Although refugees constitute about 11% -13% of immigrants arriving in Canada yearly (CIC 2007), there is considerable discussion about them in academic literature and among policy makers. Those researchers who examined cultural and employment integration of refugees suggest that there are serious policy gaps which delay the process of integration of Canadian refugees (Presse & Thomson 2007; Walsh, Este, & Krieg 2008; Yu, Ouellet, & Warmington 2007). While government assisted and privately sponsored refugees arrive in Canada with established refugee status and thus receive support from the government and private organizations, those who apply as refugees from within Canada are not eligible for most integration programs nor can they receive services from organizations working with newcomers (Yu et al. 2007). Refugees applying from within Canada constitute roughly two thirds of refugee applicants. (approximately 10,000 to 15,000 people per year) (Yu et al. 2007).

Out of the 176 respondents who participated in our study, 10 were refugee claimants. The majority of them applied for refugee status from within Canada. This process significantly limited their ability to start their professional integration, since permanent resident status is often required for passing professional examinations and moving through the process of integration. When the application of a refugee claimant is under review, it is nearly impossible to start professional integration:

Now we are under the support of welfare. And we already worked on the interviews that had to be held at immigration. Now I am going to start working very fast [to obtain] the work permit. And after I get the work permit I have to again focus my time in all these jobs that I could be on. I have to put [my medical career] aside for the moment, because I am not a Canadian citizen. I am not a resident. (Ontario IMG #4, no longer pursuing integration).

Lack of financial resources and an inability to begin the process of professional integration are unique to the refugee population. Although refugee claimants receive assistance from the government while their case is under review, there are specific barriers that are faced by refugees in terms of obtaining employment:

I have like two co-workers in my company that they came as refugee and they have such really bad time. They couldn't find enough paperwork ... when you come as refugee you have human resources give you... a SIN number. It's a different SIN number. With that SIN number you cannot just go and work [British Columbia IMG #16, in progress].

The majority of our refugee participants applied for refugee status from within Canada. On one hand, it allowed them to escape persecution in their home country and await the refugee claimant decision in Canada. On the other hand, while their documents were reviewed by CIC, they could not fully participate in the process of professional integration. Moreover, a lack of finances, difficulty in obtaining relevant documentation, and a lack of permanent resident status placed additional barriers to professional integration.

In sum, many of the IEHPs we spoke to outlined challenges with the immigration process. Our primary focus, however, was not so much on the immigration process per se but how it influenced the professional integration process. In what follows, we describe the actual process of becoming a professional here in Canada, highlighting major barriers and facilitators on the way to professional integration.