OINP | Toronto | Ioana ILAS Barrister & Solicitor

ONTARIO IMMIGRANT NOMINEE PROGRAM

HUMAN CAPITAL

Ontario Express Entry Stream

Ontario Human Capital Priorities

Ontario French Speaking Skilled Worker

Ontario Skilled Trades Stream

Masters Graduates Stream

PhD Graduates Stream

EMPLOYER/JOB OFFER

Employers

Foreign Workers

International Students

In-Demand Skills

BUSINESS

Corporate Stream

Entrepreneur Stream

In the event you are interested in economic immigration to the province of Ontario, one of the streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) may be the right path for you.

OINP is a provincial economic immigration program intended to assist Ontario in meeting its labour market needs and furthering its economic and strategic development. By means of OINP, Ontario may nominate for permanent residence individuals who have the appropriate skills and experience to contribute to the province's economy, while assisting employers in recruiting and retaining instrumental foreign workers. Individuals nominated by OINP may then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence. IRCC makes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to successful, nominated applicants.

OINP enables nomination of prospective candidates through three main venues: Human Capital, Employer/Job Offer, and Business. The diagram below spotlights OINP's structural venues and their respective component streams.

The HUMAN CAPITAL CATEGORY has a dual focus:

On one hand, the stream targets individuals who have qualified for the IRCC's Express Entry pool of candidates and who meet the required education, skilled work experience (in-Canada or abroad), language ability, and other characteristics to help them successfully integrate into Ontario’s society and labour market.

On the other hand, the stream concentrates on international students with an Ontario educational background at the Masters or PhD level.

The Ontario Express Entry Stream - including the Ontario Human Capital Priorities; the Ontario French Speaking Skilled Worker; and the Ontario Skilled Trades - is aligned with the federal Express Entry system.

Candidates under the Ontario Human Capital Priorities and the Ontario French Speaking Skilled Worker are assessed against the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) criteria.

Candidates under the Ontario Skilled Trades Stream are trades-persons with ongoing or recent work experience in Ontario in an eligible skilled trades occupation listed in Minor Group 633 or Major Group 72, 73 or 82 of the National Occupational Classification.

The Masters Graduates and the PhD Graduates streams are addressed to individuals who have graduated with a Master’s or a PhD degree respectively, from one of Ontario’s publicly funded universities. To qualify for nomination under Masters or PhD Graduates streams, a job offer is not required.

The EMPLOYER/JOB OFFER CATEGORY primarily allows Ontario employers to recruit foreign workers and qualifying international students for approved skilled positions classified by the Government of Canada under skill type 0, or skill level A and B of the National Occupational Classification. To be eligible under the category for either streams (Foreign Workers or International Students with a job offer), specific employer, position, and applicant criteria have to be met.

NOTE: By opposition to the Masters and PhD Graduates streams of the HUMAN CAPITAL whose qualifying studies are confined to publicly-funded universities in Ontario, qualifying international students under the EMPLOYER/JOB OFFER - International Students stream have to have graduated or to have met the requirements of a full-time degree or diploma program at an eligible publicly-funded Canadian college or university.

Ontario has also launched, under the same categorization, the pilot Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream, which targets workers in certain agriculture and construction occupations with work experience in Ontario and a job offer. The said job offer has to be in an eligible occupation in the agricultural and construction sectors, at the National Occupation Classification code C or D: NOC 7441, Residential and commercial installers and servicers; NOC 7521, Heavy equipment operators (except crane); NOC 8431, General farm workers; NOC 8432, Nursery and greenhouse workers; NOC 8611, Harvesting labourers; NOC 7611, Construction trades helpers and labourers; NOC 9462, Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers, related workers.

The BUSINESS CATEGORY of the OINP comprises the Corporate and the Entrepreneur streams.

The Corporate Stream is designed to support established international corporations looking to expand in Ontario or to buy an existing business, with the relocation of their key staff. Viable business activities which will bring significant economic benefit to the province of Ontario may be eligible under the program. The minimum amount of investment required is $5 million CDN. Upon approval of proposal, key staff may apply for a temporary work permit. Once the business has been successfully established, key staff may be eligible for nomination by the OINP.

The Entrepreneur Stream aims to support individuals from outside Canada to implement a new business idea or buy an existing business in Ontario. Upon approval of proposal, the entrepreneur (and business partner, if applicable) may apply for a temporary work permit in order to establish the business. Once the business has been successfully established, the entrepreneur (and business partner, if applicable) may be eligible for nomination by the OINP. The Entrepreneur Stream operates on an 'Expression of Interest' basis, whereby eligible candidates must be invited to apply to the program before they may actually submit a complete application.

NOTE: The OINP Investor Component has been closed as of October 29, 2015.