Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program. It works in partnership with the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Foreign workers, international students and others with the right skills, experience and education apply to the OINP for a nomination.

The OINP recognizes and nominates people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience the Ontario economy needs, and the Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.

There are three ways you may qualify for a nomination:

• • Employer job offer category: for workers who already have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer
  • Human capital category: for workers who have valuable work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system; or for graduate students

• Business category: for entrepreneurs looking to start a new or buy an existing business in Ontario

Employer job offer category

The Employer job offer category has three streams. You must have a full-time permanent job to qualify:

Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions

The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

It gives foreign workers with a job offer in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

This stream is open to foreign workers in and outside of Canada.

You must apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

The Employer Job Offer : International Student Stream

The Employer Job Offer: International Student stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

It gives international students with a job offer in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

This stream is open to international students in and outside of Canada.

You must apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

The Employer Job Offer : In-Demand Skills Stream

The Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

It gives foreign workers with a job offer in specific in-demand occupations, such as in agriculture, construction, trucking or personal support work, the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

This stream is open to foreign workers in and outside of Canada.

You must apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

Human capital category

The human capital category has two sub-categories, the international graduate streams and Ontario’s Express Entry streams.

International graduates

To qualify under the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams, you must have a graduate degree from an eligible Ontario university and apply within two years of getting your degree.

Ontario’s Express Entry

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, you must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile with your most current work experience, language tests and education in the federal government’s Express Entry system.

French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream: for French-Speaking skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French and English

It gives French-speaking skilled workers with strong English language abilities the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

You must have a valid profile in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) Express Entry system and receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through IRCC. They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

Human Capital Priorities stream: for skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French or English

Skilled Trades stream: for workers with work experience in Ontario in an eligible trade occupation