Ontario
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program. It works in partnership with the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The following streams operate through the OINP’s EOI system To qualify, you must register an expression of interest and receive an invitation to apply.
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
Apply for this stream if you are a skilled foreign worker with a job offer in Ontario.
Employer Job Offer: International Student stream
Apply for this stream if you are a recent graduate with a job offer in Ontario.
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream
Apply for this stream if you are a foreign worker in an in-demand occupation with a job offer in Ontario.
If you have a Masters or PhD degree from an Ontario university
The following streams operate through the OINP’s EOI To qualify, you must register an expression of interest and receive an invitation to apply.
Masters Graduate stream
Apply for this stream if you have a masters degree from an Ontario university.
PhD Graduate stream
Apply for this stream if you have a PhD degree from an Ontario university.
If you have the skills and experience that Ontario employers need
The following streams operate through the federal government’s Express Entry System. To qualify, you must have an Express entry profile and a Notification of Interest from Ontario.
Human Capital Priorities stream
Apply for this if you have the required skilled work experience, education and language abilities
Skilled Trades stream
Apply for the this if you are a foreign worker with Ontario work experience in an eligible skilled trade.
French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream
Apply for this stream if you are a French-speaking foreign worker with strong English language abilities.
If you are a foreign entrepreneur with a great business idea
Apply to the Entrepreneur Stream as your opportunity to come to Ontario to establish a new business or buy and grow an existing business in the province. This stream operates through an EOI.To qualify, you must register an expression of interest and receive an invitation to apply.
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
Applicant Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream, individuals must:- Have an approved full-time job and permanent job offer in a “skilled occupation” classified under NOC Type/Level 0, A, or B in Ontario;
- The job offer must meet the entry-level wage levels in Ontario for that occupation.
- Have a minimum experience OR have a valid licence or authorization from the relevant regulatory body in Ontario for the same occupation as the one listed in the job offer.
- Intend to reside in Ontario; and
- Hold legal status and should maintain that status until nomination (if residing in Canada at the time of applying).
Employer Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible under this immigration category, the Ontario employer must:- Have been in active business for at least three years;
- Have business premises in Ontario where the prospective nominee will work;
- Demonstrate sufficient proof of recruitment efforts if the prospective nominee is currently living abroad, visiting Canada, or working in a province or territory other than Ontario;
- Be in compliance with all provincial labour laws, including, but not limited to, employment standards, health and safety, and labour relations legislation; and
- Meet the program’s revenue requirements and the required minimum number of full-time employees:
- Employers located inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
- Have a minimum gross revenue for the most recent fiscal year of $1,000,000, and
- Have at least five permanent full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents at the location where the candidate is to work.
- Employers located outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
- Have a minimum gross revenue for the most recent fiscal year of $500,000, and
- Have at least three permanent full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents at the location where the candidate is to work.
- Employers located inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
JOB OFFER REQUIREMENTS:
1. Full-time and permanent
The job offer must be for a full-time and permanent position.
Full-time means the job must be a minimum of 1,560 hours a year and a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week.
Permanent means the job must have no end date (also known as an indeterminate duration). Job offers that are seasonal and/or contract based are ineligible.
Note that your job offer will not qualify if it affects the employment of a person involved in a labour dispute.
2. Eligible occupation
The job offered must be in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the (NOC).
3. Median wage level
The pay of the job offered must meet or be higher than the median wage level, for that occupation, in the specific region of Ontario where you will be working. To find the median wage, go to the Job Bank website. Enter the occupation title and NOC code of the job offer into the occupation search. Then enter the location where you will be working into the filter search. Refer to the median wage level listed on the chart.
If the wage of the employment region where the applicant will work or report to work is not available on the wage report, the Ontario wage should be used.
If you are already working in the position, the wage of the job offer must be equal to or greater than the wage level that the employer currently pays you in that position, in addition to meeting or exceeding the median wage level.
These wage requirements do not apply if you have a collective agreement (a written contract between the employer and a union), in your workplace, that determines your wages.
If you are paid an annual salary, your hourly wage can be calculated as follows:
- deduct any bonuses or other discretionary benefits from the annual salary
- divide the remaining amount by the number of weeks of work per year (this will generally be 52 weeks)
- divide this amount by the number of hours of work per week
- the remaining amount is the hourly wage
The program does not consider remuneration by piece work, bonuses, commissions, vacation pay or non-financial compensation as comprising part of your hourly base wage to be included in the calculation of work experience.
4. Position is urgently necessary to employer’s business
The position offered must be urgently necessary to your employer’s business. This means that the job offer must align with your employer’s existing business activities and the position must be urgently needed to maintain or grow ongoing business activity.
5. Work based in Ontario
The work you do while in the position of the job offer must occur primarily in Ontario.
You or any member of your family may only hold or have held equity in your employer’s business, either directly or indirectly if the equity is/was less than 10% and only if it was obtained as part of the remuneration package as an employee. The combined total amount of equity held by you, or any of your family members, must be less than 10%.
Note that a family member includes your spouse, common law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
