Why It’s Getting Harder to Land a Job in Canada as an Internationally Trained Professional

After decades of helping internationally trained professionals (ITPs) transition into successful white-collar careers in Canada, I’ve learned this: the barriers you face aren’t always about skill. In fact, they’re rarely about skill. More often, they’re about systems - how they recognize (or ignore) your experience, how they measure risk, and how quickly they adapt to the workforce Canada actually has, not the one it thinks it needs.

In this piece, I’ll unpack what’s happening right now in the Canadian job market for ITPs, how it’s changed from just a year ago, and why the odds have shifted in ways many professionals never anticipated.


The Current Landscape: What’s New in Mid-2025

There’s no denying it - the hiring climate in Canada has cooled over the last year. Employers are still hiring, but they’re more cautious, choosier, and leaning more on internal candidates or local networks. If you’re internationally trained and trying to break into the Canadian market, here are the top 10 challenges you’re likely facing right now:

1. Credential Recognition Delays

Lengthy, costly, and inconsistent processes for evaluating foreign education and experience.

2. “Canadian Experience” Requirement 

 Many employers prefer or demand local work experience, excluding qualified newcomers.

3. Hidden Bias and Discrimination

Unconscious bias, name-based discrimination, and systemic racism - even by former immigrants and recent newcomers - hinders fair hiring.

4. Limited Professional Networks

Lack of access to industry connections and referrals compared to locally trained peers.

5. Underemployment

Many settle for survival jobs well below their skill level due to financial pressure, lack of opportunities, and emotional exhaustion.

6. Complex Job Application Processes

Unfamiliarity with Canadian-style resumes, cover letters, and interview expectations. People expect to use a CV and it doesn't work.

7. Licensing and Regulatory Barriers

Regulated professions (e.g., engineering, healthcare) require exams, retraining, or supervised work.

8. Lack of Employer Understanding

Employers may not know how to assess international qualifications or how skills transfer.

9. Limited Access to Mentorship and Support

Few structured programs to guide skilled immigrants in navigating career paths, and many many contradictory programs offered by well-intentioned people who actually don't know what they're doing. 

10. Mental Health and Confidence Strain

Repeated rejection and professional isolation can lead to stress, anxiety, and loss of identity.

How This Differs From the U.S.

Many clients ask me why Canada seems more rigid or closed off to foreign-trained professionals than the U.S. They’re not imagining it. Here are three key reasons:

1. Federal vs. State Licensing
Canada’s licensing bodies are more centralized and uniformly strict. In the US, state-by-state systems often allow for more flexibility or partial recognition of foreign qualifications.

2. Market Size and Job Diversity
The U.S. has a larger, more varied economy. That opens up more doors in niche fields or multicultural hubs. Canada’s smaller market, especially outside major cities and the vast total areas, doesn’t offer the same range.

3. Stronger Cultural Emphasis on “Canadian Experience”
Canadian employers often see local experience as a shortcut for evaluating soft skills and workplace fit. In contrast, many U.S. employers focus more directly on technical skills and outcomes. They are similar, but very different cultures.


The “Canadian Experience” Filter: What's Behind It?

Let’s be honest: not all experience is created equal. There are life-or-death professions - medicine, nuclear energy, aviation - where rigorous retraining is essential. But the problem isn’t with those checks. The problem is when this same logic is extended to office jobs, middle management, and non-regulated fields where international experience could (and should) be an asset.

Why the overreach?

Risk Aversion
Canadian employers are often more conservative than their U.S. counterparts. “Canadian experience” becomes a safety net - a way to reduce onboarding risk or uncertainty around communication and work style. 90% of organizations here are small to medium-sized businesses and it's hard, embarrassing, and expensive to recover from a hiring mistake.

Credential Ambiguity
Hiring managers may not know how to interpret foreign job titles, schools, or certifications, so they default to what they understand, and to cultures they are personally familiar with.

Cultural Stereotyping
In some cases, negative past experiences or unfounded assumptions about certain countries influence employer decisions, consciously or not. Newcomers will bring biases, prejudices and preferences from their country of origin.

The Numbers: Then vs. Now

Here’s what has changed over the past year, and why it matters for you if you’re an internationally trained professional trying to land a job in Canada.

In other words, your odds have gone down. Not because you’re less valuable, but because the system is tightening. There are fewer job postings, less visibility for foreign candidates, and more competition from well-networked locals.


What to Do About It

If you're reading this and thinking “so what’s the point?” you’re not alone. But ITPs who succeed in this climate do a few key things differently:

-They get strategic support early on, before they start applying. This includes targeted resume support, role-played interviews, and sector-specific guidance.
- They network intentionally - not randomly or sporadically or drop a one-off DM never to reappear. It’s not about coffee chats. It’s about value-driven conversations and showing up in the right rooms.
- They build a narrative that connects their international experience to Canadian business outcomes. “Global” can be an asset, but only if it’s framed in local terms.

I’ve worked with physicians who now lead hospital teams, engineers running multi-million-dollar projects, and professionals who went from cleaning offices to running them. The work is real. The growth is real. But it’s not just about working hard - of course it’s about working smart in a system that’s slow to see your value.

If you’re ready to do that work, I’m here.

About the Author

Anna is an organizational psychologist and executive coach, with a special interest in all things technology. We’re part of the team at Garleff Coaching and Consulting Group. If this article has struck a chord, please let us know.
Anna Garleff Cell: +1 587 224 3793 / anna@garleffcoaching.com
www.garleffcoaching.com