Ontario Provincial Nominee Program

For Immigrants With Job Offers

This stream was created to serve highly skilled international immigrant workers who intend to apply for permanent residence in Canada and have work experience and a job offer that is categorized into the province’s in-demand jobs list.

The OINP Foreign Worker Stream primarily has three eligibility criteria. These criteria can be outlined for the applicant, the Canadian employer, and the job offer. 

Job Offer Requirements:

The offer of employment in Ontario provided to you must meet the minimum requirements regarding the following:

• Type of employment: for a full-time position
• Minimum 30 hours per week.
• Occupational/job eligibility: Eligible occupations must be within National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER levels 0, 1, 2, 3
• Remuneration: The job must pay a median-level wage/salary
• Job duties: Your job duties must be vital for the running of your employer’s business
• Location: The job must be based in and performed in Ontario

Applicant Requirements:

Applicants are required to possess the following qualifying criteria:

• Submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) 
• Received an ITA
• Enough certifications and work experience
• In possession of authorization or a valid license for your occupation
• Have intentions to settle permanently in Ontario
• Your status in Canada is authorized legally

Employer Requirements

General, revenue, and employment Requirements must be met by your employer for the OINP to consider your job offer valid.

General Requirements

Employers must:

• Conduct business through their enterprise for a minimum of three years before applying
• Operate their business premises in Ontario
• Not transgress or commit offenses against the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, or the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• .Show the necessary authorities, through a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), that they tried to find a suitable applicant in Canada.

Revenue Requirements

Within the past fiscal year, employers must have met these requirements. Additionally, the employer’s business must have a minimum gross annual revenue of:

• 1,000,000 CAD if the operational business headquarters or workplace of the applicant is located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• 500,000 CAD if the enterprise’s operational headquarters or workplace of the applicant is outside the GTA

Employment Requirements

For the business to be considered legitimate, it must employ a minimum of:

• Five full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Three full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada who work at the same location the applicant will report to for work.

Scoring Factors

This stream is scored on various factors regarding the nature of your Canadian job offer, proficiency in English or French, and where you plan to move to in Ontario. The following tables give a thorough guideline for these scoring factors:

Job Offer Factors

You must choose <40,000 if you’re applying from outside of Canada.

Language Criteria

Regionalization

Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream

International students with a job offer in a specialized occupation can apply using this stream. The International Student Stream allows international students in and outside of Canada to apply for and obtain offers of employment in Ontario.

This enables students to be nominated and granted permanent residency status by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). To become an international student in Canada, you must apply for a Canadian study permit.

Admission requirements for this stream are generally similar to the Foreign Worker Stream. They are as follows:

Job Offer Requirements:

• Type of employment: for a full-time position
• Occupational/job eligibility: Eligible occupations must be within TEER (NOC) TEER Levels 0, 1, 2, 3
• Remuneration: The job must pay a median-level wage/salary
• Job duties: Your job duties must be vital for the running of your employer’s business
• Location: The job must be based in and performed in Ontario

Applicant Requirements:

Applicants are required to possess the following qualifying criteria:

• Submitted an EOI
• Received an ITA
• Enough certifications and work experience
• In possession of authorization or a valid license for your occupation
• Have intentions to settle permanently in Ontario
• Your status in Canada is authorized legally

Employer Requirements

General, revenue, and employment Requirements must be met by your employer for the OINP to consider your job offer valid.

General Requirements

Employers must:

• Conduct business through their enterprise for a minimum of three years before applying
• Operate their business premises in Ontario
• Not transgress or commit offenses against the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, or the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• Show the necessary authorities, through a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), that they tried to find a suitable applicant in Canada.

Revenue Requirements

Employers must have met the following requirements within the past fiscal year. Additionally, the employer’s business must have a minimum gross annual revenue of:

• 1,000,000 CAD if the operational business headquarters or workplace of the applicant is located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• 500,000 CAD if the enterprise’s operational headquarters or workplace of the applicant is outside the GTA

Employment Requirements

For the business to be considered legitimate, it must employ a minimum of:

• Five full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Three full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada who work at the same location the applicant will report to for work.

