Saskatchewan launches two new projects to help future immigrants in preparing better for job market

To prepare future immigrants to Saskatchewan for local labor market and improve their transition to the workforce before they enter into the Province, the Saskatchewan government has recently launched two innovative projects.

The project named "Foreign Credential Recognition Support for Labor Market Needs in Saskatchewan" will help potential immigrants to Saskatchewan get their international credentials recognized before they arrive in Canada, thus facilitating newcomers in their transition into the labor market more rapidly. This will also help in meeting high-demand labor needs of Saskatchewan employers.

The project is funded by $3 million on a pilot basis by Human Resources and Social Development Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRO) in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It will be delivered by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), which will establish a system for verifying that credentials and job experience obtained abroad are equal to Canadian standards.

For now, the pilot will target potential immigrants (to Saskatchewan) only from Ukraine, the Philippines and Vietnam having skills and experience in limited mechanical trades: welding, heavy-duty equipment and agricultural machinery.

A new section titled "Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHP)" has been added on Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program’s web portal as another project. This information-pack resource provides internationally educated health professionals with access to information and tools designed to help them integrate quickly, such as access to clear and accurate information about healthcare regulators, the licensing process, credential recognition, and latest job opportunities in healthcare. This resource will not only help Saskatchewan attract more healthcare workers but also help connect IEHPs to the people, resources and services they need to stay and succeed in Saskatchewan.

The IEHP portal responds to research conducted in 2006-07 that identified challenges IEHPs face in becoming licensed and practicing in their fields. Stakeholders, including IEHPs, employers, training institutions and regulatory bodies identified a critical need for accessible, clear and accurate information.

Developed in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders, the first phase of the IEHP portal (www.immigration.gov.sk.ca/iehp) serves as a gateway to other IEHP web resources. Over the next two years, the information will be expanded and enhanced. Funding for this phase and future development is provided through a partnership with Health Canada and Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health.

Canada considering making HIV a reportable disease after an increase in new infections in immigrants

A recent report by the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) has warned that immigrants with HIV account for a large portion of new infections of the disease in Canada and these immigrants are slipping between the healthcare cracks.

The report titled "Trends in HIV-positive Immigrants and Reporting by Citizenship and Immigration Canada" found that estimated infection rate in 2005 was 12.6 times higher for immigrants – or those connected to them – from HIV-endemic countries than in other Canadians. As a result, about 16 per cent of all new infections in Canada are linked to people born in an HIV-endemic country, yet they make up only 1.5 per cent of the Canadian population.

This study was undertaken with an objective to connect with immigrants who are new to the country and who may not know that help is available for treatment and counseling. Therefore, it suggested that "targeted testing" of immigrants will increase the opportunity to ensure that HIV-positive immigrants are made aware of their status and support expedient counseling, prevention and treatment after they arrive in Canada.

Although Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is considering making HIV a "reportable" disease, currently it is not, meaning it is not considered a public health risk and it is not mandatory to report infections to public health officials.

In 2001, Health Canada recommended routine HIV testing of all persons applying for immigration to Canada. As of January 15, 2002, CIC requires all immigrants and certain visitors to Canada to undergo an immigration medical examination (IME). Currently a urinalysis, chest X-ray, syphilis serology and an HIV test (applicants aged 15+ and infants having received blood/blood products or born to a known HIV-positive mother) are included in the IME.

Both tuberculosis (TB) and syphilis have been designated by CIC as reportable diseases, while HIV has been designated as a "notifiable" disease. Any individual testing positive for TB and/or syphilis as part of IME must present to public health for assessment within a given period following arrival in Canada. Individuals testing positive for HIV as part of an IME are not required to present to public health upon arrival, and there are no conditions for follow-up in Canada.

From a public health perspective, if HIV were treated as a reportable infection through CIC, that would be one way of improving the timeliness of connecting with these individuals when they come to Canada.

Every province and territory in Canada, however, lists HIV as a reportable disease. As of September 1, 2004, CIC has the responsibility to notify provincial and territorial health officials about HIV-positive newcomers for statistical, educational and resource planning purposes.

Between 2002 and 2006 there were 2,567 immigration applicants who tested positive for HIV during their medical examinations among the 1.2 million immigrants to Canada accepted during the same period. Of those HIV-positive applicants, 89 per cent were determined to be medically admissible to the country.