employers address workforce needs by streamlining the hiring and integration of internationally trained talent.
A previous report by the C.D. Howe Institute highlighted persistent overqualification among skilled immigrants in Canada, which undermines their economic potential and hinders the country’s labor market productivity.
Several provinces—like Ontario and British Columbia—have made an effort to increase the capacity for foreign credential recognition of internationally educated professionals.
Why should employers hire immigrants?
According to Randstad, hiring immigrant workers can help employers:
- Address talent shortages
- Expand their workforce
- Fill specific talent gaps
- Ramp up seasonally
“There are two main ways to hire foreign nationals on a short-term basis: the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program and the International Mobility Program (IMP). If you can pass the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), you can use the TFW program to fill vacant positions,” says Randstad.
“Even if you don’t pass the labour market test, you may still be able to hire foreign-born workers with an LMIA exemption. If you can prove that hiring a specific foreign-born worker would give Canada an economic, cultural or competitive advantage in the global marketplace, you might be able to apply for the IMP.”
