As 71 new Canadians were sworn in as citizens to celebrate Canada Day, some immigrants with professional skills are struggling to stay in the country because of strict eligibility rules.
In Iran, he was Dr. Babk Kiaei, but since he brought his family to Canada two years, he's been known simply as Mr. Kiaei.
The 42-year-old spends his days studying for medical exams so he can practice the profession he enjoyed for 15 years before immigrating.
"I never want to throw out my career. Never. I want to keep it. I tried so much for it. I was born with it, and I will die with it," he told CTV News.
Kiaei and his wife, an Iranian-trained emergency room cardiologist, worked in Tehran's best hospitals before the political climate shifted.
They were forced to leave home for a better future in Canada, but they've hit a wall of bureaucracy that is keeping them sidelined from their professions -- despite a doctor shortage in B.C.
"Unfortunately they never use us. I don't know why they never use us. Why they don't want to use me, when I'm ready. I'm here. Sitting. My time is ready," Kiaei said.
He's not alone. There are thousands of internationally trained professionals who aren't considered qualified enough to practice in B.C.
Eyob Naizghi of MOSAIC, the immigration services provider, said it's a shame that so many newly arrived professionals can't work in their chosen fields.
"Unfortunate -- yeah. Very crazy -- yeah. We have a lot of engineers, a lot of nurses washing dishes," Naizghi said.
"It is a double whammy, and I think we are failing them. We are failing ourselves. We are failing their families."
He says the government is aware that a streamlining of the regulatory system is needed, so that unnecessary steps can be shortened.
As for Kiaei, he continues to study, surviving on money sent from his extended family in Iran. But he hopes that one day he'll join the citizenship ceremony, and become a Canadian doctor treating his fellow Canadians.
Watch CTV News at Five for a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger
