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Ontario bill targets removal of licensure barriers for immigrant engineers
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recent Ontario bill aims to eliminate the requirement for Canadian work experience, often cited as the most significant barrier for Canadian immigrants seeking licensure in fields such as engineering. Just one quarter of internationally-trained immigrants in Ontario are employed in the regulated professions for which they trained, despite a massive labour shortage of about 300,000 unfilled positions in those same professions, according to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Ontario is facing a generational labour shortage with hundreds of thousands of jobs going unfilled,” says Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “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 added. In October, Ontario introduced Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021. Among the changes proposed by the bill is a plan to remove barriers for internationally-trained individuals to get licensed to practise in certain regulated profes-
impediments to licensure. It proposes to reduce “burdensome” duplication for official language proficiency testing, so people would not have to complete multiple tests for purposes of immigration and professional licensing. The bill would also allow applicants to register faster in their regulated professions during emergencies, such as Ontario has introduced Bill 27, Working a pandemic. At present, licensing time for Workers Act, 2021. Among the changes proposed by the bill is a plan to remove barriers in some regulated professions takes up to 18 months or more, Ontario offifor internationally-trained individuals. cials said. The new bill aims to “ensure Credit: Gorodenkoff, stock.adobe.com the licensing process is completed in a timely manner to help internationalsions, including engineering. Notably, ly-trained immigrants start working in the bill would also impact fields such as careers that match their skillset.” law, accounting, architecture, electrical Through the Ontario Bridge Trainand plumbing. ing Program, Ontario is investing $67 If passed, the bill would make Ontario million over three years on programs the first province to level the playing and services that connect internationalfield. “This new legislation is a path for- ly-trained immigrants with in-demand ward that will optimistically continue to jobs in their communities. bridge support for internationally-educated professionals as they look to prac- Report by ES&E staff. Email: tise safely and effectively in a new pro- editor@esemag.com fessional environment,” stated Engineers Canada in a recent news release. Ontario’s Bill 27 targets several other
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