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Ontario Provincial Nominee Program

Ontario is among the 9 provinces and 2 territories in Canada that are a part of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program. Canadian PNP offers a route to Canadian permanent residence that goes through the provincial and territorial governments.

Ontario PNP is officially referred to as the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Immigration candidates with the right skills and experience are nominated by Ontario. The OINP Nomination Certificate can then be used to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Ontario PNP streams available
Categories	Description	Pathways	Sub-stream
Employer Job Offer	For workers that already have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer.	Foreign Worker stream	–
		International Student stream	–
		In-Demand Skills stream	–
Human capital category	For workers that possess valuable work experience, language skills, education, and a profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system.	Express Entry	French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream (FSSW)
			Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream
			Skilled Trades (ST) stream
	For graduate students	International Graduate stream	Masters Graduate stream
	For graduate students	International Graduate stream	PhD Graduate stream
Business category	For entrepreneurs (from outside Canada) that intend either starting a new business or buying and growing an existing business in Ontario.	Entrepreneur stream	–

While some of the OINP streams are linked with the federal Express Entry system, many run independently.

Ontario PNP streams connected to the federal Express Entry system have the selected candidates being invited to apply through Notification of Interest (NOI) letters.

Express Entry linked OINP streams are – (1) Human Capital Priorities (FSSW) stream, (2) French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream (FSSW), and (3) Skilled Trades (ST) stream.

An Express Entry candidate that is able to secure a PNP nomination through any of the Ontario Express Entry streams – the HCP, the FSSW, or the ST – will automatically be allotted 600 additional points towards their ranking scores as per the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

With the launch of the Expression of Interest (EOI) system recently, five of the OINP streams are now operated through the EOI system. Invitations to Apply (ITAs) are issued for these streams.

OINP streams now operated under an EOI system –

(1) Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream

(2) Employer Job Offer: International Student stream

(3) Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream

(4) Masters Graduate stream

(5) PhD Graduate stream

Ontario PNP draws in 2022
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Notifications of Interest, or NOIs, are issued for – (1) Human Capital Priorities (HCP) steam, (2) French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW), and (3) Skilled Trades (ST) stream.
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Invitations to Apply, or ITAs, are issued in the Expression of Interest (EOI) draws held by the OINP. 5 OINP streams have an EOI system –(1) Employer Job Offer (EJO): Foreign Worker, (2) EJO: International Student, (3) EJO: In-Demand Skills, (4) Masters Graduate, and (5) PhD Graduate.
Sl.no	Date of round of invitations	Stream	NOIs / ITAs issued
1	October 25, 2022	Ph.D. Stream	106
2	October 25, 2022	Masters Graduate Stream	535
3	October 25, 2022	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream	1
4	September 29, 2022	Skilled Trades stream	1340
5	September 28, 2022	HCP Stream	1179
6	September 27, 2022	Foreign Worker Stream	3
7	September 23, 2022	French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream (FSSW)	363
8	September 20, 2022	Masters Graduate Stream	823
9	September 7, 2022	Skilled Trade Stream	1521
10	August 30, 2022	Foreign Worker Stream, Masters Graduate Stream & PhD Graduate Stream	782
11	August 16, 2022	Entrepreneur Stream	28
12	July 27, 2022	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream	2
13	July 14, 2022	Skilled Trades stream	755
14	June 29, 2022	Foreign Worker Stream	2
15	June 29, 2022	International Student stream	424
16	June 29, 2022	In-Demand Skills stream	293
17	June 21, 2022	French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream (FSSW)	356
18	June 9, 2022	French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream (FSSW)	153
19	June 1, 2022	Employer Job Offer: International Student stream	217
20	June 01, 2022	General draw	229
21	June 01, 2022	PhD Graduate stream	65
22	June 01, 2022	Masters Graduate stream	491
23	April 28, 2022	French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream (FSSW)	301
24	April 26, 2022	OINP EE Skilled Trades stream	1034
25	March 30, 2022	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream	618
		Employer Job Offer: International Student stream
		Masters Graduate stream
26	March 24, 2022	Skilled Trades stream	471
27	March 01, 2022	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream	1320
		Employer Job Offer: International Student stream
		Masters Graduate stream
28	February 24, 2022	ST	818
29	February 22, 2022	HCP	773
30	February 22, 2022	EJO: Foreign Worker stream	8
31	February 09, 2022	EJO: Foreign Worker stream	476
32	February 09, 2022	EJO: Foreign Worker stream	166
33	February 09, 2022	EJO: In-Demand Skills stream	107
34	February 08, 2022	HCP	622
35	February 08, 2022	FSSW	206
36	January 27, 2022	ST	1,032
37	January 12, 2022	HCP	502
38	January 11, 2022	EJO: Foreign Worker stream	264
39	January 11, 2022	EJO: International Student stream	762
40	January 11, 2022	EJO: In-Demand Skills stream	58

