The Ontario Government has announced various measures this year aimed at removing interprovincial barriers. These measures include accelerating the mobility of professionals, including professional engineers, within Canada.
Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) fully supports the need to reduce interprovincial barriers to promote continued economic growth. Since April, PEO has been working closely with the government to understand the impacts of any new proposed regulations on PEO’s licensing process, specifically the impacts on “transfer applicants” from other provinces.
Yesterday, the government confirmed via news release that new regulations, to take effect as of January 1, 2026, will support the removal of interprovincial barriers for Canadian professionals coming to Ontario. The new regulations will ensure that Canadians in certain professions, including engineers, can begin working in Ontario within 10 days once credentials and requirements are confirmed by the regulator.
In the coming days, PEO will be reviewing the new proposed regulations in order to understand the impacts on PEO’s licensing process, specifically the impacts on “transfer applicants” from other provinces.
PEO’s current interprovincial transfer licence process – which uses guiding principles directed by the Ontario Labour Mobility Act and is bound by the registration-related timelines of the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA) – ensures that applications for licensure are acknowledged within ten days, and registration decisions are made within 30 days. Also, Professional Engineers licensed with a Canadian engineering regulator in good standing can apply to become a P.Eng. licence holder without repeating the standard licence application process.
Since at least 2021, PEO has been a willing partner with the government in its efforts to streamline licensing, to ensure that qualified, accountable professionals are able to work and build in Ontario, regardless of whether they were educated and trained in Canada or elsewhere. We continue to strive to maintain a robust, fair, and responsive licensure system that meets Ontario’s economic needs while always prioritizing public safety.
We are entirely committed to working with the government to ensure that any actions being taken to strengthen Ontario’s economy and facilitate easier interprovincial commerce and industrial development align with our regulatory obligations—particularly our role in ensuring public protection.
Visit www.peo.on.ca/apply for more information on applying for a professional engineering licence in Ontario.