Mobility Rights: Your Right to Move and Work Anywhere in Canada

Section 6 of the Charter protects mobility rights.

What it protects

• Citizens: the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.
• Citizens and permanent residents: the right to move to, live in, and pursue a livelihood in any province.

The limits

Provinces can still have:

• laws that apply to everyone in the province, as long as they don't discriminate mainly based on where a person lives or used to live;
• reasonable residency requirements for some social services;
• licensing rules for professions, such as law or medicine.

Practical examples

• A professional licensed in another province may still need to meet Ontario's licensing rules, though many trades and professions have recognition agreements.
• Moving to Ontario usually means exchanging your driver's licence and applying for an Ontario health card, each with its own waiting periods and deadlines.

Leaving and returning

Citizens can't be refused entry to Canada. Permanent residents have a separate residency obligation under immigration law to keep their status.

Sources

• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Read next: French-Language Rights in Ontario Courts and Government

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 16 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Unsplash: A tall building with a sky background · a building with columns and a street light in front of it.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.