What is OINP?
To try and understand how OINP operates, we must look at its three categories, each category being divided into various streams:
- Business
- Employer job offer
- Human
a. Business category
The business category only has one stream:
Entrepreneur stream: The candidate has to be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada who wishes to establish a new business or invest in or purchase an existing business in Ontario.
b. Employer job offer category
This category has three streams. The candidate must either have a full-time or permanent job offer from an employer in Ontario to qualify.
Its three streams are:
- In-Demand Skills Stream which is open to foreign workers inside and outside Canada. It’s suitable for workers with in-demand skills such as construction or agriculture.
International Student Stream which is available to international students inside and outside Canada. - Foreign Worker Stream which is open to foreign workers inside and outside Canada. Workers have to be skilled in certain occupations known as Skill Type 0 (managerial positions) or Skill
- Level A or B (professional and technical positions respectively).
c. Human capital category
This has two sub-categories, namely Ontario’s Express Entry Streams and the international graduate streams.
- International graduates
For candidates to qualify, they must have a Masters or PhD graduate degree from a known university in Ontario and apply within two years of getting their degree:
- Ontario’s Express Entry
Candidates must have a profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system and receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario.
Candidates have to meet federal and provincial standards for the HCPS before being issued a nomination for permanent residence.
Express Entry candidates invited to apply for provincial nomination will get an extra 600 points towards their CRS score. These points will virtually ensure an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the next draw from the Express Entry pool.
“The HCPS shows how immigration can help fill gaps in the labour market,” said David Cohen, senior partner at Campbell, Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.
“It’s encouraging to see the Province of Ontario providing the connection between skilled immigrants and job vacancies.”
