The Province of Ontario is the engine of Canada’s economy and has its largest population. It boasts of many strong and diverse multicultural communities, and enjoys a robust and diversified economy. Ontario’s attractive job market, natural beauty, immigration-friendly policies, and location in the heart of central Canada, make it a magnet for immigrants.

What is an Ontario Immigration Nominee Program?

The Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) is an immigration program designed for the skilled worker who is interested live and work in the Province of Ontario on a permanent basis. Under the OINP, foreign nationals can apply for permanent residency in Ontario. International students, foreign workers, and all other individuals, including business people, must meet prescribed qualifications, skills and experience to apply to this program. Once a foreign national is selected, they are eligible to receive an Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate that enables them to have quicker processing of their Canadian permanent residency application.

What you need to know

There are three ways you may qualify for a nomination:

• Employer job offer category: for workers who already have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer;
• Human capital category: for workers who have valuable work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system, or for graduate students;
• Business category: for entrepreneurs looking to start a new or buy an existing business in Ontario.

Employer job offer category:

The employer job offer category has three streams. You must have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer to qualify.

Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions

International Student stream: for recent graduates in Ontario

In-Demand Skills stream: for skilled workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking and personal support workers.

Human capital category:

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

To qualify under the Masters Graduate or PhD graduate streams, you must have a graduate degree from an eligible Ontario university and apply within two years of earning your degree.

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, you must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile with your most current work experience, language tests and education in the federal government’s Express Entry system.

Business category:

The business category has one stream. You must be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada who is looking to commercialize a new business idea or acquire and grow an existing business in Ontario.

NEED HELP?

Our team of experienced immigration consultants are happy to help you apply for and secure a place within the Express Entry pool by helping you develop an application that will facilitate a successful result.