Scoring Factors:

This stream scores various factors regarding Canadian job offers, language proficiency in English, and where you plan to move in Ontario. These factors are as follows:

Job Offer Factors:

Education

Language Criteria

Regionalization

To answer whether your university is eligible for this stream, look at this list of Canadian universities or consult one of our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs). They can evaluate which immigration program is most suitable for you and that you study in the tertiary institution that ensures you receive permanent residency in Ontario.

Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream

This stream is for international semi-skilled workers who want to settle in and work in Ontario, Canada. These immigrant workers must possess the required work experience and a job offer on the province’s in-demand jobs list.

Job Offer Requirements:

• Type of employment: for a full-time position
• Occupational/job eligibility: Eligible occupations must be within NOC TEER Levels 0, 1, 2, 3
• Remuneration: The job must pay a median-level wage/salary
• Job duties: Your job duties must be vital for the running of your employer’s business
• Location: The job must be based in and performed in Ontario

Applicant Requirements:

As an applicant to this stream, you must have the following:

• Submitted an EOI
• Received an ITA
• Have enough certifications and work experience (includes 1,200 hours of full-time work that’s paid)
• Have a CLB score of level 4 or higher
• At least a high school education through authorization in your occupation or a valid license
• Have intentions to settle and work in Ontario
• Your status in Canada must be legal

Employer Requirements

General, revenue, and employment Requirements must be met by your employer for the OINP to consider your job offer valid.

General Requirements

Employers must:

• Conduct business through their enterprise for a minimum of three years before applying
• Operate their business premises in Ontario
• Not transgress or commit offenses against the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, or the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• .Show the necessary authorities, through a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), that they tried to find a suitable applicant in Canada.

Revenue Requirements

Within the past fiscal year, employers must have met these requirements. Additionally, the employer’s business must have a minimum gross annual revenue of:

• 1,000,000 CAD if the operational business headquarters or workplace of the applicant is located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• 500,000 CAD if the enterprise’s operational headquarters or workplace of the applicant is outside the GTA

Employment Requirements

For the business to be considered legitimate, it must employ a minimum of:

• Five full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Three full-time citizens or permanent residents of Canada who work at the same location the applicant will report to for work.

Scoring Factors:

This stream scores various factors regarding the nature of the Canadian job offer, language proficiency in English, and where you plan to move to Ontario. These vmultiplefactors are as follows:

Job Offer Factors:

Regionalization

Global Skills Strategy (GSS)

The Global Skills Strategy stream is an immigration program started by the government and created to assist Ontario employers in attracting and retaining highly skilled workers to the province. The program offers a fast-track process for applicants looking to quickly move and work in Ontario. This reduces the time needed to apply for a work permit.

The stream provides employers a 25% refundable tax credit for every highly-skilled worker hired, which allows them to cut down on labor costs. Job-specific language training helps immigrants adjust to their job roles and contribute to the development of the Ontario economy.

The GSS helps employers gain access to a broad pool of workers who are highly skilled while at the same time decreasing the time and costs of the hiring process. The GSS is an excellent way for Ontario employers to attract and retain highly skilled international workers and is additionally a tool for employers who want to augment their workforce.

GSS has primarily two categories. Category A is geared toward businesses needing highly specialized international workers to grow. Eligibility to apply for this category requires that you must:

• Have a minimum annual salary of 80,000 CAD
• Know the offered role that is advanced
• Have work experience of a minimum of five years or an advanced degree

Category B is for international workers in occupations listed on the global talent occupations list and categorized under the scientific fields of Information Communication Technology (ICT)/ Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This list of eligible occupations includes:

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For Immigrants with a Master’s or Ph.D. from a University in Ontario

Masters Graduate Stream

If you have a Master’s Degree from a university in Ontario and want to live and work in the province, you can use this stream to apply. With a job offer in Ontario, Canada, you qualify for the Master’s Graduates Stream.

