Ontario cuts social assistance eligibility for people without legal status in Canada

Ontario has changed its social assistance rules to prevent people without legal immigration status in Canada from receiving benefits.

The province has amended regulations governing Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, Community and Social Services Minister Michael Parsa announced.

The changes also make people who are authorised to remain in Canada temporarily, including those on student visas and work permits, ineligible for social assistance.

Parsa said the new rules are intended to ensure taxpayer money goes towards people facing financial hardship who are legally permitted to live in Canada.

Premier Doug Ford first promised the changes after media reports about a tribunal ruling that granted Ontario Works payments to a man who arrived in Canada decades ago on a temporary work permit that had since expired.

Ford said last month that his government would continue helping people experiencing financial difficulties, but “that doesn’t include people living in Canada illegally.”

The new regulations clarify eligibility requirements for both Ontario Works, which provides financial assistance to people in need, and ODSP, which supports eligible people with disabilities.

The province says the changes ensure people without legal status, as well as those authorised to remain in Canada only temporarily, cannot receive the programmes' social assistance payments.