Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (Ontario PNP) 

Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (Ontario PNP) 

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Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (Ontario PNP) 

Every year Ontario welcomes more than 1,00,000 Permanent Residents to live, work & settle in there. The immigrant (Permanent Resident individuals only) inflow in Ontario in 2009 was 1,06,840, which is the highest among all the provinces of Canada. Cities like Toronto, Ottawa-Gatineau, Hamilton, Kitchener, London and Windsor are the major attractions. 

Ontario: Human Capital Priorities Stream (New)

This stream enables the Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program (OOPNP) to nominate individuals who have qualified for Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC’s) Express Entry pool and who have the required education, skilled work experience, language ability, and other characteristics to help them successfully establish and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities. 

4 Steps to be followed are:

1. Register for Express Entry

You must register for CIC’s Express Entry system. Once you do, you will receive an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code (also known as Candidate Identifier Code). You will need these to complete your Nominee Application Form. 

When you register for Express Entry, you must indicate your interest in immigrating to either Ontario or “All Provinces and Territories.” 

You must qualify for one of two CIC economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). 

2. OOPNP identifies candidates in Express Entry pool OOPNP searches the Express Entry pool and identifies potential candidates who:

  • Have a minimum score of 400 on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) in CIC’s Express Entry system, and 
  • Meet the criteria of Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream (see Section 2 for more information). 

If OOPNP identifies you in the Express Entry pool, you will receive a PT Notification of Interest from Ontario through your MyCIC account. This notification will invite you to apply to OOPNP for nomination under the Human Capital Priorities Stream. 

3. Apply to OOPNP under the Human Capital Priorities Stream

After you receive a PT Notification of Interest from Ontario through your MyCIC account, you have 45 days to apply to OOPNP under the Human Capital Priorities Stream. 

To apply, fill out the Nominee Application Form (see Section 4 for instructions on completing the form) and ensure that you have all the required supporting documents (see Section 3). 

  • All applicants must indicate which federal immigration program they wish to be assessed against: FSWP or CEC. 
  • OOPNP will assess your nomination according to the Human Capital Priorities Stream eligibility criteria. Your application will also be assessed to ensure you meet the FSWP or CEC criteria. 

4. Accept nomination from Ontario and apply for permanent residency

If your application is approved by Ontario, you will receive a letter from OOPNP through your MyCIC account notifying you of your nomination. You have 30 days to accept the nomination from Ontario in the Express Entry system. 

  • Nomination from Ontario will give you an additional 600 CRS points and you will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency from CIC. 
  • Once you receive an invitation to apply from CIC, you have 60 days to apply to CIC for permanent residency. 
  • During the assessment of applications for permanent residency, CIC reviews applicants for admissibility, including health, security, and criminality checks as per Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. 
  • CIC will also verify all information provided by applicants to register for Express Entry. 

Eligibility Criteria:

67 points as per FSW 

1 year experience under O A B levels in past 5 years Must have a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D degree proved through ECA. 

CLB 7 – ILETS 6 bands each module 

Must score min 400 points on CRS 

Settlement funds as per FSW 

Intention to reside in Ontario 

Fees charged by Ontario

The application fee for Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream candidates is $1,500. The application fee is per application. The fee must be submitted with the application package or the application will be considered incomplete and returned to you. All fees must be made payable to the Ontario Minister of Finance. 

The province of Ontario offers various options under the Provincial Nominee Program like: 

  • General Category 
  • International Student category 

The Ontario PNP is an employer-driven program in that candidates cannot apply unless they have a permanent full-time job offer from an Ontario employer. There is a two-step process to nomination. 

  • Step1: Ontario employers must complete the pre-screen application process & they must obtain approval for the positions they wish to fill. 
  • Step2: If the positions are approved, the Ontario employer must recruit foreign skilled workers to fill the positions. 

If you get selected, you may then apply to the Opportunities Ontario PNP for a nomination. 

Employer Driven PNP

You need to obtain Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate in order to apply for employer driven program. A permanent full time job offer from a reputed employer is also a mandatory condition. One may also apply for certifications of you have obtained a PhD from a publicly-funded Ontario university. Before the Nomination is file, the Pre-screening application process and approval on hiring foreign national has to be obtained by the employer. The employer has to meet the eligibility criteria laid down by the provincial authorities. 

To be eligible, the employer from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) must: 

  • Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application; 
  • Have at least $1,000,000 gross revenue in the previous fiscal year; 
  • Have at least five permanent full-time employees; 
  • Have a place of business located in Ontario. 
  • Companies outside the GTA have less stringent eligibility criteria. They must: 
  • Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application; 
  • Have at least $500,000 in gross revenues in the previous fiscal year; 
  • Have at least three permanent full-time employees; 
  • Have a place of business located in Ontario. 

 

Ontario PNP General Category

The General Category allows approved Ontario employers and investors (companies) to recruit foreign workers. To be eligible to apply for Ontario nomination as a foreign worker, you must have: 

  • At least two years of work experience (within the previous five years) in the intended occupation, or have appropriate registration in Ontario, if applying for a position in a regulated occupation in Ontario. For work experience obtained in Canada, Opportunities Ontario will accept full-time work experience that is verifiable, relevant, paid and obtained with proper work authorization from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (e.g., work permit) within the most recent five years. Unpaid, unauthorized or volunteer experience will not be accepted. 
  • An approved Permanent full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A or B). 
  • An offered wage which meets the prevailing wage level in Ontario for the intended occupation. 
  • Legal status, if the prospective nominee is in Canada. 
  • The employer’s approval letter, Joint Verification form signed by their prospective employer, and Pre-screen Position form. 

For Companies setting up locations in Ontario:

This sub-section of the General Category is to facilitate the entry of key personnel into companies that are making major investments in Ontario. Nominees must meet the same qualifying criteria as above. Before nominating applicants, Ontario employers must first complete the pre-screen application process and they must obtain approval for the positions they wish to fill. To be eligible, Ontario employers must: 

  • Make a qualifying investment of $3 million or more in Ontario; 
  • Create at least 5 net full-time permanent positions. 

International Student Category

The International Student Category has two streams, the With Job Offer stream and the PhD Graduate stream: The With Job Offer stream allows approved Ontario employers to hire international students. Potential nominees must submit their applications for nomination. 

To be eligible to apply for Ontario nomination as an international student, you must have: 

  • Graduated (or soon be graduating) from an approved publicly funded Canadian college or university in the past two years; 
  • A full-time job offer,for which they are qualified, from approved Ontario employer in a skilled occupation (listed as NOC A, B, or 0). 
  • Received an Employer Pre-Screen Approved Position Form, along with the nominee application package from the Ontario employer; 
  • An offered wage that meets the prevailing entry-level wage in Ontario for the occupation; 
  • Legal status, if the prospective nominee is in Canada. 

The PhD Graduate Stream is for graduates of PhD program in an Ontario publicly-funded university. These candidates do not need a job offer to qualify for the program. 

Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (Ontario PNP)