To be a Professional Member of APEGA, one must satisfy all specific requirements. One of these requirement is the proof of Canadian Citizenship or the proof of Permanent Resident Status. If an Internationally Educated Engineer or Geoscientist intends to migrate to Canada and eventually has the intention to practice his/her profession – he/she can start applying and eventually can be eligible for a Professional Licensee License.
As defined by APEGA, ifyou are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can apply for professional membership. If you are neither a Canadian citizen nor a permanent resident but still wish to independently practice engineering or geoscience in Alberta, you may be eligible for a Licensee license.
Licensee is the designation APEGA gives to an individual who:
• has met all academic and experience requirements for licensure in engineering or geoscience
• is not yet a Canadian citizen
A Licensee:
• can independently practice engineering or geoscience in Alberta
• is subject to the same ethical and practice standards as a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist
• must comply with the Continuing Professional Development requirements
(As lifted from the APEGA website on the requirements for Licensing)
Therefore, even before you arrive in Canada, you can start applying for APEGA and eventually gain Licensee status. After satisfying the Citizenship or Permanent Residency Status requirement and the Work Experience requirement you can eventually apply to be a Professional Member.
The typical time frame to complete the process usually takes 6 to 12 months according to the APEGA website. But, it always depends on how and when you submit your application documents. In the previous issues of the Alberta Filipino Journal, I discussed the step by step procedure and the cost associated to it. Please refer to the AFJ website for more information
(http://www.albertafilipinojournal.com/category/living/education/).
