The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (OPNP), or Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), offers a wide range of job opportunities to skilled workers, graduates from foreign universities, entrepreneurs, businessmen and professionals from various domains to immigrate to Ontario province in Canada. Read on to know more about OINP/Ontario PNP, including eligibility criteria, different immigration streams, processing time and so on.
Considered as Canada’s financial, cultural, political and social nerve centre, Ontario is one of the popular destinations among immigration seekers from across the world. This Canadian province is home to people from different countries, backgrounds and culture, thus it is considered immigrant-friendly region that welcomes people from diverse backgrounds. Approximately 40 per cent of Canadians live in Ontario, which is famous for several business and financial institutes and establishments.
The Ontario PNP or OINP is best suited to candidates having specific skill set and work experience in particular domain. The program offers excellent opportunities to those foreign skilled workers who fulfil eligibility criteria and requirement of different industries based in Ontario. It is considered as one of the easiest route for Canada Immigration. Ontario Provincial Nominee Program program is managed by the government with the help of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The government aims to help province in meeting its requirement of labour market and economic development.
The economic immigration program - Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) - is run by the provincial authorities. The province government identifies and nominates eligible candidates with the help of the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Skilled workers, professionals, international students and entrepreneurs having desired education, work experience, skills and training are eligible to apply to the OINP for a nomination.
The OINP identifies and nominates eligible candidates for Canada Permanent Residence by keeping applications on fast track mode. The economy and industries in Ontario require skilled manpower and workers having relevant experience to fulfil demands of the labour market and employers.
It is important to note that the Government of Canada makes the final decision regarding approving applications for Canada PR.
Ontario Points calculator 2023
Ontario is the only province that considers the Express Entry CRS score for selection. The factors that determines the selection score, and the calculation is as follows:
Single Applicants Components | Points | With Spouse / Common-law partner Components | Points |
Education | 500 | Education | 460 |
Spouse or common Law partner | N/A | Spouse or common Law partner | 40 |
Transferability | 100 | Transferability | 100 |
Bonus Points | 600 | Bonus Points | 600 |
Grand Total | 1200 | Grand Total | 1200 |
Channels To Qualify For Nomination Under OINP:
Important Information
The following OINP streams are closed to applications at this time:
There are four major categories through which Ontario PNP accepts immigration applications:
Candidates should fulfil eligibility criteria and requirements to apply for Ontario PNP as well as secure permanent residency in Ontario. Here is the list of eligibility criteria for Ontario PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) or OINP:
Ontario Express Entry Program aligns with the federal government's Express Entry System and aims at nominating potential candidates who can contribute to the economy of Canada. Candidates having desired skills, qualification and work experience relevant to the listed occupation are in huge demand in Ontario.
Immigration aspirants can start the process by creating an Express Entry profile and register their interest in Ontario province within the system. The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) authorities can contact the person through Express Entry after assessing their credentials. Candidates are later invited by Ontario officials to apply for immigration. After receiving Ontario PNP, the nomination certificate helps candidate to increase their score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) by 600 points under Express Entry. Candidates having good score in Express Entry Canada CRS points receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in next Express Entry draw which takes place regularly.
Ontario Express Entry is further divided into two categories:
👉 Human Capital Priorities Stream
Candidates having required skills, qualification, and work experience can apply under this program. This stream helps candidates work and be in sync with Ontario's labor market. Since this program has limited seats, OINP only nominates potential candidates having qualified Citizenship and Immigration's (CIC) Express Entry Pool.
Once applications of candidates are picked from Express Entry Pool, they receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) and are advised to apply under OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream within 45 days.
Eligibility criteria for Human Capital Priorities Stream:
👉 French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
Aligned with Canada's Express Entry System, OINP (Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program) French Speaking Skilled Worker Stream enables prospective French-speaking candidates to immigrate to Ontario. The potential immigrants will receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program and are supposed to apply for this program within 30 days.
Eligibility criteria for French-speaking Skilled Worker Stream:
This program has been designed for foreign students, who are studying in Canadian universities, willing to apply for permanent residency in Ontario. It is further categorized into three streams:
This stream is popular among graduates from University of Western Ontario (UWO), Brock University, University of Toronto (UofT), University of Ottawa, York University, Ryerson University, University of Waterloo (UofW), University of Windsor, McMaster University, University of Guelph, Wilfred Laurier University (WLU), Queen's University and Carleton University.
