About 40 percent of Canadian population lives in Ontario. Ontario is also home to Canada's capital city, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto are in housed in this province. Ontario is the center of Canada's economic, social, and political life and always remained most popular destination for immigrants from all over the world.
Through Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), prospective immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive an Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate, which will allow that foreign national to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence with processing times that are faster than other Canadian immigration classes.
The OINP accepts applications under the following immigration categories:
- Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital and French Speaking Streams
- General Category: Foreign Workers with a Job Offer Stream
- International Students Category: Job Offer, Master's and PhD Graduate Streams
- Business Category: Entrepreneur Stream and Corporate Stream
Current Status of OINP Immigration Streams
The following table provides details on the current status of each OINP immigration stream.
OINP Stream |
Status |
Additional Notes |
Human Capital Priorities |
Temporary pause on Notifications of Interest (NOIs) being sent as of February 16, 2016. |
Aligned with federal Express Entry system. |
French-Speaking Skilled Worker |
Open - OINP continues to accept and process applications. |
Aligned with federal Express Entry system. |
Foreign Worker |
Open to eligible candidates whose job offer has been approved through the Employer Pre-screen application process. |
Job offer must meet the prevailing wage level in Ontario for that occupation. |
International Student with a Job Offer |
Open to eligible candidates whose job offer has been approved through the Employer Pre-screen application process. |
Previous education requirement is not Ontario-specific; graduates who studied in any province may be eligible. |
International Student - Masters Graduate |
Temporary pause in effect as of May 9, 2016. |
Job offer not required. |
International Student - PhD Graduate |
Temporary pause in effect as of May 9, 2016. |
Job offer not required. |
Entrepreneur |
Open - OINP continues to accept Expressions of Interest. |
Successful applicants obtain Temporary Work Permits before Permanent Resident status may be obtained. |
Corporate |
Open - OINP continues to accept and process applications. |
Successful applicants obtain Temporary Work Permits before Permanent Resident status may be obtained. |
Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream
Streamenables the OINP to nominate individuals who are eligible to enter the federal 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.
To be considered under this stream, candidates must qualify for the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) federal Express Entry pool. Candidates may not apply directly to this stream. Instead, they must first receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the OINP based on their Express Entry profile.
The OINP searches the Express Entry pool and identifies potential candidates who:
- Have a minimum score of 400 under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and
- Meet the criteria of Ontario's Human Capital Priorities Stream (see below).
Candidates identified by the OINP will receive an NOI, which will invite them to apply to the OINP for nomination under the Human Capital Priorities Stream. From this point, selected candidates have 45 days to apply to the OINP under this stream. If their application is approved, candidates will be notified of their nomination by the OINP, which they can accept and use to apply to IRCC for permanent residence.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible under the Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream, candidates must:
- Score a minimum of 400 points under the CRS. The score must remain at or above 400 during both the Ontario nomination processing stage and at the federal application for permanent residence processing stage;
- Have a minimum level of work experience;
- Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) criteria must have at least one year of continuous and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a National Occupation Classification (NOC) level 0, A, or B occupation in the five years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP.
- Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) criteria must have at least one year of cumulative and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a NOC 0, A, or B occupation in Canada in the three years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP.
- Have a Canadian Bachelor's, Master 's or PhD degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a designated organization indicating that their foreign education credential is equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor's, Master's or P
- Demonstrate a language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies (speaking, reading, writing, and listening); Language proficiency must be proved by test results from one of the designated testing agency only.
- Intend to reside in Ontario, as demonstrated by a statement of intent and indication of ties to Ontario;
- Possess sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario. This must be supported by bank statements; and
- Meet the additional criteria under either the FSWP or CEC.
The required settlement funds must be equal to or greater than the sums listed below for each family size
Number of family members |
Funds required |
1 |
$12,669 |
2 |
$15,772 |
3 |
$19,390 |
4 |
$23,542 |
5 |
$26,701
|
6 |
$30,114
|
7
|
$33,528 |
For each additional family member after 7, the amount of funds required is $3,414.
Requirement for settlement funds are updated annually. Note that the number of family members include both the accompanying and non- accompanying dependents.