Ontario Immigration

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Located in east-central Canada, Ontario has the biggest population in the country and is the second-largest province in total area. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program to allow people with the right skills, experience and education to apply for permanent residency.

OINP Nomination Categories

There are three ways you may qualify for a nomination:

Employer job offer category

The employer job offer category has three streams which operate under an expression of interest system. To qualify under the employer job offer streams you must create a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal then register an expression of interest for your employer job offer category, have received an invitation to apply and have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer.

  • Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions
  • International Student stream: for recent graduates in Ontario
  • In-Demand Skills stream: for intermediate skilled workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking and personal support workers

Human capital category

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

International graduates

These streams operate under an expression of interest system. To qualify under the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams, you must create a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal then register an expression of interest for your graduate stream, have received an invitation to apply and apply within two years of getting your graduate degree from an eligible Ontario university.

  • Masters Graduate stream
  • PhD Graduate stream

Ontario’s Express Entry

These streams operate through the federal government’s Express Entry System. 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
  • 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

Business category

The business category has one stream. You must be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada who is looking to implement a new business idea or buy and grow an existing business in Ontario.

To qualify under the Entrepreneur Stream, you must have a viable business that is likely to provide material economic benefit to the economy of Ontario as a whole or to the local Ontario economy where the business will be located. You and one business partner (if applicable) must both meet the eligibility requirements. You must also prove that:

  • You have experience in running or managing business for at least 2 years.
  • You have a net worth from CDN 400,000 to CDN 800,000 depending on which city you are located.
  • You make a minimum personal investment from CDN 200,000 to CDN 600,000 depending on which city you are located, and control at least one-third of the equity in the business.
  • Your business must create 1 – 2 full time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Application Process

Although each stream in this program has different application process, generally, it is a two- step process: be nominated by the province of Ontario, and apply for permanent residency with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Application process

Although each stream in this program has different application process, generally, it is a two- step process: be nominated by the province of Alberta, and apply for permanent residency with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Kunal Thakur

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R#519955

Kunal Thakur is a passionate Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), holding close to two decades of immigration experience, during which he has successfully guided thousands of immigrants in their immigration journey. He is quick in responding to client queries and would always give his clients the right advice. Kunal also brings immense value in all his talks and discourses on immigration and when not in front of his laptop reading and analysing client cases he could be seen exploring new places and trying new things. Kunal is currently based in Adelaide, Australia. You can book a time with him here.

[email protected]

RCIC: R519955