Internationally trained engineers no longer require Canadian work experience to be licensed in Ontario, the province’s labour minister said Tuesday, calling the move a “game changer.”

The development for qualified immigrant engineers will help fill roughly 7,000 vacant positions in Ontario, said Labour Minister Monte McNaughton.

“I hear it every day that the single biggest barrier to immigrants landing well-paying jobs is a requirement many regulators have for Canadian work experience,” he said at a news conference at a Toronto construction site.

“This move is a game changer that will help thousands of qualified immigrant engineers pursue their dreams over the coming years.”

Professional Engineers Ontario is the first regulatory association to make the change since the province introduced legislation in October 2021 preventing certain regulated professions and skilled trades from requiring Canadian experience qualifications, unless they get a ministerial exemption, McNaughton said.

The legislation covers more than 30 non-health-care-related professions and trades, including architects, accountants and electricians.

In Ontario, 300,000 jobs are unfilled and only a quarter of internationally trained immigrants are working in professions they studied, the minister said.

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