Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Hi all, and thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.

My partner and I are considering relocating to Canada.

I am a qualified speech and language therapist and did an undergraduate pre-reg degree at Leeds Beckett Uni (BSc). I have been qualified for 3 years.

I do not have a Masters qualification which it seems I need, but having explored this site a little bit I have seen that people have managed to get themselves recognised in Cananda with their undergraduate degree by doing an exam and for some, some additional study. I do have time to try to do this, we are likely to go October 2021 after my OH's mum's wedding, if pur visa application's are successful.

I am just wondering in terms of what order I need to think about sorting things in terms of applying for a visa.

Do I need to be registered in Canada as an SLP before I can apply for a visa to go, baring in mind that I meet the points for the pool but may still not get accepted.

I gather that the SAC is an RCSLT equivalent and I can join them under the mutual recognition agreement, but then the state SLT bodies seem to be more like a HCPC type organisation. I know I need to get my qualifications ratified either way. We would either look to go towards Ontario or BC as I have random family members in both those locations - I'm feeling BC might be a better option as family are more our age.

I just really wanted to know what people's experiences of this process are like and how you found getting a Speechie job in Canada? Also, what are the differences between practicing in UK / Canada are what are the opportunities for completing research like?

I have done so much reading into this and the costs involved in getting registered are quite significant so I need to know that it is possible and how much I can expect to be hassle/costly to keep me going and plodding on through.

FYI OH is a welding technician and Canada is apparently needing welders and he thinks he will learn more skills there, has appropriate quals & experience, and.... is several years younger than me and could quite easily go on the "working holiday" equivialent, but I am too old for that at 35, so we are hoping to go down the express entry route together.

Thank you!!

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Nope. You can apply for the visa anytime. If you are scoring enough on the CRS now to be in with a chance of being selected, I'd advise you do so, especially if you're 35, as you'll lose more points at your next birthday.

Note your partner will also need to get certification to work in Canada as a welder (or is a 'welding technician' a different thing to a welder?!). So you'll both have to jump through hoops to work there, but you may find your partner would be better of being the principal applicant for EE, as the FST program has a lower points threshold. It depends on what you're scoring though and how comfortably above 460ish you are.

HTH and hope somebody can help you with the questions about your occupation in Canada.

Best of luck.

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

this tells you what you need to know about BC https://cshbc.ca/applicants/internat...ed-applicants/ for Ontario look at CASLPO.
It does look like you need a master's degree but if your qualifications were accepted you'll still need to write an exam. I was a radiographer in the UK and after having my uk training assessed had to write an exam to qualify as an MRT here. Everyone has to write the exam but some have to take classes to fill gaps.

you could study for a Masters at University of BC. I see there is a speech language assistant role that requires a diploma so your bachelors shoukd be ok for those jobs in the meantime

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Thank you.

Welding technician - sort of the same thing with a few more technical skills. Already has completed an apprenticeship and has completed a HNC in Mechanical Engineering and he's due to finish his HND (in the same) in June / July so we will wait until he has got that confirmed before trying to get him certified. We do have time, but for my own sanity I need to be actively working towards something at the moment and I just need a little clarity on what I am actively woking towards :)

So, if we made him the principle applicant and I came as his partner, if I don't meet the requirements to be a Speech & Language Therapist (Pathologist - that'll take some time to get used to), presumably I would still be able to work in an alternative role whilst I do whatever I needed to do to meet the criteria to practice my profession in Canada? Because if I needed to study then we'd need to pay for that and education is NEVER cheap.

Many thanks for taking your time out to help answer my question, that's really helpful, I never thought of him being the principle applicant as, you know, I tend to do all the research, form filling etc, so generally put my name down. I did do a points calculator thing the other week, I'll try to find it and do it again just to check what is what for the both of us.

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Thank you, had you done a masters in Radiography or a BSc? What was the process like generally?

Sadly, yes I was expecting to take an exam and have looked through all the info on the CSHBC website. I have contacted my old university and asked if they will help me complete the forms or at least clarify how many hours of what we have done (I expect they will charge for this). I am expecting to sit an exam and expecting to need to do some extra study, it's just the whole process seems mega - although hopefully... worth it! I was mostly confused because I wasn't sure if I could apply for EE as a SLT/P if I wasn't registered already in Canada, but then part of the registration criteria mentions about having an appropriate visa.

I actually would mind being an assistant for a while - in fact, I think that they get the better end of the deal, get to do the therapy whilst I get caught up in a tyranny of admin! But that was my next question asked above / below (I don't know what order replies are shown - it's been a long time since I used a forum). If we applied and my partner was accepted as the main person can I work in an alternative role whilst I hula-hoop my way to recognition and registration?

Thank you so much again for taking your time to help!

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

someone else would be able to answer accurately, I'm not up to speed with the immigration process now but if you get PR you can work as whatever you like, or can get a job in. Same for open work permits.

to apply for recognition of your training and course work you need copies of your transcripts from your university.. That's copies of the syllabus with time spent clinically and your grades. I trained a long while aho before the degree system for allied professions however my diploma is equivalent, I've also a shed load of post grad stuff but that wasn't considered. It was a huge hassle and expense. I was able to get hold of Canadian books to study, techniques and terminology are hugely different as is the healthcare set up. So I'm sure working in the community would be too.