👉 International students with Job Offer Stream
This Ontario PNP program has been designed to assist Ontario employers to offer international students with employment opportunities in the province. There are certain requirements need to be fulfilled to apply through this program:
👉 International Master Graduate Stream
OINP Master Graduate Stream is a pilot program which only accepts 1000 applications at the moment. Students who seek to apply through this program may not need a job offer but they should meet the following eligibility criteria:
👉 International Ph.D. Stream
Students who have been granted Ph.D. degrees from any of the publicly funded universities in Ontario can apply through this program. They may not need a job offer but they should meet certain requirements and eligibility criteria:
👉 International Student With A Job Offer Stream
This program has been launched to provide international students with employment opportunities in Ontario. There are certain requirements which need to be fulfilled to apply under this stream:
Started in 2015, this stream was introduced to help young foreign entrepreneurs to scale up old business or set a start up in Ontario. Entrepreneurs can be nominated for Canadian permanent residency under this stream after successfully establishing the business.
The entrepreneur/candidate must own and control at least 33.3% equity share in business plan in order to qualify under this stream. Immigration Ontario officials will screen all applications to assess the viability of proposed business plans. Candidates have to submit a performance agreement mentioning key investment and job creation commitments that need to be fulfilled within 24 months. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program considers start ups and businesses to be located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) if they are in the City of Toronto, Halton, Durham, York or Peel regions.
Eligibility criteria for Ontario Entrepreneur Stream:
Also Check - Ontario Points Calculator
The Expression of Interest (EOI) system is to be introduced in the following streams of OINP -
The points will be calculated in this system as under -
Job Offer: NOC TEER Category | Job offer: NOC skill level (Not applied to Masters Graduate or Ph.D. Graduate streams.) |
Job offer: wage (Not applied to Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams.) |
Canadian Work Experience |
NOC TEER 0 or 1 | 10 | $40 per hour or higher - 10 points | 3 |
NOC TEER 2 or 3 | 8 | $35 to $39.99 per hour - 5 points | 0 |
NOC TEER 4 | 0 | Less than $20 per hour - 0 points | 0 |
NOC TEER 5 | 0 | Less than $20 per hour - 0 points | 0 |
Job offer: NOC type
Canadian work experience: length (Cumulative)
Canadian work experience: earnings history
Highest Level of Education | Points |
Ph.D. | 10 |
Masters | 8 |
Bachelors or equivalent | 6 |
College diploma or trade certificate | 5 |
Less than college or trade certificate | 0 |
Field of study (Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams) |
Points |
Engineersing | 10 |
Health Care | 10 |
Maths and Computer Science | 9 |
Business and Administration | 7 |
Trades | 7 |
Social, Legal, and Education | 6 |
Arts and Humanities | 5 |
Canadian Education Experience
(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.)
Official Language Ability (Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.) |
Points |
CLB 9 or higher | 10 |
CLB 8 | 6 |
CLB 7 | 4 |
CLB 6 or lower | 0 |
Knowledge of Official Languages
(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.)
Regional immigration: location of job Offer
(Not applied to Masters or Ph.D. streams.)
Regional immigration: location of study
(Not applied to Masters or Ph.D. streams.)
Strategic Priorities
(To address immediate labor market needs in the province or a region of the province.)
As determined by OINP on the expression of interest system invitation to apply webpage - 10 points (if in use).
The Ontario Nominee Program processing time depends on the stream opted by applicant for Canada immigration. If the candidate opts to immigrate through Ontario Express Entry linked Human Capital Priorities Stream, then processing of application takes two to three months. However, faster processing of application depends on accuracy of submitted documents as well as other credentials. Ontario PNP Express Entry candidates can even monitor their PR status application online through the federal system.
There is no fixed deadline for Ontario PNP since the applications are accepted and assessed throughout the year. Please note that criteria for Ontario Express Entry and Ontario Nominee Program may change any time without notice. It is helpful to work in tandem with accredited immigration consultant to remain updated about criteria for Ontario PNP and increase chances of securing Canadian visa.
Please note that the processing time is subject to change depending on the nature of application.
Also Read: Provincial Nominee Program
Signature Visas, a leading Canada immigration service provider, offers full support to Ontario PNP aspirants. Armed with an extensive knowledge of laws, regulations and policies on Canada immigration, Signature Visas facilitates holistic perspective and guidance to prospective candidates to make informed decisions and secure bright future in Canada. A comprehensive approach helps immigration seekers to avoid mistakes which may bring an unfortunate outcome such as refusal or rejection of visa applications. Feel free to contact us at +91-9811648116.