Immigrant Skill Utilization in the Hospitality Sector—April 2026

From Newcomers to Game Changers: Immigrant Skill Utilization in the Hospitality Sector

Immigrants are more likely than Canadian-born workers to be overeducated for their jobs in hospitality. However, many employers view hospitality as a valuable path for newcomers to hone their skills and progress to higher-level jobs.

International students have been a primary source of foreign labour supply for the hospitality sector since 2015. With caps on this source of foreign labour, can the sector still rely on immigration as a source of entry-level labour? What happens when essential hospitality roles don’t earn enough points for permanent residency—and how does this impact workforce stability? How much talent are employers overlooking when language barriers overshadow immigrants’ technical skills in hospitality?

Read the issue briefing to get our full analysis.

Cette publication est disponible en français.