Submit your application no later than two years from when you were granted your Master’s degree. Submit your application during the last semester of study in the program.

Applicant Requirements

As an applicant to this stream, you must have the following:

• Submitted an EOI
• Submit an ITA
• Completed and graduated with a Master’s degree
• A CLB of level 7 or higher
• Authorization in your occupation or a valid license, if required
• Settle for a year in Ontario
• Settlement Funds that are sufficient to support yourself and your family in Canada
• Your status in Canada must be legal

Education

Language Criteria

Regionalization

Ph.D. Graduate Stream

If you have a Ph.D. from a Designated Learning Institution in Ontario, you could permanently apply to live and work in the province. Apply for the Ph.D. Graduate Stream if you do not have a job offer in Ontario, Canada.

University programs dictate that you return to your home country or a jurisdiction outside Ontario upon completing your studies. As a result of grants, scholarships, or subsidies, you can only apply for the OINP if all of your obligations have been met.

You must return to your home country first and only apply using one of the Ontario INP immigration streams. Submit your application no later than two years after being granted your Ph.D.

Applicant Requirements:

As an applicant to this stream, you must have the following:

• Submit an EOI
• Submit an ITA
• Your Ph.D. must have been completed in Ontario partially and legally for at least two years.
• A CLB of 7 or higher
• Have settlement funds that are sufficient to support your family and yourself in Canada
• Your status in Canada must be legal

Education

Language Criteria

Regionalization

For Immigrants Who Possess the Skills and Experience Required in Ontario

Human Capital Priorities Stream

Eligibility for this stream depends on Federal and provincial criteria. Requirements must be met to apply for Canadian permanent residence using this stream. Federal requirements are as follows:

• An Express Entry profile that is valid
• Satisfy the eligibility requirements for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent that is verified via an Education Credential Assessment (ECA)
• Have an interest in immigrating to Ontario once you have decided to create an Express Entry profile
• I have received a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario
• A CLB level of 7 or higher
• authorization in your occupation or a valid license if necessary
• Sufficient Settlement Funds to support yourself and your family in Canada
• Your status in Canada must be legal

Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream

Eligibility for this stream depends on Federal and provincial criteria. Requirements must be met to apply for Canadian permanent residence using this stream. Federal requirements are as follows:

• Have a minimum of 1,560 hours of full-time paid and cumulative experience or equivalent part-time experience in Ontario Major NOC Group 72
• An Express Entry pool profile that is valid
• Fulfill the requirements for the CEC or FSWP
• Have a CLB of 5 or higher
• Have you lived and worked in Ontario when you applied
• Authorization in your occupation or a valid license, if necessary
• Sufficient Settlement Funds to support yourself and your family in Canada
• Your status in Canada must be legal

FFrench-speaking Skilled Worker Stream

The Ontario INP FFrench-speaking skilledWorker stream aligns with Canada’s Express Entry selection system. It allows French immigrants who want to immigrate to the province to apply using this stream. Eligibility for this stream depends on federal and provincial criteria. Therefore, you must satisfy both requirements under this stream to apply.

To be eligible for this stream, you must have the following:

• Create a valid Express Entry pool profile
• Meet the requirements for the CEC or FSWP
• A CLB of level 7 or higher in French
• A CLB of 6 or higher in English
• Have you lived and worked in Ontario when you applied
• Authorization in your occupation or a valid license, if necessary
• Sufficient Settlement Funds to support yourself and your family in Canada
• The Intention to continue living in Ontario
• Your status in Canada must be legal
• A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 67 on the FSWP selection factor

For Immigrants Who Want to Start a Business in Ontario

The Ontario investor program was closed in the fall of 2015. In its place, a new OINP immigration stream was introduced – the Ontario Entrepreneur Program.