Steps to Apply

There are three main steps to follow when applying for OINP –

Ensure that you qualify

After selecting the stream, you want to apply under, ensure you fulfill all the mandatory requirements for the stream.

Apply for nomination by the Ontario government

Apply online, through the OINP e-Filing Portal.

Apply to the Government of Canada for permanent residence

If successful in securing an OINP nomination, you can then apply to IRCC for Canadian permanent residence.

FAQ

What is the OINP?

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is an Ontario immigration pathway under which prospective immigrants with the skills and expertise required by Ontario are nominated by the province for Canadian permanent residence.

What is the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream of the OINP?

Aligned with the federal Express Entry system, the OINP’s HCP stream is targeted at highly-qualified skilled workers that have the potential of making a positive contribution to the provincial labour market.

What are the federal Express Entry linked OINP streams?

Express Entry linked OINP streams are –

(1) Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream,

(2) French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream (FSSW), and

(3) Skilled Trades (ST) stream.

I am an Express Entry candidate. How will a PNP nomination by the Ontario PNP program help me?

An Express Entry candidate that is successful in securing a PNP nomination will have 600 ‘additional’ points added to their CRS score, thereby guaranteeing that they would be invited by IRCC in the next federal draw to be held.

Is a connection to Ontario needed to be eligible for the OINP’s Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream?

No. A connection to Ontario is not mandatory in order to be eligible for the Express Entry-aligned HCP stream of the OINP.

Do I need a valid job offer to apply to the OINP’s HCP stream?

A job offer is not a pre-requisite to be eligible for the HCP stream of the OINP.

What are OINP Tech Draws?

Tech Draws are a new opportunity that come under the HCP stream of the OINP. The aim of the OINP Tech Draws is to identify people with technological skills in the IRCC Express Entry pool.

Are all tech occupations covered by the OINP Tech Draws?

6 tech occupations – NOC 2173, NOC 2174, NOC 2147, NOC 2175, NOC 2172, and NOC 0213 – are specifically targeted in the OINP Tech draws.

What is the main difference between the BC PNP Tech Pilot and the OINP Tech Pilot?

The BC PNP targets 29 key tech occupations. The OINP Tech Draws, on the other hand, have a list of 6 eligible tech occupations.

What is the OINP processing time?

The processing times vary from stream to stream. The processing time might be comparatively longer if more information or further clarification required.

How to get Canadian permanent residence via PNP?

Acquiring Canadian permanent residence through the PNP is a 2-step process.

Firstly, a nomination would have to be secured from the relevant provincial/territorial government.

Following the PNP nomination, the provincial nominee can then proceed to applying to IRCC for Canadian permanent residence.

What is the Regional Immigration Pilot of the OINP?

The OINP’s Regional Immigration Pilot is a 2-year pilot program that has the aim of spreading the benefits of economic immigration to the smaller communities in Ontario.

For Ontario pilot program, nominations under the OINP’s Job Offer category are set aside for applicants looking to settle in any of the pilot communities.

Which communities come under Ontario’s Regional Immigration Pilot?

Communities taking part in Ontario’s Regional Immigration Pilot are –

Chatham-Kent
City of Cornwall
Cities of Belleville and Quinte West

To be considered by the OINP for the Regional Immigration Pilot, a completed intake form would have to be submitted. CVs and resumes will not be accepted by the OINP.