Ontario PNP invites master’s and PhD grads

On September 14, Ontario invited 691 international student graduates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited 627 international student graduates to apply for the Masters Graduate stream, plus 64 who may be eligible for the PhD Graduate stream.

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Invited candidates needed to have submitted a profile in Ontario's Expression of Interest (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 16.

This is the third and largest Masters Graduate stream draw since Ontario adopted an EOI system for its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) that do not already use the Express Entry system. For the PhD Graduate stream, it was the second draw.

Based on the precedent set by these draws, it appears that Masters Graduate draws tend to be larger and have a higher score requirement. This could be due to the number of qualified applicants who enter the EOI system from each degree type. Every year, thousands of international students graduate with master's degrees from Ontario, whereas the number of PhD graduates are in the hundreds, according to Statistics Canada.

About Ontario’s Masters Graduate stream

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

Ontario then invites eligible candidates to apply for a provincial nomination, which greatly supports any application for Canadian permanent residence.

You do not need a job offer to apply, however, you need to apply for the nomination within two years of graduating. Graduates of the following universities are eligible for this stream:

Algoma University
Brescia University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
Brock University
Carleton University
Dominican University College
Huron University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
Lakehead University
Laurentian University
McMaster University
Nipissing University
Ontario College of Art & Design University
Queen’s University
Royal Military College of Canada
Ryerson University
Saint Paul University (Federated with the University of Ottawa)
St. Jerome’s University (Federated with the University of Waterloo)
Trent University
University of Guelph
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
University of Ottawa
University of St. Michael’s College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
University of Toronto
University of Trinity College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
University of Waterloo
University of Windsor
Victoria University (Federated with the University of Toronto)
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University

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 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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