Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) serves candidates for permanent immigration in Canada’s most populous province. Qualified foreign nationals may obtain provincial nomination and subsequently permanent residence. The province targets skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs.
How does Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Work?
OINP is a provincial nominee program (PNP) and therefore a candidate must first obtain a Provincial Nomination Certificate before he or she can apply for permanent residence to the federal government.
Most Ontario PNP immigration streams operate on first come, first served basis. This means that the applications are reviewed in the order they are received. This is different from, for example, British Columbia or Manitoba where only the highest-ranking candidates are selected to apply.
Candidates under Ontario immigration streams aligned with Express Entry are selected from a pool of all qualified candidates through a Notification of Interest.
In order to receive a provincial nomination, candidates must first qualify under one of the Ontario PNP streams.
OINP Immigration Categories and Streams
There are three main categories in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
OINP Employer Job Offer Category
The Employment Offer Category is further divided into three streams.
- Foreign Worker Stream is for candidates with a full-time, permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer; and minimum two years of skilled work experience (NOC 0, A, or B) in past five years in the same occupation as the job offer. Read more.
- International Student Stream is open to candidates who graduated with at least 2-year degree or diploma or with at least 1-year post-graduate diploma; and have a full-time, permanent job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, or B) from an eligible Ontario employer. Read more.
- In-Demand Skills Stream is for candidates with a full-time, permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer in selected semi-skilled and low skilled occupations (e.g. agriculture, construction, trucking or personal support work); and have at least 9 months of work experience in the same occupation gained in Ontario. Read more.
OINP Human Capital Category
Review the table below for ineligible occupations for immigration in Alberta.
*This National Occupation Classification (NOC) code consists of both eligible occupations and ineligible occupations. The ‘Occupation’ column specifies which occupations are ineligible for each NOC Code listed.
International Graduates
- Masters Graduate Stream is open to candidates with a Master’s degree from an eligible university in Ontario; and who have lived in Ontario for at least one year in the last two years prior to submitting the application for provincial nomination. Read more.
- PhD Graduate Stream is for candidates who have completed all the requirements needed to obtain a PhD degree from an eligible university in Ontario; at least 2 years of the studies must have been completed while living in Ontario; and you must have have lived in Ontario for at least one year in the last two years prior to submitting the application for provincial nomination. Read more.
Ontario’s Express Entry
French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream is for candidates who qualify under Express Entry programs: Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program; have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree or it foreign equivalent; and speak French at CLB 7 level or higher. Read more.
Human Capital Priorities Stream is open to candidates who qualify under Express Entry programs: Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program; have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree or it foreign equivalent; and speak English or French at CLB 7 level or higher. Read more.
Skilled Trades Stream is for candidates who qualify under the Express Entry: Canadian Experience Class; and have one year of full-time work experience (or equivalent) in Ontario in a skilled trade listed in Minor Group 633 or Major Groups 72, 73 or 82 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Read more.
Business Category
Entrepreneur Stream is open to entrepreneurs with substantial net worth and investment funds who reside outside of Canada and who want to start a business or buy an existing business in Ontario. Read more.