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The proposed changes to the provincial immigration program would also:

•Allow officials to return applications that no longer match current job market needs or raise concerns;

•Grant inspectors the authority to require in-person interviews with applicants through the , to improve program integrity and prevent fraudulent claims;

•Further digitalize the application process by letting employers hoping to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence submit applications directly and electronically to a new employer portal, starting this summer.

These are among 18 new proposed measures in the  that the Conservative government hopes to adopt to meet changing economic needs and build a stronger workforce.

“We’re proposing changes that will prepare workers and businesses for the jobs of the future, while helping workers facing impacts from U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty,” said David Piccini, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development, in a statement.

“This package underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our province’s most valuable resource — our workers.”

The Ontario immigration program, which allows the province to select and nominate prospective permanent residents for federal processing, has grown in capacity from 6,650 spots in 2019 to 21,500 last year, becoming a significant driving force of economic immigrants to the province. 

However, the Office of the Auditor General last December also identified numerous problems with the management of the program.

Not only did few nominated immigrants have jobs or work experience in occupations with the highest vacancies, it found that verification processes were weak, particularly where documents are susceptible to misrepresentation or forgery.

“Results of inspections pointed to weaknesses in the Ministry’s processes and mechanisms to prevent and catch misrepresentation before an application is approved and candidates are nominated,” said , noting that most inspections took the form of desk audits.

Other proposed measures in the Working for Workers Seven Act include: requiring automated external defibrillators on construction projects; demanding job posting platforms to have a mechanism to report fraudulent publicly advertised job postings to the platform; speeding up referrals to in-demand training such as micro-credentials; and increasing support for workers in response to tariff-related terminations and layoffs.