Newcomers · Jobs and credentials

Put your skills from home to work here.

Your degree, diploma and years of work in Kenya count. The trick is knowing which door to knock on. Everything below comes from the government or the organisation that runs the service, and we link you to the source.

Last checked October 20, 2026. Rules change, so confirm on the linked page before you go or pay anything.

Start early: ask your school in Kenya for your transcripts and certificates, and your old employer for reference letters, before you need them. Assessments and regulators often want documents sent to them directly, and that can take weeks.

1. Find out if your job is regulated

In Ontario some jobs are regulated. That means you need a licence from a regulatory body before you can work in that job or use its title. Nursing, medicine, engineering, teaching, accounting and many skilled trades are examples. For any other job, the employer decides whether your experience is enough.

Health jobs (nurses, doctors, dentists and others): Health Force Ontario's Access Centre helps internationally trained health workers get licensed and employed.
Every other regulated profession or trade: contact Global Experience Ontario at geo@ontario.ca or toll free 1-866-670-4094.
If you are already licensed in another Canadian province, you may be able to get an Ontario licence without more training or tests.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Work in your profession or trade" and Health Force Ontario

2. Credential assessment for immigration is not a licence

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) says what your Kenyan degree or diploma is equal to in Canada. You need one for some immigration programs, such as Express Entry. But it does not give you a licence, and it does not promise a job in your field. For a regulated job you still apply to the regulator.

The organisations most people use for an ECA:

World Education Services (WES)
International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
Comparative Education Service, University of Toronto
International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
International Credential Evaluation Service, British Columbia Institute of Technology (ICES)

Doctors, pharmacists and architects use their own professional body instead. The source page explains which.

Source: Government of Canada, "Education credential assessment"

3. Nurses trained outside Canada

To become a Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Ontario, you apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).

Create an account on CNO's online portal.
Have your nursing education documents checked by one of the credential assessment providers CNO approves. The provider sends them to CNO. Ask the provider about its fees first.
Then start your application with CNO and pay the application fee, which is not refundable.
CNO will tell you what else it needs from you, for example proof of English or French and of your immigration status.
Training as a doctor, midwife or other health worker does not qualify you to register as a nurse, even if you did nursing duties at home.

Source: College of Nurses of Ontario, "Registration guide: educated outside Canada"

4. Skilled trades

Electricians, plumbers, mechanics and many other trades can have their experience from outside Canada assessed by Skilled Trades Ontario. If your experience meets the standard, you can write the certifying exam. Pass it and you get a Certificate of Qualification. There are fees.

Source: Skilled Trades Ontario, "Trade equivalency assessment"

5. Bridge training programs

Ontario's bridge training programs help skilled newcomers get work that matches their qualifications from home. They offer training for your job, help getting your licence or certificate, and help finding work. Search the list for your field.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Ontario Bridge Training Program"

6. Free job help in Thunder Bay

Employment Ontario gives free one-on-one help from a counsellor: resumes, interview practice, job search and training. Its Better Jobs Ontario program can help pay for training. Use the service finder to see the Employment Ontario offices in Thunder Bay, or call toll free 1-800-387-5656 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Thunder Bay Multicultural Association runs an Employment Connector program for newcomers. Call 807-345-0551 or see our First 30 Days guide for their details.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Employment Ontario" and Thunder Bay Multicultural Association

7. "Canadian experience" in job ads

Since January 1, 2026, an Ontario employer with 25 or more employees may not ask for Canadian experience in a public job ad or its application form. The same ads must also show the expected pay or a pay range, and say whether the employer uses AI to screen applicants. If you are interviewed, the employer has to tell you whether a hiring decision has been made.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Requirements related to publicly advertised job postings"

8. Your rights at work

Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 an hour, from October 1, 2026.
On a work permit you have the same workplace rights and protections as Canadians.
Your employer may not take your passport or work permit, and may not make you pay back fees they paid to recruit you.
Your employer may not make you do unsafe work, or work that is not in your employment agreement, or punish you for reporting a problem.

Pay or unfair treatment: Ontario employment standards: 1-800-531-5551
Unsafe work or injury: Ontario health and safety: 1-877-202-0008
Abuse of a foreign worker: Service Canada confidential tip line: 1-866-602-9448, in more than 200 languages
Danger right now: Call 911

Source: Government of Ontario, "Minimum wage" and Government of Canada, "Get to know your rights while working in Canada"

Having trouble with an employer or an immigration consultant? See free legal and immigration help.

Never pay to get a job. Be careful with anyone who asks for money, your SIN or bank details before you have a written job offer from an employer you have checked.

9. Where to look for jobs

Job Bank, the Government of Canada's job site. Search for Thunder Bay.
Jobs on Wakenyatbay: jobs shared by wakenya and by employers who want to hear from our community.
More places to look: the big local employers' careers pages, and other job sites.

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Got your licence here? Tell us how.

If you went through this as a nurse, engineer, teacher or tradesperson, your story will help the next person. Tell us what worked and what we should add.

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This guide is general information, not legal, immigration or career advice. For your own situation, speak to the regulator for your job, Employment Ontario, or the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association.

Next guide: Your first winter →