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Before Leaving Your Home Country
International Credential Recognition (Immigration)
In most provinces, Funeral Director and/or Embalmer is a regulated profession. Before the applicant leaves their home country, they must:
#1. Gather Information
Applicants interested in working in Canada should gather the following:
- Proof of completion of an equivalent academic funeral director/embalmer program
- Courses completed during that academic program
- Transcript of marks
This is required so that the assessor can validate that the academic requirements have been met for that particular province. Work-based training alone will generally not meet the requirements
#2. Verify Credentials
Applicants must undergo an educational credential assessment to verify that their credentials (i.e. diploma, certificate, degree) are valid and equal to a Canadian certificate/diploma program. Generally, the provincial regulatory board would assess the credentials.
Before Starting Work
Employment requirements
The following is what you typically need for the job. You may need to obtain a certification from a regulatory authority before you start working. Find out if this occupation is regulated in your province or territory and contact the regulatory authority to learn about the certification process.
For Funeral Directors
- Completion of a one- to two-year college program and a twelve- to twenty-month practical apprenticeship program during or following the educational program
- Licensure is required in most provinces and territories
- Funeral directors may also be required to be licensed embalmers depending on provincial requirements.
For Embalmers
- Completion of a two- to three-year college program and a twelve- to twenty-month practical apprenticeship program during or following the educational program
OR - Completion of a three-year college program
Licensure is required in all provinces
Immigrating to Canada
Immigrate through Express Entry
Skilled immigrants who want to settle in Canada permanently and take part in our economy must follow this application process:
Eligibility to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker (Express Entry)
In addition to meeting all minimum language ability and education requirements, applicants must have skilled work experience. Skilled work experience means that you have worked in one of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER categories:
- Teer 0
- Teer 1
- Teer 2
- Teer 3
Funeral Director and Embalmer are TEER 2 occupations.