Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP)
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is an economic immigration program designed to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development priorities. The program allows Ontario to nominate, for permanent residence, individuals who have the skills and experience to contribute to Ontario’s economy, and assists employers in recruiting and retaining foreign workers.
The OINP is operated by the province of Ontario in partnership with the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The OINP assesses applications and nominates candidates for permanent residence. Individuals nominated by the OINP can then apply for permanent residence through IRCC; IRCC makes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to successful applicants.
Ontario Express Entry
Ontario has created two new streams for skilled workers who want to live and work permanently in Ontario. The two new streams draw from the Federal Express Entry selection system.
- Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream
- Ontario Express Entry: French- Speaking Worker Stream
This enables Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to nominate individuals that have qualified for Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Express Entry Pool and who have the required education, skilled work experience, language ability, and other factors to help them successfully establish and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities.
Foreign Worker with Job Offer
To be eligible to apply, a foreign worker must have a job offer that meets the following criteria:
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- be an approved permanent, full-time job offer in a highly skilled occupation (NOC 0, A or B), and
- meets the prevailing wage levels in Ontario for that occupation.
The foreign worker must also:
- have two years of relevant work experience in the last five years, or the relevant mandatory licensing in Ontario for a regulated occupation, and
- be residing abroad or residing, working or visiting Canada on a valid work permit, study permit or visitor record.
International Student Category
International students who will soon be graduating, or who are recent graduates from a publicly assisted Canadian college or university and have a permanent full-time job offer from an Ontario employer, may have the opportunity to live and work permanently in Ontario through the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP). Note that eligible Masters Graduates and PhD Graduates are not required to have a job offer to apply to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
You could also be eligible to stay in Ontario and get a post-graduation work permit – for up to 3 years (depending on the length of your studies) – after you graduate. You may be eligible to apply to stay in Canada permanently under the Canadian Express Entry Class (CEC) or under Ontario Immigration Nominee Program.
PhD graduates can choose to submit an application as a Skilled Worker.
