The Ontario government is implementing new regulations to block people without legal immigration status from receiving social assistance benefits.
Premier Doug Ford took to social media on Aug. 13 to announce amendments have been made to the Ontario Works Act and the Ontario Disability Support Program Act to clarify the criteria for social assistance eligibility.
“Taxpayer-funded social assistance was never meant to support people living in Ontario illegally,” Ford wrote in an Aug. 13 X post. “As of today, it doesn’t.”
The announcement follows a pledge made by Ford last month to make changes after media coverage about a tribunal decision that granted Ontario Works payments to a man who arrived in Canada decades earlier on a temporary work permit that has since expired.
Ford had commented last month about the case of the man who came to Canada in 1997 on a four-year temporary work permit and never left. The man supported himself with cash-paying jobs for years until entering the homeless shelter system in 2023.
The Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal ruled in May that the man was eligible to receive financial benefits.
Ford said he disagreed with the decision. He wrote in a July social media post that his government would help people who have fallen on hard times, but he emphasized that this did not apply to “people living in Canada illegally.”
The newly announced changes confirm that both those living in Canada illegally and individuals who are authorized to remain temporarily, such as students on a visa, will no longer be able to access social assistance or disability payments. Those with work permits will also not be eligible for benefits.
“These changes will protect taxpayer dollars and ensure these programs are there for the people who they were intended to support,” Social Services Minister Michael Parsa said in a press release, noting that the changes “take effect immediately.”
Tory MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who serves as her party’s shadow immigration minister, also commented on the man’s case last month, calling the tribunal’s ruling “yet another government action that undermines core principles of our immigration system.”
Rempel Garner last week called on the federal government to back any provincial measures made to maintain the integrity of the immigration system.
Those seeking financial assistance through Ontario Works must be at least 16 years old, be residents of Ontario, and “participate in employment activities,” according to the provincial website. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and cannot have assets exceeding $10,000 for an individual or $15,000 for a couple.
The current guidelines state that a single person without dependents is eligible to receive a maximum of $733 per month, while a couple with two children could qualify for up to $1,553.
