In 2021, the Canadian province of Ontario issued provincial nominations to 9,000 immigration applicants for Permanent Residence; the province went over the original allocation by hundreds.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced last May that the province is allowed to bring 8,600 new immigrants in 2021. Out of which, 250 newcomers could fall under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C occupations, which usually require candidates to complete high school education or take specific job training. Later, in an in-year reallocation, Ontario received an additional 400 nominations from the federal government before the end of 2021.
In addition, this is not the first time when the province of Ontario surpassed the original allocation. In 2020, Ontario was originally allocated 7,350 nominations; however, the province issued provincial nominations to 8,054 principal applicants for permanent residence in Canada.
In Canada, each province is provided with a set number of nominations that they can issue. A provincial nomination backs up an immigration application; however, all the immigration applications are required to go through the federal government, as provinces do not have the authority to grant permanent residence to candidates. A provincial nomination acts as a signal to the federal government that the candidate nominated by the province meets the requirement of the particular province in terms of contributing to economic and provincial growth. In 2021, Monte McNaughton, the immigration minister of Ontario, appealed to the federal government to double their allocation of immigrants, so the province could eliminate labour shortages.
Ontario is one of the provinces and territories (excluding Quebec and Nunavut) that participate in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). PNPs enable the provincial government to design immigration programs for candidates who have in-demand skills, ties to the province or territory in terms of prior study or work experience, or are willing to own a business or create investment opportunities that can support the labour market of the region.
Candidates who want to apply for immigration to the Canadian province of Ontario might want to decide if they want to submit an application through the Express Entry system or apply through a base stream, as there are different eligibility requirements for different programs. Base streams are paper-based applications, and candidates are not mandatorily required to meet the eligibility requirements for Express Entry to apply through a base stream.
We will explain both immigration pathways to Ontario below. So, if you are willing to immigrate to Ontario, you can analyze both and apply for the one that is best for you.
Immigration to Ontario through Express Entry
To receive a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked stream (also known as enhanced immigration stream), candidates are required to meet eligibility for one of the federal immigration programs.
These are three immigration programs:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
The Express Entry system is an online management system for immigration applications that are received under the above three federal immigration programs. To apply through the Express Entry system, candidates are required to submit an online profile, and then they receive a score on the basis of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates who score the maximum CRS scores are then issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent resident status in Canada. Once the candidate receives an invitation, they can make the submission of their complete application to the federal department of IRCC to obtain permanent resident status.
In case a candidate obtains a successful provincial nomination, then they will get an additional 600 points, and they can make an immigration application through the Provincial Nominee Class. To meet eligibility for a PNP-specific Express Entry draw, candidates require a nomination from any province.
There are three enhanced PNP streams under Ontario’s Human Capital Category, which are available for Express Entry candidates. These are:
- Human Capital Priorities Stream: This stream is designed for candidates who meet eligibility for the FSWP and CEC and also fulfill all the program-specific criteria.
- Skilled Trades Stream: This stream is designed for candidates who have relevant work experience in Ontario in a particular eligible trade occupation.
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream: This stream is designed for candidates who meet eligibility for the FSWP and CEC and also show strong language ability in both English and French.
The province of Ontario conducts rounds of invitations for the Express Entry candidates who are willing to make an application through enhanced PNP streams. Last year, Ontario issued the below nominations:
- Human Capital Priorities Stream: 6,259 nominations
- Skilled Trades Stream: 1,224 nominations
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream: 651 nominations
Base immigration streams for Ontario
There are several immigration programs that are managed by the OINP outside the federal Express Entry system. In 2021, the province also introduced its Expression of Interest (EOI) system for candidates willing to apply through base PNPs.
There is a unique scoring matrix under the EOI system, and Ontario ranks the profiles of all these candidates based on certain factors specified under this scoring matrix, such as work experience, education, the preferred destination in the province, and others.
There are five immigration programs for candidates with a profile in the EOI system of Ontario. These are:
- Masters’ Graduate Stream: This stream is designed for candidates who have completed their graduation with a master’s degree from a recognized university in Ontario.
- Ph.D. Graduate Stream: This stream is designed for candidates who have received a Ph.D. from a recognized university in Ontario.
- International Student Stream: This stream is designed for international students who have graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Ontario.
- Foreign Worker Stream: This stream is designed for workers with an occupation falling under NOC skill levels 0, A, and B.
- In-Demand Skills Stream: This stream is designed for workers with an in-demand occupation, like personal support workers. Other eligible occupations include workers in the construction, agriculture, and trucking sectors.
Candidates in Ontario’s EOI pool are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through rounds of invitations held by the province. Last year, the province started implementing the EOI system, and the province first rolled out this system for the Foreign Worker and International Student streams in April 2021, followed by the In-Demand Skills stream in June and in August, Ph.D. Graduate and Master’s Graduate streams entered the EOI system.
Last year, Ontario issued the below nominations in EOI streams:
- Ph.D. Graduate stream: 204 nominations
- Masters Graduate stream: 1,834 nominations
- International Student stream: 2,290 nominations
- Foreign Worker stream: 2,866 nominations
- In-Demand Skills stream: 238 nominations
