2019 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Changes
Posted on 23/04/2019
The Ontario provincial government has updated some key aspects of its Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) in its recent budget. These changes will affect everything from immigrants looking to work as truck drivers to entrepreneurs from abroad looking to set up a business in the province. Here then, are the main changes being proposed by the Ontario government to the OINP:
Entrepreneur Stream
This stream is for people who wish to buy a business located in Ontario or set up their own business in the province. It has a number of requirements, including the size of the business in terms of revenues and number of employees, as well as the financial condition of the candidate who wishes to apply for the entrepreneur stream. The following table summarizes the main changes to this stream:
| Entrepreneur Stream - Current requirements | Entrepreneur Stream – New Proposed requirements |
|---|---|
| $1,000,000 minimum investment if planned business in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | $600,000 if planned business in Greater Toronto Area |
| $500,000 if planned business outside GTA | $200,000 if planned business outside GTA |
| $500,000 if planned business in the ICT/Digital Communications sector regardless of location in Ontario | $200,000 if planned business in the ICT/Digital Communications sector regardless of location in Ontario |
| Entrepreneur Net Worth – Current requirements | Entrepreneur Net Worth – New Proposed requirements |
| $1,500,000 if proposed business in GTA | $800,000 if proposed business in GTA |
| $800,000 if proposed business outside GTA | $400,000 if proposed business outside GTA |
| $800,000 if proposed business in ICT/Digital Communications sector regardless of location in Ontario | $400,000 if proposed business in ICT/Digital Communications sector regardless of location in Ontario |
| Entrepreneur Stream – Current Job creation requirements | Entrepreneur Stream – New Proposed Job Creation requirements |
| 2 full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or PR status regardless of location in Ontario | 2 full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or PR status if located in GTA |
| 1 full-time job if located outside GTA |
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
This stream is designed to allow foreign workers who are skilled in a job that matches Ontario’s labour market needs to apply for permanent residence when they have a job offer waiting for them in Ontario. As long as they have a permanent, full-time job offer and meet the other eligibility criteria, which includes having 1 year of cumulative work experience in Ontario during the 3 years previous to applying for this stream, they can then apply for permanent residence in Canada.
The list of available jobs under this category has been expanded from 7 occupations to 10 under the proposals, in order to reflect the requirements of Ontario’s evolving labour market. The following table summarizes the changes:
| Employer Job Offer Stream – Current Eligible Occupations | Employer Job Offer Stream – New Proposed Eligible Occupations |
|---|---|
| NOC 7441 – Residential/Commercial installers or servicers NOC 7521 – Heavy equipment operators (except crane operators) NOC 8431 – General farm workers NOC 8432 – Nursery and Greenhouse workers NOC 8611 – Harvesting Labourers NOC 7611 – Construction trades helpers & labourers NOC 9462 – Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers | NOC 7441 – Residential/Commercial installers or servicers NOC 7521 – Heavy equipment operators (except crane operators) NOC 8431 – General farm workers NOC 8432 – Nursery and Greenhouse workers NOC 8611 – Harvesting Labourers NOC 7611 – Construction trades helpers & labourers NOC 9462 – Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers Plus the following additional occupations: NOC 3413 – Nurse aides, orderlies, & patient services associates NOC 4412 – Home support workers and related occupations excluding housekeepers NOC 7511 – Transport truck drivers |
OINP Express Entry Streams
3 OINP Streams work in conjunction with Express Entry which means that OINP searches the Express Entry candidate pools for qualified candidates who then receive Notification of Interest from the OINP and may then apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario:
- OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream
- OINP French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
- OINP Skilled Trades Stream
For these 3 OINP streams, the date that the applicant’s work experience is counted from has changed slightly. This could mean that more days will be counted towards an applicant’s work experience. The following table summarizes the change:
| Current Work Experience Requirements | New Proposed Work Experience Requirements |
|---|---|
| Work experience counted from day candidate receives an NOI | Work experience counted from day candidate applies for a provincial nomination |
Masters Graduate & PhD Graduate Streams
These streams are for graduates from approved, eligible Ontario educational institutions who wish to obtain permanent residence and live and work in Ontario. The changes are as follows:
| Masters & PhD Graduate Streams – Current Requirements | Masters & PhD Graduate Streams New Proposed Requirements |
|---|---|
| Masters Graduate Stream: have completed the requirements necessary to obtain a masters degree from an eligible Ontario institution, less than 2 years before date of application | Masters Graduate Stream: either proof that applicant has obtained masters degree OR A letter from the educational institution indicating that the applicant has completed the necessary requirements to obtain a masters degree. Proof or letter in either case must be dated no more than 2 years before the date of application |
| PhD Graduate Stream: have completed the requirements necessary to obtain a PhD from an eligible Ontario institution, less than 2 years before the date of application | PhD Graduate Stream: either proof the applicant has obtained the PhD degree OR A letter form the educational institution indicating that the applicant has completed the necessary requirements to obtain the PhD. Proof or letter in either case must be dated no more than 2 years before the date of application |
Corporate Stream
The OINP has terminated their Corporate Stream as it did not achieve its intended objective.
These then are the principal changes advanced by the Ontario Provincial Government in their April Budget. Remember to keep checking back in for any other changes that might occur to important provincial nominee programs like OINP.
Posted in News and tagged Express Entry, Immigration, Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, PR
