Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

What is the Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)?

Ontario’s nomination program is called Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The program launched in 2017 is meant for the immigrants having skills and experience required by the Ontario further may receive a nomination. The candidates with a provincial nomination for Ontario can apply for a PR with IRCC. The candidate would require the minimum CRS score set per category and the job profile of the candidate should be in the demand of the Ontario province.

Ontario PNP Categories

Candidates intending to move to Ontario can apply under 3 main immigration streams further divided into sub-categories as mentioned below:

Ontario Human Capital Category

This stream is based on the abilities, skills, or experience, encompassing different immigration streams targeting candidates for Ontario’s labor force. Candidates interested with work experience or educational qualifications in Ontario, candidates with good English and French proficiency, and competitive Express Entry profiles may find themselves successful in attaining PR eventually. An international applicant can easily join the Ontario labor force as more emphasis of this program is on the skills, abilities, or experience. Following sub-categories that come under the Human Capital Category:

• Human Capital Priorities:

  The category includes programs from Express Entry: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

• Skilled Trades:

  Candidates with relevant work experience in an eligible trade occupation in Ontario can apply under this program.

• French-Speaking Skilled Worker:

  This particular program is similar to Human Capital Priorities, through FSWP and CEC. Interested candidates for this program are required to have strong French and English language abilities.

Minimum Requirements for Human Capital Category:

There are a few requirements an applicant has to fulfill to be able to apply under the Human Capital Category:

• In order to support yourself and your accompanying family, financial standing has to be shown.
• The intention to stay inside of Ontario has to be clear.
• A few requirements specific to the program you are interested in are to be fulfilled.

How to Apply?

• Check your eligibility for the intended stream and get yourself registered for a ONe-key account on the OINP online portal.
• You need to create a profile and begin the application process in the portal. You will have to upload the mentioned documents to the portal.
• You will have to maintain a valid profile until nominated if you apply for one of the Express Entry streams.
• A Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination by email are received by the people with the successful applicant.
• If applying through Express Entry Streams, you will receive a nomination through your profile. As you accept the nomination, you will be awarded 600 CRS points and you will receive an ITA in the next draw.
• If applying to the Graduate Stream you will need to apply for PR with IRCC within 6 months.
• Your application must have the nomination approval letter and certificate.

Masters and PhD Category

Interested applicants are required to register an expression of interest (EDI). To be mentioned these programs are not aligned with the Express Entry program.

• Masters Graduate Stream: This stream is for candidates with a Masters’s degree from an Ontario-based institution/institution.
• PhD Graduate Stream: This stream is for candidates who receive PhD from an Ontario-based university/institution.

Ontario Employer Job Offer Category

This program is meant for applicants with a job offer from an Ontario-based employer. There are certain conditions to be met by the employer and the job to be considered valid. Depending upon the stream applied in, the eligibility requirements are to be met by the applicant as well. There are 3 programs under the employer job offer category as mentioned below:

• Foreign Worker Stream:

  This stream is basically meant for skilled workers.

• International students:

  This stream is meant for graduates from post-secondary institutions in the province of Ontario.

• In-demand skills stream:

  Intermediate skilled workers for some eligible sectors can apply under this category.

Minimum Requirements for Employer Job Offer Category:

• You are required to have an eligible full-time and permanent job offer in the province of Ontario.
• Required work experience to perform the job.
• The candidate must depict the intention to reside within Ontario.
• There are certain additional requirements such as business, revenue, and employment to be fulfilled by the employer such as business

How to apply?

• Create a profile on OINP online portal to register an Expression of Interest (EOI).
• There are provincial draws to invite held by Ontario on the basis of merit.
• Candidates invited by Ontario are required to submit a complete application within 14 days. The invitation will be received in the portal you had registered yourself into.
• For submitting your application you can use your ONe-key account.

Ontario Business Category

This category is particularly meant for entrepreneurs interested in investing and the investing parties looking to invest a significant amount for business purposes in Ontario. There is a collection of streams that come under this category. This program encourages the business personnel and industries with prior success to establish a business in Ontario as well. Permanent resident status is offered to the candidates involved in the establishment if the project is a success.

Minimum Requirements for Ontario Business Category

• The candidate certainly requires to have at least 24 months of job experience in the past 60 months.
• If the business is to be located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) the net worth of the applicant should be CAD $800,000 or the net worth should be CAD $400,000 if the business is outside the GT area.
• The minimum personal investment required: CAD $600,000 for GTA-located businesses and for outside GTA-located businesses CAD $200,000 investment is required.
• The applicant is required to be actively involved in managing the business.
• The applicant must control one-third equity of the enterprise with the main intent to make a profit.
• If the establishment is inside the GTA it should be such that it creates 2 full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or PR holders and if it is outside of GTA, one permanent full-time job.
• Businesses in the industries such as the information and communications sector, or the digital communications sector would require to employ only one permanent full-time employee be it inside or outside GTA.
• Other than the above-mentioned requirements are several other requirements to be fulfilled by the applying candidate which would depend upon each profile.

How to Apply?

• Contact Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to submit an Expression of Interest (EDI). You can contact them via email and request a copy of the registration form.
• The form has to be filled out and reverted by the email itself.
• Your profile will get included with the other candidates’ profiles in a pool.
• Highest ranking candidates are invited to further the process with an application to Entrepreneur Stream through the regularly held draws by the province of Ontario.
• Make sure you get your net worth and legal financial standing reviewed by qualified personnel.