Ontario holds largest Expression of Interest draw

Ontario invited 1685 candidates for the provincial nomination on July 13 under Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) in the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool.

The candidates that are invited by the OINP were from three major PNP draws targeting foreign workers, international students, and candidates with a job offer in rural communities.

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 or 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.

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.

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.

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.

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, along with other related criteria.

Regional Immigration Pilot

The Regional Immigration Pilot 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:

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

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