Ontario invites workers, Masters and PhD grads in PNP draws

Ontario held new rounds of invitations on October 20, inviting 546 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates who had profiles in the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool.

Candidates may have qualified for the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream, for the Masters Graduate stream, and for the PhD Graduate stream.

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A total of four targeted invitations were issued to candidates who may be eligible for the Foreign Worker Stream under the Economic Mobility Pathways Project.

The OINP also invited 479 international student graduates to apply for the Masters Graduate stream, and 63 who may be eligible for the PhD Graduate stream.

Invited candidates needed to have submitted a profile in Ontario's EOI system. Each stream had its own score requirement:

Masters Graduates needed a score of at least 35; and
PhD Graduates needed a score of at least 25.

This is the second-largest Masters Graduate stream draw since Ontario adopted an EOI system for its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) that are not using the Express Entry system.

The precedent for these draws shows that masters degree draws tend to be larger and require a higher score. This could be due to the number of qualified applicants entering the EOI system for each type of degree. Thousands of international students graduate each year with a master's degree in Ontario, while the number of PhD graduates is in the hundreds, according to Statistics Canada.

About the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream

The Ontario Foreign Worker Stream under the Employer Job Offer category is open to foreign nationals who have an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario. Candidates do not necessarily have to apply from within Canada, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible candidates need to accumulate the equivalent of two years of work experience in a skilled occupation, have an eligible job offer in Ontario, and intend to immigrate to the province, among other criteria.

Those who want to apply for this PNP stream, have to register an EOI profile on the Ontario website.

After registering a profile, it will go into the EOI pool. Ontario will give it a score based on the information that was submitted.

About Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams

In order to be considered for the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate stream, candidates need to sign up with Ontario’s e-Filing Portal then register an expression of interest for their chosen graduate stream.

Ontario then invites eligible candidates to apply for a provincial nomination, an important step toward Canadian permanent residence.

It is not necessary to have a job offer to apply, but applications must be submitted within two years of graduation.

How do you get points for Ontario immigration?

Ontario ranks EOI profiles based on a number of human capital factors that the province has decided will be important in selecting immigrants with the potential to thrive. Candidates get points for the skill level of their job offer as well as their Canadian work experience.

The OINP scoring system is different for every stream. Other than skill level and work experience, it also takes into account wage, education, official language ability, and the region of study or work. The province also allocates 10 points at its discretion to respond to labour market needs.

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