On April 5, 2023, Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison announced new changes to The Employment Program Regulations, strengthening Saskatchewan's recruitment of internationally educated workers.

The new International Credential Recognition Grant (ICRG) will assist newcomers with foreign qualification recognition costs required to obtain licensure. Providing up to $6,000 per application, this program will target internationally trained health-care workers, including those who have not yet arrived in Saskatchewan, who have not been able to obtain licensure.

In a written statement to Discover Weyburn, the Government of Saskatchewan said that nurses will be eligible for additional funding, and the grant will provide supports to internationally trained health-care professionals across all regulated healthcare occupations from any country.

The statement further stated that grant funding will be provided to individual internationally educated health-care professionals, to cover the cost of assessments, bridging programs, and examination fees.

"The changes announced yesterday [April 5th] allow individuals to apply for grant funding prior to arriving in Saskatchewan, so that they can have their credentials recognized and be able to enter the workforce as soon as they arrive in the province."

In addition to these measures as a part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training has established the Labour Mobility and Fair Registration Practices Office. This office will work with regulators to ensure compliance with the new measures. The office will also work with newcomers and applicants in pathfinding and related credential recognition activities.

"Under these regulations, regulatory bodies will be mandated by law to assess an internationally trained applicant's training, experience, and qualifications and give a 'yes' or 'no' answer within 50 days," Harrison said. "Additionally, workers certified in other provinces or territories will receive recognition of their certification within 20 days. These are the fastest and most aggressive processing times in Canada."

Over and above the mandated timelines, regulators are required by law to provide a detailed written reason to the applicant if an application is not successful.  The regulatory body will be further mandated by law to provide a remediation path to have that credential recognized.

The Government of Saskatchewan's written statement to Discover Weyburn explained that the Ministry has received 67 inquiries for grant funding from individuals across the province, 24 of which have met with officials and started to work towards receiving support for their credential recognition.

When asked if there are any inquiries specific to Weyburn and the surrounding communities, the Government of Saskatchewan said that, "We do not track the applications by region."

By implementing aggressive timelines and providing navigation and financial supports for internationally trained newcomers, Saskatchewan aspires to become the top destination of choice for skilled workers.

All of these changes align with the Government of Saskatchewan's Health Human Resources (HHR) action plan, which aims to recruit, train, incentivize and retain health-care workers.