Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
As Canada’s most populous province, nearly 40 percent of Canadians call Ontario home. Ontario is also home to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto. In many ways, Ontario is the center of Canada’s economic, social, and political life. Ontario is by far the leading destination for newcomers to Canada. The province welcomes one third of all newcomers each year.
People chose to land in Ontario because of its job opportunities, high income and diverse population. In fact, more than half of those living in Toronto were born outside of Canada.
Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is called the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
Ontario is Canada’s most popular landing destination for immigrants from around the world.
Through this program, prospective immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive a provincial nomination from Ontario, after which they can apply for Canadian permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Overview of the Ontario PNP
The Ontario PNP, officially the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), became permanent in February 2009.
The main objectives of the OINP are to respond to skill shortages in targeted areas, make it easier to invest in Ontario, and make sure newcomers can settle and integrate well in the province.
- Some Ontario immigration streams are base streams and others are enhanced streams.
Enhanced streams are those that are aligned with the Express Entry system. This is the federal immigration system that Canada uses to manage permanent residence applications through the country’s three main economic class immigration programs.
Those with nomination from a provincial program that is enhanced get an extra 600 points, effectively guaranteeing getting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. They also get their nomination through their Express Entry profile.
Ontario Immigration Categories
If you wish to immigrate to Ontario, then you have three categories to choose from:
Human Capital Category;
Employer Job Offer Category;
Business Category.
Ontario Human Capital
Ontario Human Capital encompasses a range of immigration streams targeting candidates for Ontario’s labour force. The Human Capital streams emphasize skills, abilities, or experience which suggest a foreign national can easily join the Ontario labour force. Those who have work or educational experience in Ontario, those who are proficient in both English and French, and those with competitive Express Entry profiles may find success through one of these streams.
Human Capital Priorities – Express Entry
French-Speaking Skilled Worker – Express Entry
Skilled Trades – Express Entry
Masters Graduate
PhD Graduate
The following programs fall into the Human Capital Category: Ontario Express Entry sub-stream:
Human Capital Priorities: This category includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Skilled Trades: For individuals with relevant Ontario work experience in an eligible trade occupation.
French-Speaking Skilled Worker: This program operates, like Human Capital Priorities, through FSWP and CEC. Applicants for French-Speaking Skilled Worker must have strong skills in both French and English.
If you receive a nomination through Ontario Express Entry, you will be notified. It will then be up to you, the candidate, to accept or refuse the nomination. Accepting the nomination awards you with an extra 600 CRS points. This means that you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next all-program Express Entry draw.
The following programs fall into the Human Capital Category: International Graduates sub-stream. They are not aligned with Express Entry. An applicant must create a profile and register an expression of interest (EOI):
Master’s Graduate Stream: For individuals who received Master’s degrees from an Ontario University
Ph.D. Graduate Stream: For individuals who received Ph.D.’s from an Ontario University.
Note: The Master’s Graduate Stream and the Ph.D. Graduate Stream both use Ontario’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system
Application Fee: CAD $1,500
Processing Time: 30-60 days
Minimum Requirements:
The following are the minimum requirements needed to be eligible through one of the streams under the Human Capital Category:
Must have enough money to support yourself and your family.
Must intend to live in Ontario
Must meet the additional requirements for the stream you are applying for, set out below:
| Category | Is a job offer required? | Express Entry aligned? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Capital Priorities Stream | No | Yes |
|
| French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream | No | Yes |
|
Skilled Trades Stream | No | Yes |
|
| Master’s Graduate Stream | No | No |
|
| Ph.D. Graduate Stream | No | No |
|
Ontario Employer Job Offer
Ontario Employer Job Offer streams provide immigration options for applicants who have a valid job offer from an Ontario employer. Both the employer and the job itself must meet certain conditions in order to be considered valid. As well, the applicant must meet certain eligibility requirements depending on which stream they wish to apply through.
Foreign Worker
International Student with a Job Offer
In-Demand Skills
The following three programs exist under the Employer Job Offer Category:
Foreign worker stream: for skilled workers;
International students: for recent graduates of Ontario post-secondary institutions;
In-demand skills stream: for intermediate skilled workers in certain sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking and personal support workers.
| Stream | Application Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Worker Stream AND In-Demand Skills Stream | CAD $1,500 if the job offer is outside the Greater Toronto Area. CAD $2,000 if the job offer is within the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) | 60-90 days |
International Student Stream | CAD $1,500 | 90-120 days |
Minimum Requirements:
Must have a full-time, permanent job offer in an eligible occupation in Ontario;
Must have work experience, license or other authorization that is required to perform the job;
Must intend to live in Ontario;
Employer must meet additional requirements (business, revenue, employment).
| Category | Is a job offer required? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Worker Stream | Yes |
|
| In-Demand Skills Stream | Yes |
|
Skilled Trades Stream | Yes |
|
Ontario Business
Ontario Business immigration is a collection of streams designed to target wealthy entrepreneurs and corporations who are interested in making significant investments in business development in Ontario. Through this program, entrepreneurs and corporations with proven track records of success can launch new business projects in Ontario. If these projects are successful, the applicants involved will be nominated for Canadian permanent residence.
Entrepreneur
Corporate (Closed)
Investor (Closed)
FAQ:
Ontario’s Human Capital Category does not require a job offer. This includes the following streams:
- Human Capital Priorities Stream
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
- Skilled Trades Stream
- Master’s Graduate Stream
- PhD Graduate Stream.
However, Ontario’s Employer Job Offer Category is for candidates who have an eligible job offer in Ontario from an employer who is willing to nominate them.
If you have a profile on the federal Express Entry system and are interested in immigrating to Ontario, you must first register for an ONe-key account on the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) website.
You will have to create a new profile, and choose to apply through the stream you are eligible for.
Next, upload your documents.
If you are successful, you will receive a Nomination Approval Letter, a work permit support letter and a nomination certificate by email.
You will also receive your nomination through the Express Entry system. Once you accept, you will receive an additional 600 points. This effectively guarantees that you will be invited to apply for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.
Processing time for the Human Capital Category is 30-60 days.
For the Employer Job Offer Category, it takes 60-90 days, except for the International Student stream which takes 90-120 days.
For the Business Category, the Expression of Interest (EOI) takes less than 30 days to process but the processing time for the application depends on how complex the application is.
There are many reasons why you may want to immigrate to Ontario. For example, the province’s capital, Toronto, is one of the most diverse cities in the world. In fact, over half of the population were born outside of Canada.
In addition, there are many job opportunities in Toronto and neighboring cities. There are many major corporations with their Canadian headquarters based in Toronto such as Apple, Coca Cola, Google, Microsoft, ASUS, Intel, SAP and Citibank. Key industries include finance, technology, film and media, and tourism.
Ontario also boasts some of the best universities in the world including the University of Toronto, the University of York, McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Ottawa, Ryerson University, Carleton University, the University of Guelph, as well as others.
Some popular colleges in Ontario include:
- Seneca College;
- George Brown College;
- Humber College;
- Centennial College;
- Niagara College;
- Canadore College;
- Mohawk College.
The first step towards moving to Canada is to get an assessment of your specific situation. Call us today at 1+613.222.7154 for an assessment to see if you are eligible to move to Canada, or fill out our online assessment form.
