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Professional Journeys of International Medical Graduates in Quebec: Recognition, Uphill Battles, or Career Change

Author

Listed:
  • Marie-Jeanne Blain

    (Université de Montréal)

  • Sylvie Fortin

    (Université de Montréal)

  • Fernando Alvarez

    (Université de Montréal)

Abstract

In Quebec and Canada, immigration policies are designed to attract “the best and the brightest.” Once migration occurs, however, the “brain waste” is challenging. This research focuses on the professional trajectories of international medical graduates (IMG) who migrate to Quebec. The main goal is to understand why certain individuals of a similar occupational group can easily access the doctoral profession while others cannot. Following a qualitative approach, and stemming from IMGs’ perspectives, this article explores the interplay of economic, social, and symbolic resources in a context of highly fragmented institutional resources and protectionism. We are critical of the individual-centered approaches that ignore social norms and constraints. If migrants are free to choose their paths and manner of integration, the “human capital” approach is limited in explaining the heterogeneous pathways within the same professional group. The current structure for professional recognition places unusual constraints on IMGs, whereby some encounter more obstacles than others. The “battle” for professional recognition takes shape in a highly competitive context, one which—although presented as a neutral process—is underlain with ideological, relational, and subjective currents.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie-Jeanne Blain & Sylvie Fortin & Fernando Alvarez, 2017. "Professional Journeys of International Medical Graduates in Quebec: Recognition, Uphill Battles, or Career Change," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 223-247, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:18:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s12134-016-0475-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-016-0475-z
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sabina Kubiciel-Lodzińska & Jolanta Maj, 2021. "High-Skilled vs. Low-Skilled Migrant Women: the Use of Competencies and Knowledge—Theoretical and Political Implications: an Example of the Elderly Care Sector in Poland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1551-1571, December.
    2. Mohammad M. H. Raihan & Nashit Chowdhury & Tanvir C. Turin, 2023. "Low Job Market Integration of Skilled Immigrants in Canada: The Implication for Social Integration and Mental Well-Being," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Tanvir C. Turin & Nashit Chowdhury & Deidre Lake, 2022. "Lost in Transition: The Need for a Strategic Approach to Facilitate Job Market Integration of Internationally Educated Physicians through Alternative Careers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-5, March.
    4. Tanvir C. Turin & Nashit Chowdhury & Deidre Lake, 2023. "Alternative Careers toward Job Market Integration: Barriers Faced by International Medical Graduates in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-19, January.

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