The OINP is an economic immigration program designed to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development priorities. The program allows Ontario to nominate, for permanent residence, individuals who have the skills and experience to contribute to Ontario’s economy, and assists employers in recruiting and retaining foreign workers.

The OINP is made up of three categories:

• Business
• Employer Job Offer and
• Human Capital

Each category is comprised of various streams under which applicants may submit an application.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is currently accepting applications under the following streams:

• PhD Graduate stream
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream*
• Human Capital Priorities stream*
• Skilled Trades stream*
• Entrepreneur stream

*To apply 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.

There are three ways you may qualify for a nomination:

Employer job offer category: for workers who already have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer. The employer job offer category has three streams. You must have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer to qualify.

• - Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions
• - International Student stream: for recent graduates in Ontario

• It gives international students with a job offer in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario. This stream is open to international students in and outside of Canada.

You must apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

• - In-Demand Skills stream: for intermediate skilled workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking and personal support workers

Human capital category: for workers who have valuable work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system; or for graduate students. This category has two sub-categories, the international graduate streams and Ontario’s Express Entry streams.

• 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

Business category: is for entrepreneurs looking to start a new or buy an existing business in Ontario. The business category has one stream. You must be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada who is looking to implement a new business idea or buy and grow an existing business in Ontario. The Entrepreneur Stream is for entrepreneurs from outside of Canada interested in starting a new business or buying an existing business in Ontario.

If you are nominated by the province, you will apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Ontario’s Express Entry

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, you must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile with your most current work experience, language tests and education in the federal government’s Express Entry system.

• Human Capital Priorities stream: for skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French or English
• Skilled Trades stream: for workers with work experience in Ontario in an eligible trade occupation