Maple News reports that the Ontario government is proposing groundbreaking legislation aimed at reducing employment barriers for internationally trained workers. If passed, the new law would remove the long-standing requirement for Canadian work experience when applying for licensing in many regulated professions.
This legislative shift targets roles outside the healthcare sector, including engineers, architects, electricians, plumbers, accountants, hairstylists, teachers, and early childhood educators. These fields often demand prior Canadian work credentials, creating a major obstacle for skilled immigrants whose qualifications are already recognized globally.
The province also plans to eliminate the need for immigrants to submit a second language test during the licensing process if they have already completed one as part of their immigration application. This move aims to streamline integration and reduce redundancy in credential verification.
According to Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, Monte McNaughton, only about 25% of immigrants in Ontario work in fields matching their training. At the same time, over 293,000 job vacancies persist across the province. Removing regulatory obstacles would help close this growing skill-utilization gap, potentially adding an estimated $20 billion to Ontario’s GDP.
In addition to removing work experience barriers, the proposed changes would also speed up licensing times, which currently can take up to 18 months or more. A faster process would allow skilled newcomers to join the workforce sooner, especially during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, when expertise is urgently needed.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has confirmed that it will collaborate with the provincial Ministry of Health to explore extending these reforms into healthcare professions in the future, although no specific timeline has been announced yet.
With these reforms, Ontario could become the first Canadian province to tackle systemic licensing barriers head-on for non-health regulated professions — a pivotal step toward full economic inclusion for immigrants.
These changes are part of a broader provincial strategy to address Ontario’s chronic labor shortages and reduce red tape that prevents capable workers from contributing to high-demand industries.
Details on the implementation and next steps for the proposed legislation are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.