How to apply to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has several different programs that applicants apply under.

These include the following:

• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
• PhD Graduate Stream
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
• Human Capital Priorities Stream
• Skilled Trades Stream
• Entrepreneur Stream 
• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
• Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
• Masters Graduate Stream

Human Capital Priorities Stream, Skilled Trades Stream, and the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

For the Human Capital Priorities Stream, Skilled Trades Stream, and the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream the OINP will contact applicants if they have decided to choose them. Applicants cannot apply directly to the OINP, they have to wait to receive a notification of interest first. If an applicant has not received a notification of interest from the OINP, then they cannot apply. for a provincial nomination. If selected by the OINP, applicants are notified through their online portal and given a specific timeline to contact OINP to complete application forms and submit required supporting documents. If the deadline is not met they will not be eligible for a provincial nomination. The OINP charges a non-refundable fee of $1,500 to submit an application for a provincial nomination.

Employer Job Offer streams

For each of the OINP’s three “Employer Job Offer” streams, the applicant needs to have a full-time (minimum of 30 hours per week), paid, permanent position with an indeterminate duration from an employer in Ontario. The applicant then needs to ensure that they meet the specific criteria for their specific program in terms of work history, completed education and any potential licensing that may be required. The applicant also needs to ensure that their potential employer meets all of the employer criteria set out by the OINP as not all employers qualify to support a foreign worker through these programs.

PhD Graduate Stream

In order to apply under the OINP’s PhD Graduate Stream, applicants need to meet all of the following criteria:

• Applicants must have obtained their PhD from an eligible university in Ontario and two of the years of their PhD studies must have been completed while in Ontario on a valid study permit;
• Applicants must have lived in Ontario on valid legal status for at least one year in the past two years before applying;
• Applicants need to be able to show they have the required amount of settlement funds for their family size;
• Applicants must intend to live and work in Ontario;
• Applicants must maintain legal status if applying from within Canada;
• Applicants must submit their application within two years of the date listed on their PhD degree.

Masters Graduate Stream

In order to apply under the OINP’s Masters Graduate Stream, applicants need to meet all of the following criteria:

• Applicants must have completed at least one academic year of full-time study and obtained their Masters from an eligible university in Ontario ;
• Applicants must be able to pass an approved language test in English or French with a minimum score at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 in listening, reading, writing and speaking;
• Applicants must have lived in Ontario on valid legal status for at least one year in the past two years before applying;
• Applicants need to be able to show they have the required amount of settlement funds for their family size;
• Applicants must intend to live and work in Ontario;
• Applicants must be living in Ontario, or outside of Canada at the time of their application;
• Applicants must maintain legal status if applying from within Canada;
• Applicants must submit their application within two years of the date listed on their Masters degree.

Entrepreneur Stream 

The OINP’s Entrepreneur Stream is for those looking to open and operate a business in Ontario. For this program, applicants enter an expression of interest and are assigned a score based on their proposed business. The highest scoring business proposals are then selected. You would only be allowed to proceed with a full application to the OINP if your score is selected. The minimum requirements to apply to this program are:

• Make a minimum investment of $600,000 if operating a business in the Greater Toronto Area OR $200,000 Canadian Dollars if operating a business outside of the Greater Toronto Area OR in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector;
• Have a minimum net worth of $800,000 Canadian Dollars if operating a business in the Greater Toronto Area OR $ 400,000 Canadian Dollars if operating a business outside of the Greater Toronto Area OR in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector regardless of location;
• Have the intention to reside in Ontario;
• Will create at least two full-time, permanent jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents if operating a business in the Greater Toronto Area OR create at least one full-time, permanent job for a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident if operating a business outside of the Greater Toronto Area or if it is in the information and communications technology/digital communications sector;
• Have at least 24 months’ worth of full-time business experience in the past 60 months as a business owner or senior manager;
• If purchasing a business in Canada, you will need to make an exploratory visit to Ontario within the 12 months preceding the submission of your application.