Ontario PNP: Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Ontario is Canada's most popular landing destination for immigrants from around the world.

As Canada’s most populous province, nearly 40 percent of Canadians call Ontario home. Ontario is also home to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto. Ontario is by far the leading destination for newcomers to Canada. The province welcomes one third of all newcomers each year. People chose to land in Ontario because of its job opportunities, high income and diverse population. In fact, more than half of those living in Toronto were born outside of Canada.

Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is called the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

Through this program, prospective immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive a provincial nomination from Ontario, after which they can apply for Canadian permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Overview of the Ontario PNP

The Ontario PNP, officially the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), launched in 2007.

The main objectives of the OINP are to respond to skill shortages in targeted areas, make it easier to invest in Ontario, and make sure newcomers can settle and integrate well in the province.

When it first started, the Ontario PNP was only allowed to nominate up to 1,000 newcomers. Today, Ontario nominates some 8,000 newcomers per year.

Some Ontario immigration streams are base streams and others are enhanced streams.

Enhanced streams are those that are aligned with the Express Entry system. This is the federal immigration system that Canada uses to manage permanent residence applications through the country’s three main economic class immigration programs.

Through this system, a candidate is given a point score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranking candidates are then invited to apply for permanent residence.

Those with nomination from a provincial program that is enhanced get an extra 600 points, effectively guaranteeing getting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. They also get their nomination through their Express Entry profile.

Base streams are streams that are not aligned with the Express Entry systems. Candidates who get a provincial nomination are required to apply directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Ontario Immigration Categories

If you wish to immigrate to Ontario, then you have three categories to choose from:

Human Capital Category;
Masters or PhD Category;
Employer Job Offer Category;
Business Category.

The Human Capital Category is for skilled workers, French-speaking skilled workers and tradespersons. It is also for international graduates who graduated from an Ontario university with a Masters or PhD degree. No job offer is required to apply through this category.

The Employer Job Offer Category is for candidates who have an eligible job offer in Ontario from an employer who is willing to nominate them.

Human Capital Category

The Human Capital Category itself divides into two sub-streams. One is the Ontario Express Entry. Programs in this sub-stream are enhanced. This means that they are linked with the Express Entry system.

The following programs fall into the Human Capital Category: Ontario Express Entry sub-stream:

Human Capital Priorities: This category includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Skilled Trades: For individuals with relevant Ontario work experience in an eligible trade occupation.

French-Speaking Skilled Worker: This program operates, like Human Capital Priorities, through FSWP and CEC. Applicants for French-Speaking Skilled Worker must have strong skills in both French and English.

If you receive a nomination through Ontario Express Entry, you will be notified. It will then be up to you, the candidate, to accept or refuse the nomination. Accepting the nomination awards you with an extra 600 CRS points. This means that you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next all-program Express Entry draw.

Minimum Requirements:

The following are the minimum requirements needed to be eligible through one of the streams under the Human Capital Category:

Must have enough money to support yourself and your family.
Must intend to live in Ontario
Must meet the additional requirements for the stream you are applying for, set out below:

Category	Is a job offer required?	Express Entry aligned?	Additional Requirements
Human Capital Priorities Stream	No	Yes	Must have valid Express Entry profile. Must have at least one year of full-time paid work experience. Must have a bachelor’s, masters or PhD degree. Language requirement: CLB level 7 or higher (English or French)
French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream	No	Yes	Must have valid Express Entry profile Must have at least one year of full-time paid work experience Must have a bachelor’s, masters or PhD degree Language requirement: CLB level 7 or higher (French).
Skilled Trades Stream	No	Yes	Must have valid Express Entry profile Must have at least one year of full-time paid work experience Must have a valid certificate or licence (if applicable) Must be currently living in Ontario and hold a valid work permit at the time of application Language requirement: CLB level 5 or higher (English or French)

How it works:

Once you know which stream you are eligible for, you must register for a ONe-key account on the OINP website.

You will be required to create a profile and then begin your application through the portal, by clicking the file number besides the stream you wish to apply for. You will also need to upload the required documents.

If you are applying for one of the Express Entry streams, you must maintain a valid profile until you are nominated.

If your application is successful, you will be receiving a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination by email.

For Express Entry Streams: You will then receive your nomination through your Express Entry profile. You will need to accept the nomination, after which you will receive an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. This means you will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry in the next draw.

For Graduate Streams: You will then be required to apply for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) within six months. Include your nomination approval letter and certificate with your application.

Masters and PhD Category

The following programs are not aligned with Express Entry. An applicant must create a profile and register an expression of interest (EOI):

Masters Graduate Stream: For individuals who received Masters degrees from an Ontario University
PhD Graduate Stream: For individuals who received Ph.D.’s from an Ontario University.