When it comes to immigration to Canada, the hub for professionals, Ontario has listed among the top most searches. Whether its agriculture or IT sector, an immigrant can easily find his desired job there along with a quality lifestyle. Its thriving economy and fascinating architectural sites amaze the people across the world and make it one of the most favourable immigration provinces in Canada.
If you are also interested in staying and working there, the Ontario provincial nominee program is of great help. The establishment of this program makes moving to Ontario easier and convenient for skilled and experienced immigrants. Its liberal policies, relaxed eligibility criteria, smooth screening and quick processing leave a positive impression on the immigrants. In numbers, the combination of Ontario Provincial Nominee Program and Canada Express Entry Program is highly recommended in the last few years.
Types of Ontario provincial nominee program:
The ultimate aim of Ontario PNP is to pick and call skilled and experienced professionals who can immediately benefit its economy at both the local and national level. In general, there are three categories under Ontario PNP including:
Employer Category:
If an applicant has a valid job offer from an Ontario employer, then he is eligible to precede his application process for employer category. It further segregates into three streams including Foreign worker stream, International student stream and in-demand skills stream.
Human capital category:
This category of OINP manages applications through its two immigration sub-categories including International graduate stream and Ontario’s Express entry stream.
- Ontario Express Entry:
To be eligible for the Ontario Express Entry program, you need a profile under the Federal government’s Canada Express Entry program. It further gets divided into three sub-categories – Federal French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream, Human Capital Priorities Stream and Skilled Trades Stream.
- International Graduate Stream:
If you have graduated from a recognized Ontario educational institution, then within two years, you need to apply either for Masters Graduate stream or PhD graduate stream.
Business Category:
This category receives applications from foreign entrepreneurs who are interested in implementing a new business idea or buying and growing an existing business in the province, Ontario. It has one stream only, Entrepreneur stream
This list of categories helps an individual to understand his/her best-fit and how he/she can make the best use of the opportunities, provided by OINP administrative.
Eligibility for Ontario provincial nominee program:
As stated above, the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program has many categories and sub-categories. So, eligibility and requirements are a little different from each other. However, here we have enlisted a general criterion which is commonly shared across every category and stream.
- Must possess minimum qualification including a diploma or certificate.
- Must secure CLB level 6 or 7 in language proficiency assessment scorecard.
- Must possess minimum 1 or 2 years of experience of working in the NOC occupation list.
- Must score at least a minimum of 400 Canada express entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points to be eligible for this program.
- Must be willing to live in Ontario only.
Ontario provincial nominee program application process
The application process for the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program is not difficult if you have the proper guidance, and you follow every step systematically.
How to Check the eligibility:
The foremost step is to choose your desired stream for which you want to apply under, and then check whether you are eligible for that stream or not. Check your eligibility today!
Apply online for nominations:
Once you’ve checked the eligibility, proceed to the online application process through the OINP e-Portal. However, make sure that you’ve filled all the correct information in the application form as a small error may become a reason of rejection of your profile.
Apply for Canada permanent residence visa:
If the Ontario government nominates your profile, then you need to apply for Canada PR visa through IRCC.
Better ways to optimize your profile for Ontario provincial nominee program:
The Canadian government put many liberal policies and programs forward to make the process easier and convenient for immigrants. However, undoubtedly, this increases the competition for Canada PR visa. Keeping in line, Ontario Provincial Nominee Program also receives a large number of applications for evaluation and selection. So if you want to apply for Ontario PNP, then first you need to optimize your profile.
Choose the optimum stream:
According to your education and working record: By saying this we mean, that if you own business outside Canada and want to expand it in Ontario, then the business category is the right match for you. Similarly, if you have done post-graduation and possessed a job offer, then you need to apply under international students’ category for better results.
Presentation matters a lot:
Once you’ve checked the eligibility criteria, shift the focus on the presentation of your application. Undoubtedly, ‘The first impression is the last one’ works here too. So, it is advisable to take help from experts on how to make the presentable profile for Canada PR visa.
Get ready with documents:
Governing authorities like IRCC demands documents to analyze your profile and to score it against others in the pool. So, it is advisable to maintain all the documents in advance to avoid last-minute discrepancies.
Ontario PNP Application Processing time as of December 12, 2019
As compared to other PNPs, an applicant can enjoy faster processing in Ontario PNP. However, the processing time varies according to different categories and sub-categories.
OINP streams |
Estimated processing time |
Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker | 60 – 90 days |
Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities | 60 – 90 days |
Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades | 30 – 60 days |
Master Graduate | 30 – 60 days |
PhD Graduate | 30 – 60 days |
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker | 60 – 90 days |
Employer Job Offer: International Student | 60 – 90 days |
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills | 60 – 90 days |
Entrepreneur Stream | Depends on the complexity of the application |
Estimated fees for Ontario provincial nominee program:
If you want to immigrate to Canada, then you need to pay the fixed cost of the application.
- The average cost for applications under Employer category, International graduates and Ontario’s Express Entry is around $ 1,500 or $ 2,000.
- Whereas, Business stream costs around $ 3,500 per business partner or key personnel candidate.
Can you apply for Ontario PNP without a job offer?
Many of the applicants get confused about whether the job offer is essential for Ontario PNP or not. So remember, when we talk about Ontario PNP, a job offer from the Ontario Government is not required. If you are fulfilling the eligibility criteria, then you can apply for the same.
Who can help you in Ontario PNP?
Countrywide visas is one of the fastest growing Immigration consultancies with a large devoted team of Immigration experts providing, its clients a hassle-free, professional services to file their applications for various immigration programs. Till date, we have helped innumerable applications in turning their dream of Canada PR visa into reality. You are welcome to call us or send us an email with your immigration questions and inquiries.
You may contact us on 011-41075840 / 011-41045840 or leave a mail at info@countrywidevisas.com. You may also fill the Technical Assessment Form for free to get a call back from our Immigration Specialists. All you need to do is fill an assessment form and let our immigration experts assist you over the phone call or by meeting you in person and give you the best available options to fulfill your dreams of settling abroad.