January 16, 2017 — Ontario has reassured candidates that applications received for its Provincial Nominee Program in 2016 will count towards its 2017 immigration allocation.
The province says the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) allocation, set by the federal government, was reached for 2016, and now it is working on fulfilling its allotted number of immigrants for 2017.
Four of the OINP streams remain temporarily closed to applications.
They are:
- Human Capital Priorities (Express Entry)
- Employer Pre-Screen
- International Student (Masters Graduate)
- International Student (PhD Graduate)
The Ontario immigration streams that remain open to applications include:
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker (Express Entry)
- Investor Immigration (Corporate)
- Investor Immigration (Entrepreneur)
Ontario is also working on moving more of its immigration application system online, to reduce processing times and make it simpler for candidates.
In August it launched a new online application process for the Entrepreneur stream.
Applicants can register an Expression of Interest (EOI) via the Ontario provincial government website in a move aimed at improving processing times. You can register here.
The allocation for provincial programs received a small boost under the federal government’s immigration numbers plan, released in October 2016.
In 2016, an allocation of 47,800 immigrants was set for the provincial programs (excluding Quebec). In 2017, that target has increased to 51,000.
Ontario recently announced a $3.35 million investment in its provincial Bridge Training Program, designed to assist newcomers in navigating the employment market.
The Ontario Bridge Training Program (OBTP) brings together immigrants and employers and highlights transferable skills and qualifications.
The province also provides free language training for all immigrants, a scheme in which it recently announced a $60 million investment.
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.