December 18, 2017 – The Ontario immigration office has received an increased nomination allocation for 2017 under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

It means the province will continue to nominated candidates for Canada immigration, after previously stating nominations would stop after the allocation was reached for 2017.

An OINP statement said: “Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has received an increase to its 2017 nomination allocation. The program will continue to process applications and issue nominations until the increased allocation is fulfilled.”

The province has not indicated how many extra nominations it has received under the increase. The original 2017 allocation was 6,000 nominations, which was reached as of November 22, 2017. There is also no information from the province on which of its immigration streams will be opened to meet the nomination increase.

OINP Streams

Ontario opens and closes several of its streams periodically to manage intake limits and processing times. The Human Capital Priorities, Skilled Trades and two International Student streams have each been open and closed several times in 2017.

The French-Speaking Skilled Worker, Employer Job Offer and two Investor Immigration streams have all remained open indefinitely.

Latest OINP Processing Times

*Individual applications could take longer to process on a case-by-case basis

Ontario Immigration Streams: Summary of Requirements

1) Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream

To qualify applicants must have:

• Pending application under the Federal Express Entry system;
• Minimum of 1-year of full time, or full time equivalent work experience under NOC occupation level 0, A or B;
• Canadian equivalent Bachelors degree, Masters degree or PhD;
• Minimum CLB level 7 in IELTS general exam;
• Intention to reside in the Province of Ontario;
• Minimum of 400 points under the Federal Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System.

2) Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

To qualify applicants must have:

• Pending application under the Federal Express Entry system;
• Minimum of 1-year of full time, or full time equivalent work experience under NOC occupation  level 0, A or B;
• Canadian equivalent Bachelors degree, Masters degree or PhD;
• Minimum CLB level 7 in TEF exam;
• Intention to reside in the Province on Ontario;
• Minimum of 400 points under the Federal Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System.

3) Ontario Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream

The Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream targets skilled trades workers in the construction and agricultural sectors, but could be expanded in the future.

To qualify applicants must have:

• Pending application under the Federal Express Entry system;
• At least 12 months of paid cumulative or continuous Ontario work experience with the last two years prior to your Notification of Interest in National Occupation Classification 633, or major groups 72, 73 or 82;
• Proof of Ontario license or certification if your occupation so requires;
• A valid work permit and be resident in Ontario at the time of application;
• English or French-language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 or above in reading, writing, listening and speaking;
• Proof of settlement fund to cover you and your dependents, with the minimum amount determined by official Low Income Cut-Offs.

Ontario will select eligible applicants from the Express Entry Pool. Candidates who are selected will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario and may then submit an application for nomination under the Ontario Provincial Nomination Program.

4) Ontario Employer Job Offer Stream

The Ontario Employer Job Offer Stream replaces the previous Employer Pre-Screened category with the key difference being the candidate, not the employer, leads the application process.

The category has three streams, for foreign workers, international students and in-demand skills.

1. a) Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream

To qualify, applicants must have:

• A permanent and full time job offer under NOC 0, A or B that meets prevailing wage levels for Ontario;
• Two years of relevant work experience in the previous five years before the date of application;
• Relevant mandatory licensing in Ontario, if the position so requires;
• Live abroad, or be working in or visiting Canada on a valid permit.

1. b) Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream

To qualify, applicants must have:

• A permanent and full-time job offer under NOC 0, A or B that meets entry wage levels for Ontario;
• Either
  • Graduated or met requirements of a full-time minimum two-year degree from a publicly-funded Canadian college or university; or
  • Graduated or met requirements of a full-time minimum one-year post-graduate diploma program from a publicly-funded Canadian college or university.
• Completed at least half the studies in Canada;
• Apply within two years from the date you completed the above course.

5) Ontario International Student Masters Graduate Stream Criteria

1. Have completed at least half of their studies in Canada;
2. Be in their last semester of post-secondary studies;
3. Or have completed their studies in Canada within two years.
4. Graduated from a Master’s degree program at a publicly funded Ontario universityand have completed at least one year full time.
5. Have level 7 or above English or French.
6. Lived in Ontario for at least one year in the last two.
7. Have sufficient settlement funds.
8. Intend to live and work in Ontario.
9. Must either legally live in Ontario or live abroad. Applications from elsewhere in Canada will not be accepted.
10. Application must be within two years of date on master’s degree certificate.
11. A $1500 processing fee is charged for applications submitted under this category.

6) Ontario International Student PhD Graduate Stream Criteria

1. Have completed at least half of their studies in Canada;
2. Be in their last semester of post-secondary studies;
3. Or have completed their studies in Canada within two years.
4. Graduated from a PhD degree program at a publicly funded Ontario university and have completed at least two years of study.
5. Intend to live and work in Ontario.
6. Must legally live in Canada if applying from within. Applications from abroad also accepted.
7. Application must be within two years of date on PhD diploma.
8. A $1500 processing fee is charged for applications submitted under this category.

7) Investor Immigration (Corporate)

Corporation Requirements

• Must have been established for at least 36 months.
• Can be a public corporation, sole ownership or partnership.

Investment Requirements

• Minimum $5 million to expand into Ontario or purchase an existing business.
• Funds must be legally acquired.
• Activity must be of significant economic benefit to Ontario.

Local Job Creation Requirements

• Create five new permanent and full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents per key staff applicant.
• Positions must be paid at or above the prevailing wage level.

General Requirements

• Clear link between parent corporation and proposed new business in Ontario.
• Proposed business must intend to make a profit through sale of goods and services.
• Primary income sources must be from active (earned) income.
• Business must comply with Canadian legal requirements and all regulatory industry and licensing requirements.
• If purchasing an existing business, it must be incorporated in Ontario.
• Business must comply with Ontario labour laws, including but not limited to employment standards, health and safety, and labour relations legislation.
• Business must be considered a permanent in Ontario. Project-based/seasonal businesses are not eligible.
• Third party investors must be a Schedule I or Schedule II bank or an institutional investor.
• Proposed business must not be involved in an immigration-linked investment scheme.
• You must submit a business plan.

8) Investor Immigration (Entrepreneur)

Points are awarded based on:

• Business experience
• Personal Net worth
• Amount of Intended investment
• Number of jobs to be created
• Whether you completed an Exploratory Visit to Ontario
• Whether your business is in one of the following sectors:
  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Financial Services
  • Food and Beverage Manufacturing
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Life Sciences
  • Mining
  • Tourism
  • Water Technology
• The National Occupation Classification of the position your employment falls under.
• Education
• Language Abilities

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.