Ontario to ban requirements for Canadian work experience in job postings

Toronto – The Ontario government will soon introduce legislation that, if passed, would make it the first province in Canada to help even more internationally trained immigrants work in the fields they’ve studied in by banning the use of Canadian work experience as a requirement in job postings or application forms.

This change would help more qualified candidates progress in the interview process and follows historic 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 Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said in a news release.

“For far too long, too many people arriving in Canada have been funnelled toward dead-end jobs they’re overqualified for,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “We need to ensure these people can land well-paying and rewarding careers that help tackle the labour shortage. When newcomers to Ontario get a meaningful chance to contribute, everyone wins.”

The government is also proposing changes that would increase the number of international students in Ontario eligible to apply to the Ontario Immigrant ominee Program by revising eligibility requirements for one-year college graduate certificate programs.

The legislative changes are part of a larger package that will expand on the actions introduced in the Working for Workers Acts, 2021, 2022 and 2023, which will be announced in the coming days.