How many provincial nominations will Ontario issue in 2021?

Every year, each Canadian province gets to issue a certain amount of provincial nominations that support permanent residency applications. Ontario has just released its allocation for 2021.

The federal government is allowing Ontario to issue 8,350 nominations, plus and additional 250 specifically for temporary foreign workers working in occupations with a National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C. These jobs generally require a high school education or specific job training.

To compare, Ontario nominated 8,054 principal applicants in 2020, despite closed borders and other COVID-related service disruptions. In 2019, Ontario nominated 7,391. That was also the year Ontario’s Immigration Minister, Vic Fedeli, lobbied the federal government for an allocation of 13,300 nominations by 2022.

Find Out if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Already 2021 is proving to be a groundbreaking year for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). This year the OINP launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) system for programs under its Employer Job Offer Category. This means that immigration candidates can register at any time for the chance to receive a provincial nomination through its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) that do not invite candidates from the Express Entry system.

Immigrate to Ontario through the PNP

Ontario is the most popular destination for new immigrants. As such, there are a number of immigration programs tailored to people who want to make Ontario their new home.

PNPs were designed to allow provinces to support the particular needs of the economy in their region. As such, many PNP immigrants succeed in Ontario's labour market, oftentimes getting jobs in their first year of landing. A Statistics Canada study suggests that PNP candidates do well in part because many of them have prior Canadian experience.

The best immigration program for you will depend on your situation. For some Ontario PNPs, you can apply without ever having set foot in Canada such as the Human Capital Priorities Stream. Others require you to have a job offer, or at least domestic education as in the case of the Masters Graduate stream.

There are two broad categories of PNPs. Base PNPs, like the Employer Job Offer Category, operate independently within the province. Enhanced PNPs, like the Ontario Express Entry Streams, invite candidates who have submitted profiles to the Express Entry system.

A provincial nomination is not a guarantee of permanent residence. It can, however, support your application. Only the federal government can make final decisions on immigration applications.

Express Entry and Ontario

You do not need to apply to a PNP to immigrate to Ontario. The Express Entry system allows you to apply directly to the federal government. It was designed to fast-track immigration applications, and help Canada select top candidates to become permanent residents and thrive in the labour market.

To apply through Express Entry, you need to be eligible for one of the three Federal High Skilled programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Once you register your profile in the pool, and upload all your documents, you will get a score based on your age, skilled work experience, education, language ability, and other factors.

The highest-scoring candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence through regular Express Entry draws.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment