Engineers Canada is the Canadian signatory to several professional engineering agreements which facilitate mobility by enhancing Canadian engineers’ ability to work abroad and international engineers’ licensure in Canada. These agreements are designed to protect the public and maintain the good reputation of the engineering profession through effective regulation and expeditious licensure between participating countries.
International trade agreements
Most existing trade agreements negotiated by governments speak to general areas of economic cooperation, including the trade of goods and services. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), negotiated between Canada and the European Union, speaks directly to engineering services and the mobility of engineers as professionals. CETA provides a framework for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, including those of engineers, and provides a basis upon which country-specific Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) may be negotiated. None of Engineers Canada’s country-specific MRAs were negotiated under this framework.
Country-specific Mutual Recognition Agreements
Engineers Canada has directly negotiated Mutual Recognitions Agreements (MRAs) with the following organizations:
- Engineers Australia
- France (Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur, Conseil National des Ingénieurs et Scientifiques de France)
- Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
- Engineers Ireland
- The Nevada State Board of Professional Engineers, United States
- The Texas State Board of Professional Engineers, United States
The MRAs are intended to provide licensed engineers from these bodies with an equivalent level of licensure in Canada and vice versa. Engineers Canada is not a licensing body—our role is to use our best efforts to encourage ratification of the agreement by Canada’s twelve engineering regulators, per the Ratification/Implementation clauses.
In Canada, each province or territory regulates the practice of engineering within their jurisdiction. This means that only a provincial or territorial regulator can decide whether to ratify a country-specific MRA and apply it in their licensing procedures. For information on whether an MRA is recognized in a specific Canadian province or territory, consult with the individual Canadian engineering regulatory bodies.
Multinational Agreements
Engineers Canada is the signatory to two multinational agreements:
- The International Professional Engineering Agreement (IPEA)
- Qualified engineers may use the International Professional (IntPE) designation
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Agreement (APEC EA) – for member economies of APEC
- Qualified engineers may use the APEC Engineer designation
These two multinational agreements recognize the “substantial equivalence” in professional competence in engineering and are intended to help streamline the review of professional credentials for engineers wishing to practise in another member country. Each signatory maintains a national register listing those engineers who meet the international standard of professional competence. Most national registers are online and can be readily searched.
To review the national register or to apply for inclusion on the national register check out the Engineers Canada Mobility Register.
Other important information
Substantial equivalency for academic engineering programs can be found in The Washington Accord.
If you are an international engineering graduate who is considering moving to Canada to practise engineering, visit the Engineer Here Website.