Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) allows eligible foreign workers, international students and others with the required skills, experience and education to apply for a nomination for permanent residence in Ontario.

The OINP manages applications under three immigration categories: Human Capital Priorities Stream, Employer Job Offer and Business Immigration. Each category is further divided into several other streams.

(A) Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream

The human capital category of OINP has two sub-categories – the international graduate streams and Ontario’s Express Entry streams.

(I)  Express Entry Stream

This stream enables the province to nominate individuals who have qualified for in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) Express Entry pool and who have the required education, skilled work experience, language ability, and other characteristics to help them successfully establish and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities.

The stream is further divided into three categories.

• French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream: for French-Speaking skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French and English
• Human Capital Priorities stream: for skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French or English
• Skilled Trades stream: for workers with work experience in Ontario in an eligible trade occupation

Eligibility requirement

To be eligible under the Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream, candidates need to:

• Meet the eligibility requirements for one of the Canada’s Federal High Skilled programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
• Fulfil the stream’s work experience requirements;
• Hold a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a designated organization indicating that the foreign education credential is equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD;
• Demonstrate a language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies;
• Have intention to reside in Ontario, by providing documentation to demonstrate ties to Ontario;
• Hold legal status in Canada, if they are residing in Canada at the time of applying;
• Obtain a minimum CRS score under the Express Entry system as determined by the director;
• Meet the additional criteria under either the FSWP or CEC; and
• Demonstrate sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario.

(II)   International Graduate Streams

The International Student Category has two streams, the With Job Offer stream and the PhD Graduate stream. The With Job Offer stream allows approved Ontario employers to hire international students.

To be eligible to apply for Ontario nomination as an international student, candidate must:

·   Have graduated (or soon be graduating) from an approved publicly funded Canadian college or university in the past two years;

·   Have a full-time job offer, for which he/she is qualified, from approved Ontario employer in a skilled occupation (listed as NOC A, B, or 0).

·  Have received an Employer Pre-Screen Approved Position Form, along with the nominee application package from the Ontario employer;

·  Have offered a wage that meets the prevailing entry-level wage in Ontario for the occupation; and

·  Hold legal status, if the prospective nominee is in Canada.

(2) Employer Driven PNP

This category is specially designed for the foreign workers with job offers and Ontario employers seeking employees to fill specific job roles.

In order to apply for employer driven program, Candidates are required to obtain Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate.  A permanent full time job offer from a reputed employer is also a mandatory condition. Before the Nomination is file, the Pre-screening application process and approval on hiring foreign national has to be obtained by the employer.

To be eligible, the employer from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) must:

·  Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application;

·  Have at least $1,000,000 gross revenue in the previous fiscal year;

·  Have at least five permanent full-time employees;

·  Have a place of business located in Ontario.

Companies outside the GTA have less stringent eligibility criteria. They must:

·  Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application;

·  Have at least $500,000 in gross revenues in the previous fiscal year;

·  Have at least three permanent full-time employees;

·  Have a place of business located in Ontario.

Application Process

There are three major steps involve in submitting an application for Canadian permanent residence under OINP.

1. Check your eligibility

Make sure you meet all the mandatory requirements and qualify for the stream that you would like to apply under.

2. Submit an application to the OINP

Submit an online application to the Ontario government under your chosen stream through the OINP e-Filing Portal. Application processing times vary from application to application.

3. Apply for permanent residence to the IRCC

Once you receive provincial nomination from the Ontario government, the next step is to submit an application for permanent residence to IRCC.