Ontario, predominantly known as Canada’s tech hub is a province in east-central Canada. It is home to the national capital Ottawa and country’s largest city & economic hub, Toronto. Lucrative salaries offered in the province makes up for relatively high cost of living and thus, makes it a great destination for those in pursuit of employment opportunities.

Besides better job prospects and earning potential, Ontario also offers a vivid & diverse cultural background, magnificent national parks, and hiking trails to discover. In fact, one of world’s most renowned natural allures, Niagara Falls, is sited south of Toronto.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program that targets prospective immigrants with the desired skills and experience for immigration nomination. Under this program, foreign workers, international students, business owners or entrepreneurs from outside of Canada can apply for permanent residence.

OINP Streams

Employer Job Offer Category

This stream is for candidates who have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer. This stream accepts the applications through the OINP Expression of Interest system. To apply under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, the candidate must have a profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system and receive a notification of interest from Ontario. This category operates under following streams:

• Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions
• International Student stream: for recent graduates in Ontario
• In-Demand Skills stream: for intermediate skilled workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking, and personal support workers
• Masters Graduate Stream: for international graduates with an Ontario master’s degree
• PhD Graduate Stream: for international graduates with an Ontario PhD degree

Employer Requirements for all job offer streams

General Requirements: To qualify under this stream, your employer must:

• have been in active business for at least three years prior to submitting your application.
• have business premises in Ontario where you will work.
• have no outstanding orders made against them under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• demonstrate that enough effort was made to recruit a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident prior to offering the position to you (this only applies if you are currently living outside Canada or working outside of Ontario).

Revenue requirements: For the most recently completed fiscal year, Employer’s business must show

• a minimum of $1,000,000 CAD in total gross annual revenue if an applicant will work or report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York, and Peel regions) or
• a minimum of $500,000 CAD in total gross annual revenue if an applicant will work or report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

Full-time employee requirements: Employer’s business must also have at the time of application submission

• at least five full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where applicant will work, or will report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York, and Peel regions) or
• at least three full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where applicant will work, or will report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

Foreign Worker stream

This stream is for skilled workers in and/or outside of Canada.

Job Offer Requirements

• The job offer must be a fulltime and permanent position with a minimum of 1,560 hours a year and 30 hours of paid work per week.
• The job offered must be in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC).
• The pay of the job offered must meet or be higher than the median wage level, for that occupation in the specific region of Ontario where you will be working.
• The position offered must be vital to employer’s business and required to maintain or grow ongoing business activity.
• The work you do while in the position of the job offer must occur primarily in Ontario.

Work experience or licence or other authorization

The candidate is required to have a cumulative full-time and skilled work experience of at least 2 years obtained within the previous 5 years. This experience must be in the same NOC code as the occupation listed on their Ontario job offer. If your job offer is for an occupation that requires a mandatory licence or other authorization in Ontario, you must hold a valid licence or authorization from the appropriate regulatory body in Ontario when you apply.

Intention to live in Ontario

Applicants must intend to live in Ontario after been granted permanent residence. This can be determined through assessing your ties to Ontario (e.g., working or having worked here, getting job offers, applying to or interviewing for jobs, studying, volunteering, leasing, or owning property, visiting, having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships)

International Student stream

This stream is for international students in and/or outside of Canada. Application must be submitted within 2 years after completing their studies in Canada.

Job Offer Requirements

• The job offer must be a fulltime and permanent position with a minimum of 1,560 hours a year and 30 hours of paid work per week.
• The job offered must be in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC).
• The pay of the job offered must meet or be higher than the median wage level, for that occupation in the specific region of Ontario where you will be working.
• The position offered must be vital to employer’s business and required to maintain or grow ongoing business activity.
• The work you do while in the position of the job offer must occur primarily in Ontario.

Work experience or licence or other authorization

The candidate is required to have a cumulative full-time and skilled work experience of at least 2 years obtained within the previous 5 years. This experience must be in the same NOC code as the occupation listed on their Ontario job offer. If your job offer is for an occupation that requires a mandatory licence or other authorization in Ontario, you must hold a valid licence or authorization from the appropriate regulatory body in Ontario when you apply.

