Ontario PNP invites 668 immigration candidates in new Tech Draw

Ontario's latest Tech Draw took place on December 15. A total of 668 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued targeted Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to candidates who may qualify for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream. These candidates must have profiles in the federal Express Entry system.

The 668 principal applicants received NOIs from the Tech Draw. Express Entry candidates needed a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 460 and 468 in order to be invited. Candidates did not need to have a job offer lined up, but they needed at least one year of work experience in one of the following tech occupations:

NOC 0213 Computer and information systems managers
NOC 2147 Computer engineers
NOC 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 2173 Software engineers and designers
NOC 2174 Computer programmer and interactive media developers
NOC 2175 Web designers and developers

People who received the NOI from Ontario now have 45 calendar days to submit their application for the provincial nomination.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration

If they are awarded the nomination from Ontario they will automatically get an additional 600 CRS points toward their overall CRS score. These extra points effectively guarantee that they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw. This goes for anyone who is nominated under any of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in Canada.

This is Ontario’s fifth Tech Draw of the year. The one on July 29 was the biggest Tech Draw so far in 2020, when 1,288 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

So far in 2020, Ontario has issued 9,082 invitations across its Human Capital Priorities stream, French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream, and Skilled Trades stream.

Of these invitations, Ontario has issued 7,819 provincial nominations as of December 10.

How to get invited for an Ontario Tech Draw

The first step to become eligible for an invitation through the OINP Tech draw is to create a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system.

Express Entry is an application management system for three federal economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Ontario’s Human Capital Priority stream recognizes candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates are ranked according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on their education, work experience, age, and language proficiency in English or French.

The OINP Tech Draws pull from the Express Entry pool of candidates, inviting eligible tech workers to apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario.

Applying for a provincial nomination is not the same as applying for Canadian immigration. If invited candidates successfully get the provincial nomination from Ontario, they can then use it to apply for permanent residence from the federal government.

Once they are approved by the federal government, these new permanent residents will get to settle into their technology careers in Ontario.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration