Over 60 per cent of new immigrants to Canada each year choose to live and work in the province of Ontario. Recently a series of steps have been taken to ensure that professionals who received their training outside of Canada can work in their fields. In May the Government of Canada announced the creation of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office, a service center that will have over 300 locations across Canada and more around the world. Since that announcement, two recent developments have occurred in Ontario which should help bring down barriers for foreign-trained professionals who wish to work in the province.
Teaching is the first profession to be affected in Ontario. Building on the existing Teach in Ontario project, Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration announced a new bridging program for internationally-trained teachers. The program extends beyond training about the educational environment in Ontario to help recently-arrived teachers to find work in Ontario. Brian McGowan of the Ontario College of Teachers said that his organization welcomes any initiative to help bring internationally-educated professionals into Ontario’s education system, saying "they bring new ideas, a fresh perspective, often years of teaching experience, and the cultural and language diversity that characterizes a significant part of our student population.”
Another profession that received welcome news in Ontario is engineering. In recognition of efforts to remove barriers for foreign-trained professionals to work in Ontario, Professional Engineers Ontario (the industry’s regulatory association) is waiving the $230 fee for all new immigrants applying for their engineering license within 6 months of arriving in Canada. In addition, foreign-trained engineers may now register in the Engineering Intern Program for the first year at no cost.
To work in certain professions in Ontario, individuals must obtain certification from regulatory associations. Ontario has taken the lead among Canadian provinces in removing obstacles for foreign-trained professionals, most notably by passing the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act, which became law earlier this year.
Sources: Canadian Immigrant Magazine; Citizenship and Immigration Ontario
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