Immigrant engineers can get work in their profession even without Canadian work experience.
Ontario’s regulatory bodies will have to do away with the licensing requirement of Canadian work experience before December 2, 2023. It will help the province manage labor shortages as nearly 300,000 job positions remain vacant daily in Ontario.
The criterion of Canadian work experience was a significant barrier for immigrant engineers to find work in their profession. Three fourth of engineers cannot work in their study-related professions. The new law will reduce productivity loss which costs Ontario billions of dollars.
In Ontario, internationally trained engineers account for over 60 percent of license applications each year. Ontario aims to help workers across regulated professions to find appropriate jobs. Dropping work experience requirements is essential for reducing processing times.
The law encompasses several trades and professions across non-health-related sectors. These include electricians, social workers, architects, teachers, and plumbers. Failure to comply with the law to remove Canadian work experience requirements will attract heavy fines.
Internationally trained engineers must fulfill other eligibility criteria to prove their expertise and knowledge in project management, technical communication, and professional competencies.
