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ONTARIO PNP (OINP) In-Demand Skills STREAM
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), In-Demand Skills Stream stands as a key initiative, aligning the province’s economic needs with skilled individuals eager to contribute to Ontario’s workforce. This stream is part of the broader OINP, which allows the province to nominate individuals for permanent residence in Canada based on their ability to contribute to Ontario’s economic development. It is tailored to address specific labor market shortages by targeting occupations in high demand within the province.
By prioritizing occupations that are crucial to the region’s development, this stream provides a pathway for skilled workers to not only enhance their careers but also contribute significantly to the vibrant communities of Ontario, Canada. The program aims to attract qualified professionals who possess the necessary skills and experience to fill these gaps, thereby contributing to the growth and prosperity of the province.
Applicants under this stream must meet certain eligibility criteria related to their work experience, education, language proficiency, and job offer in an eligible occupation. The In-Demand Skills Stream is a dynamic program that responds to the evolving needs of Ontario’s labor market. It provides an opportunity for skilled workers to contribute their talents to the province while pursuing a pathway to permanent residence in Canada. Prospective applicants should carefully review the eligibility criteria and requirements to ensure a successful application under this stream.
You can also get to know other immigration pathways more suited to each particular situation. All of our fees and packages are also available! Overall, the OINP The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream is not merely a means to obtain immigration status; rather, it symbolizes a collaborative effort between Ontario and skilled professionals worldwide to shape a workforce that thrives on diversity, skills, and a shared commitment to building a prosperous future. You can also get acquainted with other OINP programs.
Book a consultation today to discuss your eligibility with an expert immigration advisor and take your first step toward living and working in Ontario. Let our immigration firm guide you through the In-Demand Skills stream and make your Canadian dream a reality.
Recent draws
DRAW DATE
Dec 5, 2023
PROGRAM(S)
In-Demand Skills Stream
INVITATIONS ISSUED
13
LOWEST SCORE
N/A
Latest Updates
On December 5, 2023 only 13 targeted invites were issued to candidates who could be eligible for the federal Economic Mobility Pathways Project under this stream Read more
Additionally, on December 5, 2023 invitations were issued to professionals in general occupations who had a score of 30 and above. Read more
On August 15, 2023 applicants working in general occupations were sent invitations and they had a score of 23 and above. Read more
On June 20, 2023 applicants working in general occupations were sent invitations and they had a score of 26 and above. Read more
SKILLED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS (NOC TEERS)
WAGE REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANT NOTES
SKILLED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS (NOC TEERS)
One of the key requirements for this stream is having an eligible job offer. This job offer needs to be in one of the TEER categories of skilled occupations 0,1,2 or 3 of the National Occupation Classification (NOC). Alongside that, it must be a full-time and permanent position. An occupation is considered full-time when it provides at least 30 hours of paid work per week, or 1560 hours a year. A permanent position assumes that there is no end date to the employment contract, and the job does not depend on seasonal changes. If the employment is in the midst of a labor dispute, it will not qualify.
WAGE REQUIREMENTS
The offered job’s salary must either meet or exceed the median wage level for the respective occupation in the specific region of Ontario where your employment is situated. If the wage information for the applicant’s work region or reporting location is not present in the wage report, the Ontario wage should be utilized. In the case of existing employment, the job offer’s wage must match or surpass the current wage the employer pays for the same position. Additionally, this wage standard is exempt if there exists a collective agreement (a written contract between the employer and a union) in your workplace that dictates your payment.
If you are paid an annual salary, there is a way to convert it into the format of hourly wages. The calculation for your hourly wage involves deducting any bonuses or discretionary benefits from the annual salary. After deducting these, divide the remaining amount by the total number of weeks worked in a year (typically 52 weeks). Then, further, divide this result by the number of hours worked per week. The resulting value represents your hourly wage. An employee is considered a full-time hire when they work for at least 30 hours per week.
IMPORTANT NOTES
The job your employer is offering must be crucial and urgently needed for their business. This implies that the position must align with what your employer is already doing, and it must be essential for maintaining or expanding their ongoing business operations. The main business operations must also be conducted in Ontario.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for the stream, the employer must meet certain criteria other than providing an eligible job offer. Some of the requirements include:
- Have a minimum of three years of active business operation before submitting your application.
