Ontario holds largest Expression of Interest draws to date

Ontario held three major PNP draws targeting foreign workers, international students, and candidates with a job offer in rural communities on July 13.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited a total of 1,685 candidates who had profiles in the new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool. Invited candidates may qualify for one of two Employer Job Offer streams. This is the largest number of invitations issued through the Employer Job Offer streams to date in 2021.

The biggest draw issued 1,211 invitations to candidates who may be eligible for the Foreign Worker Stream. These candidates needed a score of at least 33. This was a general draw, which means that there were no targeted occupations, nor location requirements for this draw.

Another 431 were invited to apply for a nomination in a general draw through the International Student Stream. These candidates needed an EOI score of at least 62 in order to be invited.

The OINP also issued 43 invitations to immigration candidates who were registered for the Regional Immigration Pilot and may qualify for the same two Employer Job Offer streams.

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At the time of the release of the latest draw results, the province also issued instructions for submitting complete PNP applications. Among other details, the province instructs those applying under the Employer Job Offer stream to submit a printed and signed PDF copy of an attestation form. If this form is not submitted, the application will be returned as incomplete, the application fee will be refunded and the opportunity to apply to the program will be lost.

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. You do not necessarily have to apply from within Canada, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible you 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.

If you want to apply for this Provincial Nominee Program (PNPs), you have to register an EOI profile on the Ontario website.

After registering your profile, it will go into the EOI pool. Ontario will give you a score based on the information you submit.

About the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream

The Ontario International Student Stream under the Employer Job Offer category is open to foreign nationals who have an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario.

You do not necessarily have to apply from within Canada, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible you need to have completed a program at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution, have an eligible job offer in Ontario, and intend to immigrate to the province, among other criteria.

To receive an invitation to apply for this program, you have to register an EOI profile on the Ontario website. Your profile will then go into the EOI pool, and you will get a score based on the files you submit. Ontario awards points for human capital factors that the province has determined will indicate your ability to integrate into the labour market.

What is the Regional Immigration Pilot?

The Regional Immigration Pilot was launched to help address labour shortages in some of these communities. It allows the province to allocate 150 nominations in 2021 to three rural locations: Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, and Quinte West/Belleville. These municipalities demonstrated to the province that they have labour shortages in skilled occupations, and the ability to help newcomers get settled.

If you are eligible for any of the OINP Employer Job Offer streams and your full-time job offer is in one of the participating communities, you may be able to get a provincial nomination through the pilot.

There are three Employer Job Offer streams:

Foreign Worker Stream, for workers with a skilled job offer in Ontario;
International Student Stream, for international students with skilled job offers; and
In-Demand Skills Stream, for workers in occupations that have labour shortages in Ontario.

The pilot is slated to operate for two years before it is reviewed. It may be extended or discontinued depending on its performance.

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. You get points for the skill level of your job offer as well as your Canadian work experience. The province uses the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system to assign points.

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

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