OVERVIEW

The Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) allows foreign workers, international students and others with the right skills, experience and education to apply for a nomination for permanent residence in Ontario.

The program is:

• operated by the Ontario government in partnership with the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
• designed to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development needs

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The OINP is made up of three categories and each category is divided into several streams:

1. Employer job offer
2. Human capital
3. Business

EMPLOYER JOB OFFER CATEGORY

The employer job offer category has three streams. You must have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer to qualify.

Employer Job Offer:

• Foreign Worker Stream
• International Student Stream
• In-Demand Skills Stream

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:

• Masters Graduate Stream
• PhD Graduate Stream

ONTARIO’S EXPRESS ENTRY

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, you must have a profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system and receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario.

Ontario’s Express Entry:

• French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
• Human Capital Priorities Stream
• Skilled Trades Stream

BUSINESS CATEGORY

The business category has two streams:

1. Corporate stream: You must be an international corporation looking to expand or buy an existing business in Ontario
2. Entrepreneur stream: You must be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada looking to start a new business or buy an existing business in Ontario