Intention to live in Ontario

Applicants must intend to live in Ontario after been granted permanent residence. This can be determined through assessing your ties to Ontario (e.g., working or having worked here, getting job offers, applying to or interviewing for jobs, studying, volunteering, leasing, or owning property, visiting, having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships)

In-Demand Skills stream

This stream is for foreign workers with a job offer in specific in-demand occupations such as agriculture, construction, trucking, and personal support workers. This stream is open to foreign workers in and outside of Canada. The candidate must have a full-time & permanent job offer (minimum 30 hours per week) for in-demand occupation.

In-demand occupations list

The positions offered outside the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions), must fall in one of the following occupations in National Occupation Classification (NOC) Skill Level C or D:

Applicant Requirements

Applicant Requirements

Human Capital

The human capital category is for workers who have valuable work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system or for graduate students and has two sub-categories, the international graduate streams, and Ontario’s Express Entry streams. No job offer is required under this category.

International graduates

This sub-category targets foreign nationals who have completed Masters degree from an eligible Ontario university. It includes two streams: Masters Graduate stream and PhD Graduate stream.

Ontario Express Entry

To qualify under this sub-category, an applicant must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile with his most current work experience, language tests and education in the federal government’s Express Entry system. The category encompasses following sub-streams:

French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream

For French-Speaking skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French and English.

Human Capital Priorities stream

This stream targets foreign skilled workers in the express entry pool with the necessary education, work experience, language proficiency, and other characteristics to settle and become economically established in the province. The candidates at first must qualify for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) federal Express Entry pool under either the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Canadian Experience Class. Candidates can not apply directly to this stream. Instead, they must first receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the OINP based on their Express Entry profile.

The OINP uses the Human Capital Priorities Stream to conduct occasional draws under following six tech-sector occupations.

• Software engineers and designers (NOC 2173)
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174)
• Computer engineers (NOC 2147)
• Web designers and developers (NOC 2175)
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 2172)
• Computer and information systems managers (NOC 0213)

Skilled Trades stream

This stream is for candidates having at least one year of full-time work experience in Ontario in a skilled trade occupation (Minor Group 633 or Major Groups 72, 73 or 82 of the National Occupational Classification)

Ontario Business

This stream is for entrepreneurs from outside of Canada interested in starting a new business or buying an existing business in Ontario. It gives an entrepreneur (and up to one foreign national business partner) the opportunity to be nominated for permanent residence once their business has been established in Ontario.

The Process

Stage 1

Registration: Register an expression of interest with OINP by email
Application Submission: If invited, submit an online application
Personal Interview: Entrepreneur and the business partner (if applicable) attend a mandatory in-person interview at the OINP office in Toronto. The purpose of the interview is to get a better understanding of the business plan and previous experience.
Performance Agreement: If stage 1 of the application (including the interview) is successful, the entrepreneur is asked to sign a performance agreement with the Government of Ontario. The performance agreement will outline the commitments that must be met to be nominated for permanent residence. The document will include, but may not be limited to a description of the business, investment amounts and timelines, number, and types of jobs to be created for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, mandatory business milestones and achievements time frames for commitments etc.

Stage 2

Work Permit: After signing performance agreement, the OINP office issues a temporary work permit support letter (WPSL) so that applicant and business partner (if applicable) can apply to IRCC for a temporary work permit
Business Establishment: The entrepreneur has 20 months from the arrival date in Ontario to implement the business plan and meet all commitments under the performance agreement. OINP officers monitor the business to make sure the applicant stays on track to meeting the obligations under performance agreement. The applicant is also required to provide quarterly reports and a final report to OINP.
Provincial Nomination: Based on final report, the OINP office confirm that the new business has met the commitments outlined in the performance agreement. Post confirmation, OINP office will ask for supporting documents to ensure that applicant and business partner (if applicable) meet the nomination requirements:
Language: The applicant must be able to listen, read, write, and speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4.
Residency: The applicant must be physically living in Ontario for 75 per cent of the time during which they are establishing their business.
Active Management: The applicant must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.
Permanent Residency: The applicant can submit permanent residency (PR) application with IRCC within six months of nomination. The OINP performs post-nomination monitoring for a period of 36 months following the issuance of permanent resident status.

