Ontario is among the most popular Canadian provinces, with a population of over 14,223,942, according to the 2021 Census. The region has some of the largest urban centres in Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton.
The province is a melting pot of cultures, with a healthy percentage of the population reporting a mother tongue other than the two official languages. According to the 2021 Census, some popular languages were Arabic, with 214,230 speakers; Tagalog- 168,845; Tamil- 126,640; Mandarin- 327,470 and Punjabi, with 260,075 speakers.
To top it off, Ontario also has the largest economy among provinces in Canada, with a GDP of over 752 billion in 2021.
These reasons contribute to Ontario’s leading position as an immigrant destination. The first quarter of 2022 saw Ontario welcome over 50,589 newcomers, or 44.5% of all immigrants to Canada.
What is the Ontario PNP
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is Ontario’s economic immigration program. Provincial nominee programs are designed to help provinces select the right candidates with the skills, experience and education to match their needs. The OINP functions similarly with different streams nominating eligible candidates for permanent residency.
Another feature of nominee programs is that elected candidates must settle and work within the nominating province.
What are the programs under the Ontario PNP
Below is a list of the nine streams that operate under the OINP:
- Employer job offer: Foreign Worker stream
- Employer job offer: International Student Stream
- Employer job offer: In-demand skills stream
- Masters Graduate stream
- Ph.D. Graduate stream
- Human Capital Priorities stream
- Skilled Trades stream
- French-speaking skilled worker
- Entrepreneur stream
Who is eligible for the OINP?
The different streams under the OINP have their own requirements for applicants. We’ll list each in brief below:
OINP Employer job offer: Foreign Worker stream
- Applicants must have a job offer in Ontario from a valid employer
- The position must be full-time and permanent
- Job must be in TEER category 0,1,2 or 3 of the NOC
- The pay must be equal to or above the median wage level for the position
- Applicant must register an expression of interest and receive an Invitation to apply for the stream
- Applicants must have a mandatory license or authorization if their profession requires it.
- Applicants must have the intention to reside in Ontario
OINP Employer job offer: International student stream
- Applicants must have a job offer for a full-time and permanent position
- The job must be based in Ontario
- Job must be in TEER category 0,1,2 or 3 of the NOC
- The pay must be equal to or above the median wage level for the position
- Applicant must register an expression of interest and receive an Invitation to apply for the stream
- Applicant must have a degree, diploma or certificate from an eligible Canadian institution
- Applicant must have a valid legal status at the time of application, which must be maintained until nomination.
- License or authorization as required by the profession
- Applicant must intend to live in Ontario
OINP Employer job offer: In-demand skills stream
- Applicants must have a job offer for a full-time and permanent position
- The job must be based in Ontario
- Applicant must register an expression of interest and receive an Invitation to apply for the stream
- Applicant must have at least nine months of cumulative work experience
- Valid license and authorization
- Must understand English or French at CLB level 4 or higher
- A Canadian secondary school diploma or its equivalent
- Must have the intention to settle in Ontario
Apart from these, the job offered must be in an eligible in-demand occupation.
OINP Masters Graduate stream
- Applicant must register an expression of interest and receive an Invitation to apply for the stream
- Applicant must have the required background to get a Masters degree
- Applicant must have proficiency in English or French at a CLB level 7 or higher
- Applicant must have legally resided in Ontario for one of the past two years before applying
- Applicants must have the funds to support themselves and their dependents in Canada
- Applicant must have the intention to settle in Ontario
- Must be residing legally at the time of application
OINP Ph.D. graduate stream
- Applicant must register an expression of interest and receive an Invitation to apply for the stream
- Applicant must have the required background to get a Ph.D. degree
- Applicant must have legally resided in Ontario for one of the past two years before applying
- Applicants must have the funds to support themselves and their dependents in Canada
- Applicant must have the intention to live in Ontario
- Must be residing legally at the time of application
Ontario Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream
You can apply for the Human capital priorities stream under the Federal skilled workers or the Canadian experience class. The difference is that the Canadian experience class requires you to have a cumulative full-time work experience in Canada. As a general rule under both programs, applicants must:
- have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D. degree, or its equivalent from another country
- have a CLB level 7 or higher in either English or French
- have the funds to support themselves and their dependents in Canada
- must intend to live in Canada
- must have legal status if they apply from Canada
Entrepreneur stream
To qualify for the entrepreneur stream, an applicant must:
- Have 24 months of Business experience in the last 60 months
- Have a personal net worth of CAD 800,000 for the Greater Toronto area and CAD 400,000 outside the Greater Toronto area
- Have a minimum personal investment of CAD 600,000 if the proposed business is within the Greater Toronto area and CAD 200,000 outside the Greater Toronto area.
- Be actively involved in the business
- Create permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens and permanent residents
How to apply for the Ontario PNP?
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has two application methods: the Expression of interest system and the Express entry system.
- The Expression of interest system is used for the following programs- Employer job offer: Foreign Worker stream, Employer job offer: International Student stream, Employer job offer: In demand skills stream, Master’s Graduate stream and the Ph.D. Graduate stream.
Under this system, eligible candidates must register an expression of interest for their preferred OINP stream. This process is free of cost, and if the candidate is picked, they receive an invitation to apply. Candidates must then make their applications within 14 days.
- The Human Capital Priorities stream, Skilled Trades stream and French-speaking skilled worker streams use the Express entry system.
To apply, candidates must first create an Express Entry profile in the IRCC portal. If the profile matches the needs of the OINP, the candidate will receive a notification of interest. The candidate can then apply to one of the eligible OINP streams within 45 days
What is the cost of applying for the Ontario PNP?
The application fees for the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker and In-Demand Skills streams are:
- $1,500 if the job offer is outside of the Greater Toronto Area
- $2,000 if the job offer is within the Greater Toronto Area
The Master’s Graduate, Ph.D. Graduate and Employer Job Offer: International Student streams have an application fee of $1,500.
The programs relying on the Express Entry system have a uniform application fee of $1,500.
