Education quality is the issue with immigrants
Re: Why Immigrant Professionals Are Still Driving Cabs, Marni Soupcoff, April 2. Marni Soupcoff ’s column about immigrant professionals driving cabs only identifies a small part of the problem. The major issue is that many newcomers are simply not qualified to practise their profession in Canada without further education or training. The Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai (IHES) that ranks universities around the world lists only one university outside of the developed industrialized world in the top 100 and only 23 in top 500 (Canada has four in the top 100 and 22 in the top 500).
The core of the problem is that the current immigration selection grid assigns one point for every year of schooling up to 25 acquired by immigrant applicants without taking into account the quality of the educational standards of the institution attended. For example, three of the leading countries of immigration to Canada — Pakistan, Iran and the Philippines — do not have any universities in the top 500 listed by IHES. James Bissett ( former ambassador and executive director of the Immigration service, currently a director of the Center for Immigration Policy Reform), Ottawa. I am an immigrant who was young enough to qualify for Canadian citizenship. Two friends of mine — fluent in English, in the prime of life and fully qualified in their country of origin — have been so harassed and frustrated that one has gone back. That is Canada’s loss.
Jeanne L’esperance, Ottawa. In this situation, I ask just one question: “Are the professional credentials in your home country equivalent to Canadian standards?” If the answer is “Yes,” then write the Canadian exams.
I have personally encouraged two foreign professionals (a dentist from Croatia and an engineer from India) to write the Canadian professional exams. They both passed and received their Canadian accreditations.
By contrast, every cab driver I talk to refuses to write the Canadian accreditation exams. Why? I think they must have phony fabricated documentation (and a sympathetic media).
Jim Conrad, Toronto. Marni Soupcoff stated that professional certification in accounting is limited to one designation with complex membership practices for new Canadians. However, permanent residents and new Canadians will benefit from knowing that Certified General Accountants of Ontario and Certified Management Accountants (CGA) of Ontario also offer professional accounting designations.
Immigrants can enrol in the CGA program of professional studies prior to completion of a post-secondary degree; education from international universities may be recognized by CGA Ontario and count as credits into the program; 12 of the 24 months of professional experience required to become a CGA can be acquired through international experience; members of an accounting association outside of Canada with whom CGA Canada has a mutual recognition agreement do not require additional work experience; and the list goes on.
New Canadians with aspirations in accounting can visit cga-ontario. org for more information. J.D. Clarke, senior vice-president, operations, CGA Ontario, Toronto.