Ontario Provincial Program

Ontario Provincial Program

Initially, immigration to the province of Ontario is divided into two categories: through the Express Entry system and through Ontario's special online immigration platform.

A. Immigration through the online platform: to apply for a nomination in this category, you need to register your information in a special system (Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program expression of interest). In this system, applicants with a job contract in Ontario, graduates of educational institutions in Ontario, and entrepreneurs are selected. This system has its own point system, and if you score enough points, you will receive an invitation to apply for a nomination from the province.

Programs that go through this platform include:

  1. Skilled foreign workers with a job offer – Employer Job offer: foreign worker stream
  1. Educational institution graduates with a job offer – Employer job offer: International student stream 

  2. A separate list of in-demand UNQUALIFIED specialists with a job offer – Employer Job offer: In-demand skills stream (includes nursery workers, greenhouse workers, livestock farm workers, agricultural machinery operators, meat and fish cutters, machine operators, woodworking machine operators, industrial sewing machine operators, food and beverage processing machine operators, electronic assemblers, chemical plant workers, industrial painters, metal processing operators, and all related professions).

  3. Master’s graduates – Master’s graduate stream (no job contract required)
  1. PhD graduates – PhD Graduate stream (no job contract required)

  2. Entrepreneur category – Entrepreneur stream (you need to provide the Ontario government with a business plan for your potential project, demonstrate having finances from 400 thousand (outside Toronto) to 800 thousand (Toronto region), and readiness to invest from 200 to 600 thousand dollars accordingly, plus create at least two positions for local Canadians.

Note: not every job contract is eligible. The employer must meet specific criteria, as well as the worker:

  • The business must be registered in Ontario and have been operational for at least 3 years
  • Must have a registered workplace (office), an email box, and online work does not qualify
  • The business must generate income. Income requirements of 1,000,000 "gross income" if registered in the Toronto region or 500,000 "gross income" per year if the business is outside Toronto.
  • The enterprise must have at least 5 Canadian workers (citizens or PR), if in Toronto, and if outside, then 3 workers on staff are sufficient.

Attention: You will have only 14 days after receiving the invitation to send the package for review. If you do not manage to do this, the invitation will be canceled.

B. Immigration through invitation by the Express Entry system (OINP express entry). In this case, you must have an Express Entry profile and an interest in living in the province, and Ontario may invite you to apply for PR from the Express Entry system in three categories:

  1. Ontario’s Human Capital Priority Stream. It includes the category of specialists in computer technology (usually invited if your score is 450 and higher) and a separate category for medical professionals and veterinarians (their score from 350 and higher). Important: to pass this program, you must have at least a bachelor's degree and a language level of 7 and higher in all four categories.
  2. Ontario’s French-speaking skilled worker program. Requirements – knowledge of French and an intention to live in Ontario. You may receive an invitation if your Express Entry score is 308 and higher.
  3. PR Program for Workers and Tradespeople – Skilled trade stream. This requires one year of work experience in Ontario in the construction sector and a score of only 250.

In this case, you will have only 45 days to send the package to Ontario for review and nomination issuance.