Ontario Provincial Nominee Program Requirements 2018

Find out if I am eligible for Permanent Residency in Ontario or Not?

General Eligibility Requirements for OINP 2018

Despite the fact that the various streams of OINP have their own criteria and requirements, most of them have a general pattern shared across the respective streams. This means that you can qualify for multiple streams with minor changes in your application and thus expand your prospects of being selected for immigration nomination considerably. Here is the general list of requirements for eligibility into OINP:

• Have a permanent, full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC levels 0, A, or B) from the employer who is also submitting an application.
• Have minimum qualification certificate/diploma making them eligible.
• Having a minimum language proficiency score in IELTS  (6/7) or CLB (7)
• Have experience in their occupational field as per program requirements
• Having job offer letter from the employer for full-time or permanent employment.
• Intention to live in Ontario.
• Express Entry score – All applicants must have a Canada Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System score of 400 points or greater, and this score must remain throughout provincial and federal processing (only for those who are willing to apply under Ontario Express Entry System).

OINP Express Entry Streams 2018

The following is the list of streams available for immigration to Ontario. It is important to know which stream best suits our application and how you can make the most of the immigration opportunities given by the OINP authorities. This becomes even more pertinent in light of the fact that only a limited number of applications on the whole are selected each year.

♦Ontario Express Entry

• Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream
• Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

General Category (Employer Category)

• Foreign Workers with a Job Offer Stream

International Student Category

• International Students with a Job Offer Stream
• International Students – Masters Graduate Stream
• International Students – PhD Graduate Stream

Business Category

• Entrepreneur Stream
• Corporate Stream

Ontario PNP Processing Time 2018

OINP and the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System

As stated earlier, the OINP is aligned with the national Express Entry program and derives most of its eligibility criterion from the same. The most important criteria is of having a job offer or barring that, having skills and experience in a field that is listed as high demand in Ontario. For this purpose, the OINP makes use of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system to ascertain that the right skills are admitted into Ontario through the various streams of the OINP.

Candidate profiles are ranked according to their set of skills and abilities as per the Comprehensive Ranking System. This allows Ontario authorities to derive the best amongst the national Express Entry program and secure them for immigration into Ontario. A minimum score is established in order to become eligible for nomination and this serves as a benchmark for entry into Ontario. As of May 2018, which saw invitations issued to 2,601 candidates, the minimum eligibility CRS score is 400 points.

Is Having a Job Offer Mandatory to Apply to OINP?

No. It is not necessary to have a job offer in hand when applying for immigration to Ontario, Canada. However it provides your application a significant advantage to your application if you have one. In the event that you don’t have a job offer, it is possible to find gainful employment through the national Express Entry job pool which places immigrants according to the national requirements of skilled workers based on their respective skills and abilities.

If you are still not able to find work through the Express Entry job pool then you can find out the specific jobs in-demand at present in Ontario. If your particular occupational skill is in demand then you application will be given a higher priority amongst others by the OINP authorities.

OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream 2018

The OINP’s Human Capital Priorities Stream is arguably the most popular of all the streams. Though it offers a limited number of seats, the selection criteria is highly customized and wired to select only the most skilled applicants from within the Express Entry program.

Following the pattern of the IRCC, the OINP lists immigrants according to their skill and in-demand occupation list as per the NOC. Selected candidates are invited to apply for PR visa either through Express Entry or though OINP.

Despite the fact that the HCP stream has a more relaxed criteria than the general requirements, it is strict on other aspects like skilled work experience, educational qualification etc. So it is important to know which factors you need to focus on in order to best highlight your application:

• Candidates must score at least 400 points on CRS. If you score more on CRS then there will be higher chance to get nominated.
• Candidates must have sufficient work experience in the relevant job occupation.
• Candidates’ occupation must be on a NOC level 0, A, or B within five years prior to the date of the NOI from OINP.
• Candidates should have a valid Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD Degree or any equivalent certificate. It is also required to have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report prepared by experts who can judge whether the given education credentials match with the Canadian Education system or not.
• Candidates must obtain a CLB 7 in language proficiency in its all four category (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
• Candidates should meet with the required criteria under either FSWP or CEC.

OINP Points Calculator 2018

While qualifying for the minimum requirements for nomination of the OINP make you eligible for selection, it does not mean that you will get selected. As there are only a limited number of seats across the various streams offered by the OINP, there is stiff competition between the profiles of different candidates. In order to determine the most deserving, the OINP assigns points to each profile and when the invitations are opened the highest ranked profiles are selected for notification of interest. The following is an overview of the points calculator system:

• Education (maximum 25 points)
• English and French language ability (maximum 28 points)
• Work Experience (maximum 15 points)
• Age (maximum 12 points)
• Arranged Employment (maximum 10 points)
• Adaptability (maximum 10 points)