The proposed changes by Ontario will be beneficial for international skilled immigrants, as they will get employment in their own professional expertise.
If these changes are approved and passed by the legislation, the challenge faced by immigrants who did not get a job according to their qualification and experience will subside eventually. This had been a long-time barrier in the Canadian work environment. In other words, there won’t be a need for previous employment experience in Canada in order to get a certification or work license. The initial areas where it will be applied are non-health-related professions, architects, teachers, hairstylists, plumbers, accountants, engineers, and toddler educators.
The ministry of labor in a recent press release declared that it will analyze the issues with the health ministry of the province and check if these changes would apply to the health industry or not.
The immigrants who have recently moved or started living in the country shall pass the language test to receive a proper official licensing next to the submission of one purpose related to immigration.
Additionally, applicants will be eligible to register quickly in their expertise field of the profession when the province faces emergency requirements of professionals in certain fields of employment just as it has been happening during the pandemic. It must also look over that the process of licensing is completed in a given time frame. Right now, the total duration of licensing takes around 18 months, or even more than that in certain professions. It also forbids the workers to take up employment during that period.
The Canadian Minister of Labor, Training, and Skills Development, Monte McNaughton said, “Ontario is facing a generational labor shortage with hundreds of thousands of jobs going unfilled. However, all too often, newcomers in this province struggle to find jobs in their regulated profession for no other reason than bureaucracy and red tape.”
He further stated that “These are folks who often have the training, experience, and qualifications to work in booming industries where Ontario desperately needs help but are being denied a chance to contribute. If these proposed changes are passed, Ontario would become the first province in Canada to help level the playing field in certain regulated professions so that workers coming here have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones, and build stronger communities for us all.” (Source: CIC News)
According to Minister McNaughton, only 25 percent of all immigrants residing in Ontario have a job in their field of expertise. There are 293,000 job profiles yet to be filled in Ontario. Once this labor gap is bridged, Ontario’s GDP will take a leap by an estimated $20 billion.
In the coming weeks, it is assumed that more information and regulations will be released.
