Doctors driving taxis. Teachers cleaning houses. It’s the common but sad story immigrants tell when they move to B.C.

So last year, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration launched the Foreign Credentials Refreels Office (FCRO) to help prospective immigrants find out how their skills and credentials fit in with Canada’s labour market. So far it’s been a success, according to a new report released last Tuesday.

“The FCRO is helping newcomers to Canada use their talents in the fields for which they’ve been trained,” said Minister Diane Finley. “By helping immigrants find out how to get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly, especially before they enter Canada, their chances for success will improve. That can only be good for Canada and for newcomers.”

The report states that 320 Service Canada centres offering in-person foreign credential referral services have helped over 9,000 people and the FCRO website has had over 250,000 visits, the majority from outside Canada, “demonstrating that people are getting information before they arrive in Canada.”

In 2006, more than half of new workers coming to Canada had post-secondary education, including trades training and university education up to the doctorate level.

However, many of the immigrants capable of helping meet the demands of the new economy become frustrated when they cannot work in their field in Canada. Although most immigrants find work quickly, many are not able to find work in their field or at the level appropriate for their training and experience.

Several years ago, Gian Singh Sangha, an agricultural scientist from India, applied for a job with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board but was refused because he was “overqualified.”

“When  I couldn’t find any jobs in my line of work, I became a landscaper to support my family,” he said. “I was a professor pushing a lawn mower. It was very depressing.”

It took several years and much effort on behalf of human rights groups before Dr. Sangha settled out of court with the water board, marking a precedent.

“It felt very good,” he said “Now no one can be denied a job based on over qualifications.”

On Sunday, Dr. Sangha organized a special prayer at the Ross Street Sikh Temple to thank the Sikh community for financially and emotionally supoprting him through the painful ordeal.
Undoubtedly, the FCRO would have helped immigrants like Dr. Sangha.

Website features such as the Working in Canada Tool help internationally trained individuals find information about the labour market.

For the year ahead, the FCRO has plans to enhance its services for prospective immigrants.