The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Initiative (OINP) is the province's program for economic immigration. It collaborates with the Canadian government through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Foreign employees, international students, and those with the necessary abilities, experience, and education apply for nomination to the OINP. The OINP identifies and nominates persons for permanent residence who have the skills and expertise that the Ontario economy requires, but the Government of Canada decides whether or not to grant applications for permanent residence. Ontario is Canada's most populated province, and it is home to the country's capital, Ottawa, and its most significant metropolis, Toronto. It is the leading manufacturing province in Canada and is rich in natural resources. However, the services industry employs 79 percent of the province's workforce and comprises corporate, financial, professional, and technical services and culture and arts.
The diverse topography of Ontario extends from the rocky and mineral-rich Canadian Shield to over 250,000 lakes, which account for one-fifth of the world's freshwater reserves. Furthermore, around 60% of the province's territory is categorized as wooded, accounting for 2% of the world's woods.
Multiculturalism is strongly valued provincial Nominee Program Ontario, with Toronto being dubbed the world's most multicultural city. Indeed, over a hundred languages and dialects are spoken here, including many Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Aboriginal peoples.
There are three methods to be considered for a nomination:
- Company job offer category: for employees who have a permanent employment offer from an Ontario employer.
- Human capital: employees with relevant job experience, education, language abilities, and a profile in Canada‘s Express Entry system; or graduate students
- Entrepreneurs wanting to start a new firm or purchase an existing one in Ontario should look under the business category.
Employer Job Offer Category
The employer job offer category is divided into three streams that function on an expression of interest basis. To be eligible for the employer job offer streams, you must first create a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal, register an expression of interest for your employer job offer category, get an invitation to apply, and have a full-time and permanent employment offer from an Ontario business.
- Stream of Foreign Employees: for skilled workers.
- International Student Stream: For recent Ontario graduates.
- In-Demand Skills: intermediate skilled employees in specialized industries such as agriculture, construction, transportation, and personal support workers.
The human capital component is divided into foreign graduate streams, and Express Entry streams in Ontario.
These streams work based on an expression of interest system. For example, to be eligible for the Master's Graduate or Ph.D. Graduate streams, you must first create a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal, then register an expression of interest for your graduate stream, receive an invitation to apply, and apply within two years of graduating from an eligible Ontario university.
- Master's Degree Program
- Ph.D. Graduate Program
Ontario's Express Entry
These routes are managed by the federal government's Express Entry System. To be eligible for Ontario's Express Entry streams, you must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile in the federal government's Express Entry system with your most recent job experience, language exams, and education.
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream: French-Speaking skilled employees who have the necessary job experience, education, and language skills in French and English.
- Human Capital Priorities Stream: qualified individuals with the necessary job experience, education, and French or English language competence.
- Skilled Trades Stream: for people with work experience in an approved trade vocation in Ontario.
Processing Times
The processing time is separated into two parts: the time it takes for the province to grant the nomination and the time it takes for the permanent residence visa to be processed and issued. For most streams, Ontario currently predicts processing timeframes of 60-90 days. Applications for Express Entry Skilled Trades are handled within 30-60 days. The complexity of each file determines the processing times of business applications. IRCC currently manages provincial non-Express Entry nomination applications within 15-19 months at the federal level. The typical average of 6 months applies to the Express Entry streams.
