In a bid to help more immigrants get jobs in Ontario, the province is planning to ban the use of Canadian work experience as a requirement in application forms and job postings.
The Ford government announced Thursday that it will introduce legislation that, if passed, would make it the first province in Canada to do so.
In a news release, the province said the change will help more candidates progress in the interview process and fill labour shortages in health care and other industries.
It follows legislation “to prohibit regulated professions from requiring discriminatory Canadian work experience requirements in licensing for more than 30 occupations, which comes into effect December 2023,” the release said.
From January to September this year, more than 162,000 immigrants arrived in Ontario.
“For far too long, too many people arriving in Canada have been funnelled toward dead-end jobs they’re overqualified for,” Labour Minister David Piccini said.
“We need to ensure these people can land well-paying and rewarding careers that help tackle the labour shortage.”
The province also said it is proposing changes that would increase the number of international students eligible to apply to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
“The government is also proposing changes to improve oversight and accountability of how regulated professions like accountants, architects and geoscientists use third-party organizations to assess international qualifications to ensure assessments are done in a way that is fast, transparent and fair,” the release said.
The Ford government also noted that it has told the federal government that it should have “significantly more influence” over selecting the economic immigrants coming to the province.
Ontario welcomes more immigrants than any other province each year, the Ford government said.
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