- Maintain business facilities in Ontario where your work activities will take place.
- Do not have any unresolved orders issued against them under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, or the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Show sufficient proof that the employer tried hiring a Canadian citizen or PR unsuccessfully, hence why the job offer was extended to the applicant. This option is only applicable if the candidate currently resides outside of Canada or works outside of Ontario.
The efforts to hire a Canadian citizen or PR must be shown unless:
- The candidate already has a valid work permit
or
- The employer has a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for the position
REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
The employer must also meet certain revenue requirements for the most recent tax year. The minimum threshold depends on the location in Ontario
- If the employer is inside the Greater Toronto Area, a gross minimum of $1,000,000 annual revenue will be required
- If the employer is outside the Greater Toronto Area, a gross minimum of $500,000 annual revenue will be required
What does “Report to Work” mean? There are cases when an applicant will have to work in more than one location. In such scenarios, the applicant must report their place of work as either:
- the primary location of their manager or supervisor
- the primary location of the office from which the applicant will receive assignments
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
At the time of application, the employer’s company must have one of the following:
- At least five full-time Canadian citizen or permanent residency holder employees who work in the same location as the candidate. This requirement applies if the location is in the Greater Toronto Area.
- At least three full-time Canadian citizen or permanent residency holder employees if the office where the candidate will work is located outside the Greater Toronto Area.
The Employer Form is one of the crucial forms that the employer signs as proof of the applicant’s lawful employment and position within the company. Once the form is completed and signed by the employer, the applicant must scan and upload it with their application.
WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
APPLICANT TIES TO ONTARIO
APPLICATION PERIOD
WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Applicants are required to possess a minimum of 9 months of cumulative paid full-time work experience (or its part-time equivalent) in Ontario, specifically in the identical in-demand occupation as indicated by the job offer, with the same National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. You are required to have acquired this work experience within the three years preceding the date of your application submission, rather than the date you received the invitation to apply. Additionally, it should be emphasized that this work experience must have been obtained while you were legally residing and working in Ontario.
Full-time work experience refers to employment in a position involving a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week, totaling at least 1,200 hours of paid work over a span of 9 months.
Applicants must show that they understand either English or French at the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 minimum. To prove this knowledge, applicants are required to pass either an English or French examination which must be valid at the time of submission. Hence, the test must have been taken within two years before the submission date.
The acceptable English tests are:
- IELTS General
- CELPIP General
The acceptable French tests are:
- TEF Canada
- TCF Canada
Applicants are required to have a Canadian high school diploma or its equivalent. Suppose the diploma was acquired in a foreign country. In that case, the applicant needs to receive an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report, which proves that the applicant’s diploma equals a Canadian high school education. To attach this report to the candidate’s OINP application and for OINP to be able to confirm it, it is important to authorize the organization that made the report to share the file with OINP. But, this is not enough. The applicant also has to follow certain steps:
- Submit an online request form
- Medical Council of Canada, request the report. When it is available, request a file transfer by logging into the physiciansapply.ca system. click on “Other service requests” in the left panel and follow the steps. Please enter ontarionominee@ontario.ca as the third party’s email address.
- World Education Services, order a copy of your ECA report online and indicate the “Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program” as the recipient of the report
It is important to keep in mind that ECA reports can be up to 5 years old.
APPLICANT TIES TO ONTARIO
The candidate must show appropriate ties in Ontario in support of living and working in the province after gaining permanent residence. This can be shown by certain factors influencing the strength of the candidate’s application, including:
- Work experience in Ontario
- Applying for jobs in Ontario
- Studying/volunteering in Ontario
- Leasing/owning property in Ontario
- Having professional ties or personal relationships in the province.
If you are submitting your application from within Canada, it is necessary to have legal status (such as a visitor record, study permit, or work permit) at the time of application, and you must maintain that status until the point of nomination.
