Here is a report from the ICC Policy Committee:
Though Canada has a skill-based immigration system, employment outcomes for skilled professionals who come to Canadian provinces like Ontario are recognized by analysts and stakeholders alike as poor, creating detrimental economic and social effects. In 2010, only 32% of new immigrants to Ontario were able to have their credentials recognized. Lack of credential recognition combined with discriminatory labour practices are thought to contribute to larger trends; for example, that newcomers make approximately 60% of the salary of a Canadian-born worker. Furthermore, these inferior employment outcomes for foreign trained professionals are estimated to lose Ontario’s economy as a whole over $15.2 billion annually, equivalent to 2% of our province’s GDP. [1]
This report, completed by the Policy Committee of the Iranian Canadian Congress, makes a series of recommendations for the Ontario government to address the issue of the inferior employment outcomes of immigrants. Many of these recommendations are taken from provinces outside of Ontario and other immigrant receiving countries. Specifically, we make recommendations that seek to address labour market discrimination, financial difficulties of immigrant professionals, the lack of transparency of accrediting institutions, and social difficulties of labour market integration. These recommendations include:
- Establishing incentive and auditing regimes to combat discriminatory hiring and labour practices;
- Increasing the financial assistance and loans available to immigrant professionals;
- Increasing provincial government oversight of the various accreditation bodies in Ontario, including:
- The establishment of an independent ombudsman who has the power to issue binding resolutions;
- Increased legislative involvement in the accreditation process;
- Providing immigrant professionals with social supports including childcare and counselling.
Click here to review the full report from the ICC Policy Committee.
[1] https://www.competeprosper.ca/uploads/2017_Immigration_in_Ontario_Achieving_best_outcomes_Full_report.pdf