Check the scope of practice of SLP and assistant to see which you fit into. I'm just thinking that a some UK audiologists would not be considered to be audiologists here then perhaps the same woukd apply. Perhaps you have done post grad study?

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

You do have time, unless that would mean losing too many points - so do check your CRS scores as that's pretty vital if you're borderline.

No, you don't need to meet the requirements before applying, and that's the same even if you are the principal applicant. You being licensed to work in Canada has no bearing on your EE application, although if your partner were to be the principal applicant, then he would need to have provincial certification or a job offer to be eligible to apply under the FST program. As Bats said, once you get PR you can do what the heck you like, you can study/set up your own business/retire/work in another job entirely. There's no requirement to keep working in the same job you applied under.

HTH.

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

An HNC/HND is unlikely to be recognised for a trade - nor will an apprenticeship. (the HNC may count for a few points for education for EE, but has nothing to do with trade certification). In order to work as a welding technician he will have to be Provincially Certified (and in obtaining certification he can get more points towards Express Entry (Trades). Certification can be done by using the provable work experience he has already - usually needing to prove around 9000 hours.. for Ontario > https://www.collegeoftrades.ca/trade-assessment look for 'Experienced Workers (Trade Equivalency Assessment)' > opens in new tab, no download https://www.collegeoftrades.ca/wp-co...March-2020.pdf

There are links to all the Provincial Licensing bodies (Welder is a regulated profession) - on the 'requirements' tab : https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketrepo...ments/23242/ca

For example - Manitoba (who explain it quite well) ... Challenging the Exam - Trades Qualification:
- https://www.gov.mb.ca/wd/apprentices...ngingexam.html
https://www.gov.mb.ca/wd/apprentices...welder.html#tq

As an aside, 'Engineer' is a protected title in Canada.. needing a degree etc... do you mean that he is getting qualified to install / repair machinery such as in a factory etc.,? If so and he has work experience then he could also look at Millwright/Industrial Mechanic > https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketrepo...ments/14700/ca
:)

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Thanks everyone for your help. sorry for the delay in coming back, I find it really hard to do forums generally, particularly on my phone.

Huge thanks to both of you, this is really helpful. It would be exciting to practice as a SLT overseas, but at the same time, I am not overly fussed that I have to do speech therapy , I was just thinking in terms of being a registered professional for the EE application :). But If I can do it at a later date then that suits me and I will happily do whatever it takes once we are out there if I can't find something else that is fulfilling and meaningful.

Thanks, I have told him to do his own research, considering it was principally his idea he hasn't done much - because like many men he knows I will do it for him - haha. I'll send him those links (read, I will have a look and tell him what he needs to do but send them to him in the hope that he will actually look himself).

He would eventually work towards being a "welding engineer". He could get the appropriate transcripts, have what he has already done mapped across and potentially finish the degree off in Canada - that's what he is hoping anyway :). I don't really understand the technical stuff, nor do I understand the differences between welder, welding technician and welding engineer. The basic principle, as he says, it that he "stitches with fire"

Thanks to you all again so much for your help, it seems like such a mammoth task at the moment, but if it were too easy then I'd be worried!!!

(Hopefully this post will post =, because I'm having trouble with the replies with the URL's in.

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Basically, if a position has the word "engineer" in it in Canada, then a university degree in an engineering specialty (eg Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering) is absolutely required.

Thus, to call himself a "welding engineer" would require at least a Bachelor's degree in welding, from a university. That would be 4 years at university in Canada

Is there such a degree??

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

I don't think there is such a specific career, it would be something like manufacturing or design engineer, but he would obviously have welding as his speciality. He can fill in +++ paperwork and sit an exam to become qualified so that is helpful and we have looked through what he needs to do.

Anyway, that's by the by at the moment, principally he is a welder and would do what he needed to weld at this moment in time. He would hopefully finish his degree at some stage and then do whatever it it he needs to do to top it up to the appropriate standard in Canada, either before or after we go. Hopefully in Ca they would accept some prior learning credits, but he can discuss that with the universities and relevant authorities when the time comes that he wants to make that change.

The only snag at the moment obviously, is COVID, because we'd like to be able to go out and sit the exams, do a little bit of research etc, but we both work f/t so we wouldn't be able to go and sit the exam, do our thing and come back because we need to quarantine for 14 days in Canada, hopefully we will be able to find a way around it at some point, but who knows.

I have recently been in touch with my university and someone who did the SLT degree there has recently gone through the process of becoming registered in Canada, so thankfully I now know that it is possible with a little top-up studying and that it is very doable which is is a relief and I've got an idea of what I need to do :)

Thank you all again so very much for your help with this, I really appreciate it and you've definitely given us more knowledge than I could have hoped for initially, so thank you very much indeed!!

Re: Speech and Language Therapy / Pathology
 

hi
I am not in the forum much but I was searching for SLP posts. I qualified with a BSc in Speech and Language Therapy in the UK and have successfully made the move to Canada. I now work in BC and have done so for 8 years. You can go the route I did "Masters or equivalent". Lots of hoops to jump through. The Visa would be the first port of call. You will also need to get your university to send all your transcript information to an authority like IQAS (International Qualifications Assessment). It takes a lot of effort but worth it for sure! You will need to apply to CSHBC if BC is your preferred choice. They are quite the sticklers for certificates but if you have done all your groundwork and can show evidence of being eligible to work in Canada they will assess you. It takes time, effort and a dogged determination but it can be done. No regrets here!