Applicants are eligible to apply if they are in ‘implied status’ during the submission of their OINP application. ‘Implied status’ refers to the situation where an application has been filed with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to renew or extend a temporary status document (like a visitor record, work permit, or study permit) before its expiration. During the pending decision on the IRCC application, individuals can stay in Canada and continue their work or study activities under the same conditions as specified in their existing permit.
APPLICATION PERIOD
Once you receive an invitation to apply, you can submit your application to the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream. To get your application approved, you need to meet all the requirements outlined in the following categories.
Expression of Interest and Invitation to Apply
- You need to have received an invitation to apply and submitted your application within the specified deadline.
- You are required to show that you possessed the qualifications you asserted in the expression of interest submitted to the OINP, as well as attested to.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
PROCESSING TIME
PROCESSING FEES
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
When the applicant receives the NOI, there are 14 calendar days in which the application must be submitted. For this stage, there is a specific checklist and certain documents that must be gathered for the submission. These documents include:
- attestation
- identity documents
- status documents in Canada
- job offer documents
- documents to support your work history
- education documents
- language test results
- resumé
- expression of interest selection factors
- other optional documents (if applicable)
(Uploading unnecessary documents may result in delayed processing)
PROCESSING TIME
The average processing time for the OINP International Student Stream is around 120-150 days. An applicant can check the status of the application on the OINP e-Filing portal.
PROCESSING FEES
While there are no government fees when submitting the application to the Express Entry pool or creating an e-Filing portal, once the applicant receives the notification of interest, a sum of $1500 will need to be paid for the processing of the application if the job offer is outside the Greater Toronto Area, and $2000 if the job offer is inside the Greater Toronto Area. (Refunds are possible in case of incomplete applications or withdrawal before the start of the processing). If you decide to retain us as your representative, some professional fees will be applicable.
Program Timeline
Once your application has been approved, you will receive the following via email:
- A nomination approval letter
- A nomination certificate
- A work permit support letter (if applicable)
Once the applicant has the appropriate documents, the following stage is applying for Permanent Residency through the OINP International Student Stream. To do so, there are certain conditions that an applicant has to meet and maintain throughout the whole process. Those include:
- The applicant must either be already employed at the approved company and employer or pursue a work permit within six months and start working within 10 months if the applicant has not started the job yet. If this condition is not met, the OINP program must be notified immediately.
- The nature of the employment, alongside the employer, position, wage, and location must remain consistent throughout the whole process. Upon any changes in employment, the OINP program must be notified of those changes.
Create a profile
Creating a profile on the OINP e-Filing Portal.
Register an expression of interest
Registering an expression of interest for the international student stream.
Fill in forms and upload documents
Filling in forms and uploading required documentations within 14 days of receiving invitation to apply.
Applying for permanent residency (PR)
Applying for permanent residency (PR) to the IRCC within 6 months of receiving the nomination.
Our Professional Fees
Do I have to work for a year straight before the submission of my application?
No, this specific stream gives the edge to professionals who possess in-demand skills, allowing them to apply with just 9 months of cumulative work experience that was gained in the three years prior to the submission of the application.
What are considered “in-demand” skills?
This stream targets professionals in the fields of agriculture, construction, trucking or home support work. These professionals must have an eligible job offer in Ontario and can apply both from inside and outside Canada
Can self-employed work experience be considered for this stream?
No, the In-Demand Skills Stream requires paid, full-time work experience in an eligible occupation and an eligible job offer in Ontario. Self-employed work is not eligible under this stream.
I have a valid work permit and have been working for my current employer for more than 6 months. Am I eligible to receive points for these?
Yes, owning a valid work permit grants applicants 10 points, while having tenure at their current workplace (working more than 6 months) adds 3 points. So, yes, this is a good way to make a better candidacy and submit a stronger application.
Can I apply for the In-Demand Skills Stream if I am already working in Ontario but in a different occupation?
No, applicants must have work experience in the same in-demand occupation as their job offer to be eligible for the In-Demand Skills Stream. Work experience in a different occupation is not considered for this stream.
What if I have work experience in more than one in-demand occupation?
If you have work experience in multiple in-demand occupations, you should choose the one that aligns with your job offer. Your eligibility will be assessed based on the selected in-demand occupation.