Why Entrepreneurs Choose Ontario

Ontario possesses a variety of economic development opportunities for entrepreneurs. Businesspeople benefit from lower tax rates and expenses, access to exceptionally talented and skilled workers, and provincial funding programs, particularly for entrepreneurs who are under 30 years old.

Entrepreneur Stream

The Entrepreneur Stream helps foreigners purchase a business in the province or help establish a brand-new Ontario company. After establishing the business, entrepreneurs can be nominated by Immigration Ontario for permanent residency in Canada using the legal auspices of the OINP Entrepreneur Stream.

The application process for this stream is in two stages, each with its own application process. They are outlined below as follows:

Stage 1

This stage of the application process is for you and your business partners. This stage mostly follows the traditional PNP application process. For this stage, you must:

• Register and submit an Expression of Interest is successful
• If your EOI is successful, submit an online application once
• Attend an interview that is mandatory with your partner/s in business
• Have a performance agreement that is signed

To be eligible to apply for this stream, you must:

• Have 24 hours of full-time experience in the business, either as a senior manager business manager, or soldowner, all for a total of 60 months
• A minimum personal net worth of
• A minimum personal investment of the business of 800,000CAD (inside GTA) or 400,000CAD (outside GTA)
• Be actively involved in running the company
• Show you have intentions of making a profit through your business’s operations
• Hire a minimum of two Canadian citizens or permanent residents

Stage 2

This stage focuses on getting your enterprise in Canada set up and operating. For this phase, you must:

• A temporary work permit letter that supports your legal status in Canada and a document showing you applied for a temporary work permit in Canada
• Your business must be established in Canada
• Have the required documents to prove your eligibility to apply for permanent residence in Canada as long as your business meets all of Canada’s eligibility requirements
• Have a CLB of 4
• Have lived in Ontario for a minimum of 15 out of the last 20 months before establishing your business
• The terms of your performance agreement must be satisfied

The Wonderful and Interesting Lifestyle of Ontario

Ontario is the most populated province in Canada, and given its prodigious supply of generous lifestyle benefits, it is not so difficult to see why. With Toronto as its central anchor of commerce, finance, and industry, the Greater Toronto Area and the rest of the province are left to bask in the glow of benefits that include but are not limited to:

Low Cost of Living

According to Numbeo, Ontario’s large population and reputation as Canada’s most economically productive province have resulted in supply and demand dynamics that make the province one of the most affordable in the country.

A World-Class Healthcare System

Like the rest of Canada, Ontario benefits from the nation’s subsidized healthcare system, which provides free, efficient, and quality healthcare to all Ontario residents.

Plenty of Recreational and Cultural Activities

Ontario, particularly the region surrounding the Greater Toronto Area, is the cultural capital of Canada, with many festivals in film, music, theater, and art.

A Diverse Population and Culture

Ontario possesses one of Canada’s most culturally diverse communities, particularly in Toronto, which has more languages spoken in its streets in the Americas than any other cities in the United States, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.

A Welcoming Place for People From All Over the World

As Canada’s primary center of immigration and tourism, the province has developed a reputation as a welcoming and tolerant region where all international newcomers can find a warm welcome.

Come and Live Your Best Life in Ontario Now!

If any of the above Ontario INP categories interests you, sign up for our services today. It’s proven that working with an immigration expert betters your application for success. So trust in us, sit back, and we’ll make Canada work for you.

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FAQs

What is the most affordable place to settle in Ontario?

The most affordable place to settle in Ontario will depend highly on your needs, job, wage/salary, spending, and lifestyle habits. However, the most generally cited place as being the most affordable according to housing and rent affordability and job growth is Thunder Bay.

What is the most exciting place to immigrate to in Ontario?

Many places in Ontario can compete to be named the most interesting place in the province. Generally, the most agreed upon interesting places include:

• Ottawa
• Toronto
• Niagara Falls and
• Hamilton

Which Place in Ontario Affords the Best Chances for Employment?

Toronto, the center of commerce, finance, and industry in Canada, affords the highest possibility of finding employment in Canada.