June 11, 2026
Advocacy across the sector has led to more progress in including Direct Support Professionals in Ontario’s immigration pathways. An immigration pathway prioritizes students and professionals who work in certain careers, making it easier for them to move to Canada.
In a recent Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (ONIP) draw, we noticed that “Direct Support Professional” was not listed as an immigration pathway career, which would make it harder for DSPs on temporary work permits to move toward permanent residency.
How Karis Responded
The Human Resources Committee of the Provincial Network (an Ontario forum for developmental services agencies), chaired by me, Jennifer Gleva, Chief People & Culture Officer, raised this concern with our government partners.
The Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development asked for more information to support including DSPs in future draws.
The Human Resources Committee gathered 52 responses from different developmental services agencies. We put the responses in a letter to our government partners, outlining:
- our reliance on international students, which we showed through workforce and hiring data,
- the history of the DSP career and how it has been included in past Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program draws,
- and impacts on college enrollment and the future workforce pipeline.
On May 8, we received confirmation that Direct Support Professionals will be included in three International Student streams as of late April 2026.
Why This Matters at Karis
- Over 400 DSPs at Karis work on temporary permits — over 12% of our workforce.
- Nearly 40% of recent DSP hires have been on temporary permits.
- We want to be able to retain our trained and engaged workforce.
Jennifer Gleva, Chief People and Culture Officer