On the Path Toward Licensure in Canada
By Yohairy Checo
In the summer of 2015, my husband and I, along with my two 5 and 3-years old boys arrived in Canada. We immigrated from the Dominican Republic as permanent residents thanks to the Federal Skilled Worker Program and later became Canadian citizens in 2019.
We chose to live in Kamloops, BC to be close to my sister and her family who had already lived there for many years. Having their unconditional support during this crucial time in our lives was extremely beneficial to us, and for that we will always be grateful.
My husband and I had decided that I would be staying at home during the first year while he worked so that I could be available physically and emotionally for our family during this time of transition. Just one month after we arrived, my husband was blessed with a job as an estimator. He lost this position shortly after. At that moment we both decided to actively start looking for a job. I was able to quickly find a seasonal job at the mall, while my husband kept applying to numerous positions throughout the province. At the same time, I started putting my portfolio together, this was despite highly doubting I would be able to find a job in the industry due to my lack of Canadian experience and because there were very few job openings for architects or designers in Kamloops at the time.
I sent my resume and portfolio to local architecture firms as well as designers and builders. I had informational interviews with two architectural firms in town, one of these meetings was possible thanks to ‘Work BC’, a province-funded employment agency that helps unemployed people connect with employers. The architects I met gave me valuable input about where or how to start working towards landing a job in the industry and gaining knowledge in the provincial Building Code and the Canadian wood-frame construction as well as the profession of architecture in Canada.
After two months of applying to numerous positions throughout the province, my husband landed an excellent job in a modular construction company in town. Shortly after, the same company invited me for an interview and hired me to join their design team! I felt so blessed, we could not be happier.
After a few months on the job, I enrolled in a British Columbia Building Code course at the university in town (TRU) and at the same time, I was learning so much about wood-frame modular construction and applying that knowledge in the projects I was involved with.
One year later, the company I was working for completed a restructuring and decided to let me go. I had to start the process of job hunting once again, this time I had the advantage of having Canadian experience. I had become a member of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) as a foreign graduate, I updated my resume and portfolio and went back to ‘Work BC’ to see how they could help me find a new job.
This time I had more resources available to me because this time I was on EI (employment insurance). I was now eligible for their wage subsidy program, which along with my portfolio, resume and experience, helped me land my next job at a small architectural design firm, where I was able to collaborate in the design of many custom homes and deepen my knowledge on Canadian wood frame house construction and part 9 of the BC Building Code.
At that time, I knew about the CABC’s BEFA program but did not meet their eligibility requirements, as one of them is that you must be employed and under the direct supervision of a registered architect for a minimum of 6 months. My boss at the time was an engineer, not a registered architect.
Almost 3 years later, a position became available at one of the local architecture firms, and I was invited to apply. After two interviews, I was offered the position of Residential and Building Designer! I knew that after 6 months I would become eligible to apply to the BEFA program, but at that time I was not sure if I wanted to pursue registration because in Canada, unlike the Dominican Republic, you don’t need to be a licensed architect or have a degree in architecture to design houses and part 9 buildings.
Shortly after joining the firm, I realised that my duties and responsibilities were very much equal to a registered architect, or an intern architect since I was and am currently training and being exposed to all the twelve competencies of the profession of architecture in Canada. I am so fortunate to have been given the responsibilities of a design lead on at least 10 projects. So, it just made sense to start the process for licensure.
In January 2021, I applied and was accepted into the BEFA program. I am currently waiting for their feedback on the self-assessment portion of the program, which I submitted three months ago. If the self-assessment is approved, the next step will be an interview with a panel of architects and if I am successful, I will be granted the BEFA certification which will allow me to apply for licensure as an architect in the province of my choice.
My advice for those architect graduates who have recently come to Canada is to take advantage of the many programs available for newcomers and/or unemployed people and to get acquainted with the Canadian wood frame house construction, the Canadian Handbook of Practice and the National or Provincial Building Code, at least part 9. All these resources are available online. Look early into the internship program of the architectural regulator in your province.
My advice for those applying to the BEFA program is to start the process as early as you are eligible to do so. Gaining experience in each of the twelve competencies takes time. Some competencies are more difficult to gain experience in than others. If you need to, volunteer to help your co-workers with their jobs, to gain experience in areas you might not have been exposed to. Also, depending on which country you are coming from, architectural practice and construction methods in Canada might be very different from your country of origin, so the learning curve can be a steep one. Nevertheless, to have this opportunity available to you is HUGE! Unlike many other foreign-trained professionals, we can come to Canada, work in our industry, and even seek to license!
Stay focused on your goal and enjoy the process. Good luck!
