Finding a job in Canada - Job Bank, regulated professions and credential recognition

Before you start

• Permission to work in Canada (citizenship, permanent residence or a work permit), or a plan for which work permit you will apply for
• A Social Insurance Number before you start working (see the SIN guide)

Documents you need

• Valid passport

  required

• Work permit

  optional

• Educational credential assessment report

  Required for some immigration programs; helpful but not a licence

  optional

• English or French language test results

  Often required by regulators and immigration programs

  optional

• Social Insurance Number confirmation

  Needed when you start a job

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm that you may work, and under which conditions

   • Permanent residents can work for any employer in Canada.
   • With an open work permit you can work for most employers.
   • With an employer-specific work permit you may only work for the employer, in the job and location, named on the permit. Changing jobs usually means applying for a new permit first.
   • Many international students can work off campus during their studies under the conditions printed on their study permit.

   If you are still outside Canada and need a job offer for your permit, look for employers who recruit internationally. On Job Bank, an icon marks postings that accept international candidates; another marks postings open only to citizens, permanent residents and people who already hold a work permit, which you cannot apply for from abroad. Our residence permits guide explains work permit types and the labour market impact assessment (LMIA).

2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether your occupation is regulated in Ontario

   Use the federal Foreign Credential Recognition Tool on Job Bank. Enter your occupation and a place such as Toronto: it shows whether the occupation is regulated there, which body regulates it, the typical time and cost of recognition, and related jobs you could do while you wait.

   Ontario's page Work in your profession or trade lists the regulators, for example:

   • Nursing: College of Nurses of Ontario
   • Medicine: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
   • Engineering: Professional Engineers Ontario
   • Teaching: Ontario College of Teachers
   • Accounting: Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
   • Law: Law Society of Ontario
   • Skilled trades such as electrician, plumber, hairstylist or automotive service technician: Skilled Trades Ontario

   Some fields, such as business, project management, sales and marketing, and supply chain and logistics, are not regulated in Ontario; information technology, financial services and environment are only partly regulated. Contact the regulator directly, ideally before you arrive, because requirements and timelines differ widely.

3. 3

   Step 3: Get your education and credentials assessed

   There are two different kinds of assessment, and you may need both:

   • Educational credential assessment (ECA) for immigration and for employers. For Express Entry, IRCC accepts ECAs from five designated organizations: the University of Toronto's Comparative Education Service, International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, World Education Services, International Qualifications Assessment Service and the British Columbia Institute of Technology's International Credential Evaluation Service. An ECA used for Express Entry must be less than 5 years old. An ECA can help employers understand your degree, but it is not a licence to practise (IRCC).
   • Licensing assessment by the regulatory body of your profession. The regulator decides whether your education, training and experience meet Ontario's standards and what exams, training or supervised practice you still need.

   Skilled tradespeople trained outside Canada can apply to Skilled Trades Ontario for a Trade Equivalency Assessment, which covers more than 80 trades; if you meet the standard you may challenge the certifying exam (Government of Ontario, 2026).

4. 4

   Step 4: Prepare a Canadian-style resume

   Job Bank's advice on writing a good resume is a good reference. In short:

   • Keep it to two pages and focus on recent experience; shorten or remove jobs older than about 15 years.
   • Put your name, address, email and phone number at the top, and tailor the resume to each job posting.
   • Describe achievements, with numbers where possible, rather than lists of duties.
   • Leave out a photo, your age, height, weight, marital status, religion and political views, and never include your Social Insurance Number. Job Bank notes that a photo is not the norm in Canada.
   • Keep references on a separate sheet and share them only when asked.

   If you are applying from abroad, Job Bank suggests stating whether you have a valid Canadian work permit.

5. 5

   Step 5: Search for jobs

   • Job Bank is the Government of Canada's free job board, with job alerts, wage information and career tools.
   • Employers' own career pages, including public employers such as the City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario and the federal public service.
   • Private job boards, recruitment agencies and professional networking sites are widely used. Recruitment agencies are paid by employers; be cautious if anyone asks you to pay for a job.
   • Professional associations and mentoring programs are a common way to meet people in your field.

   Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must include the expected pay or a pay range in publicly advertised job postings, cannot require Canadian work experience or Canadian education in postings or application forms (licensing requirements are still allowed), must say whether they use AI to screen applicants, and must tell interviewed candidates within 45 days whether a hiring decision has been made (Government of Ontario). See our guide to employment rights in Ontario.

6. 6

   Step 6: Use free employment and settlement services

   • Employment Ontario offers free help with resumes, interview preparation, job search and training at over 700 locations. Book an appointment through the Employment Ontario page or call 416-326-5656 (toll-free 1-800-387-5656), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (2026).
   • IRCC-funded settlement agencies help eligible newcomers with job search, credential recognition and language classes, free of charge. Find one with IRCC's find newcomer services near you tool.
   • The City of Toronto's Profession to Profession Mentoring Program matches internationally trained professionals with a mentor in their field for four to six months. It is aimed at people who have been in Canada for less than three years, have at least three years of international experience and a bachelor's degree or equivalent, and are unemployed or underemployed; see the City's newcomer employment page for all conditions.
   • Ontario Bridge Training Programs help highly skilled internationally trained immigrants get an Ontario licence or certificate, with occupation-specific training and workplace experience; bursaries of up to $5,000 are available in certain programs (Government of Ontario, 2026).
   • Internationally educated health professionals can get advice from the Health Force Ontario Access Centre; people in non-health regulated professions and trades can contact Global Experience Ontario (416-327-9694, toll-free 1-866-670-4094).
7. 7

   Step 7: Check the offer before you accept

   • Ask for a written offer that states the job title, pay, hours and start date, and check it against Ontario's minimum standards (minimum wage, overtime, vacation) in our guide to employment rights in Ontario.
   • If you need an employer-specific work permit, confirm with the employer whether an LMIA is needed and who prepares it. Employers must not charge or recover recruitment fees, or the $1,000 LMIA processing fee per position, from temporary foreign workers (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2026).
   • Once you start, your employer must get your Social Insurance Number within three days of your start date; if you do not have one yet, apply within those three days (Canada Revenue Agency; see our SIN guide).

Funding for credential recognition

Spotting job scams

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Waiting until after arrival to contact the regulator. Many licensing steps, such as document verification, can start from abroad.
• Using a long, detailed CV with a photo and personal details. Canadian employers expect a short, tailored resume without them.
• Treating an ECA as permission to practise. It only describes the Canadian equivalent of your education.
• Applying from abroad to postings that are open only to people already allowed to work in Canada.

Tips

• While you work towards a licence, the Foreign Credential Recognition Tool suggests related occupations you can work in without one.
• Ask settlement agencies and Employment Ontario providers about occupation-specific workshops and mentoring; many programs are free.
• Keep copies and certified translations of your diplomas, transcripts and reference letters; regulators and employers often ask for them.
• If you have a licence from another Canadian province or territory, you may be able to get an Ontario licence without extra training or exams under labour mobility rules.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Start your job searchAdd to plan
• Check whether your profession is regulated and how credentials are assessedAdd to plan
• Apply for your work permitAdd to plan
• Apply for your Social Insurance Number (SIN)Add to plan
• Check whether you could immigrate through Express EntryAdd to plan
• Check your pay, hours and vacation against Ontario's rulesAdd to plan
• Connect with free settlement services and language classesAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Feb 2027.