Program Requirements

To qualify under the Entrepreneur Stream, the applicant must have a viable business that is likely to provide material economic benefit to the economy of Ontario as a whole or to the local Ontario economy where the business will be located. The applicant and one business partner (if applicable) must both meet the eligibility requirements.

Business Experience

The applicant must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months. The experience must be as a business owner or as a senior manager (business management). As a business owner the applicant must have had an active role in the business and owned at least one-third of the business. As a senior manager the applicant must have had senior decision-making responsibilities in the business.

Net Worth

$800,000 CAD: if the proposed business will be located within the GTA
$400,000 CAD: if the proposed business will be located outside the GTA
$400,000 CAD: if the proposed business will be in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT)/Digital Communications sector (regardless of the proposed business location)

Personal Investment Funds and Minimum Equity

Within the Greater Toronto Area: The applicant must make a minimum personal investment of $600,000 CAD and control at least one-third of the equity in the business
Outside of the Greater Toronto Area: The applicant must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 CAD and control at least one-third of the equity in the business

If the proposed business is in the information and communications technology/digital communications sector then regardless of location, the applicant must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 CAD and control at least of one-third of the equity in the business.

Active Involvement: The entrepreneur must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.

Capital Investment Purpose: The primary purpose of investing capital in the business must be to make a profit. It must not be to derive interest, dividends, or capital gains.

Job Creation: If the business will be located inside the Greater Toronto Area, the applicant must create at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. If the business will be located outside the Greater Toronto Area or in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector, regardless of location, the applicant must create at least one permanent full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Jobs must be created within the first 20 months of establishing or acquiring the business, must be filled continuously for at least 10 months, and must be paid at the median wage level for the position.

Additional requirements for purchasing an existing business

• The entrepreneur must make at least one business-related visit to Ontario within 12 months from the date of registering an Expression of Interest
• The business being purchased must have been in continuous operation by the same owner(s) for the previous 60 months
• Ownership of the business must be completely transferred to the applicant or any business partner
• The applicant must use at least 10% of the personal investment towards improving or expanding the business in Ontario
• The applicant must keep all permanent full-time employees that worked in the business prior to the transfer of ownership

General Business Requirements

In addition to meeting the minimum requirements, the proposed business must also meet the general requirements to participate in the Entrepreneur Stream:

Business purpose: The purpose of the proposed business must be to make a profit from active (earned) income not passive (unearned) income through the sale of goods and/or services.

Canadian and Ontario legal requirements: The proposed business must comply with any applicable federal, provincial, or municipal legal, regulatory, or licensing requirements that govern its operation. This includes Ontario labour laws, including but not limited to employment standards, health and safety and labour relations legislation.

Permanent business: The proposed business must be considered a permanent business in Ontario. Project-based/seasonal businesses are considered ineligible.

Business in Ontario: The proposed business must always have a place of business in Ontario.

Ineligible types of businesses: The entrepreneur needs to ensure that the proposed business is not one of the ineligible types listed below.

automated car wash business, holding companies, laundromats, pawnbrokers, pay day loan and related businesses, scrap metal recycling, tire recycling, a business involved in producing, distributing, or selling pornography or sexually explicit products or services, or providing sexually oriented services, businesses which have been previously owned/operated by current or former OINP business stream nominees

If the proposed business will be in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the following types are also ineligible.

existing franchises in Ontario (new foreign franchises expanding into Ontario are permitted), gas stations, bed, and breakfasts

Expression of interest

An expression of interest (EOI) is the first step and, its not an application. There is no fee to register an EOI. The EOI is comprised of two components, for a maximum EOI score of 200 points:

Self-Declared Score (126 points)
Business Concept Score (74 points)

OINP will assess and score the Business Concept. The business concept will need to score at least 37 of the available 74 points (50%) to be placed in the EOI selection pool. Whether the entrepreneur candidate will be issued an invitation to apply is based on the EOI rank in the selection pool. Only the top ranked candidates are invited to apply.

Expression of interest (EOI) registration

• Contact the OINP by email ([email protected]) to express the interest in participating in the Entrepreneur stream and to request a copy of the EOI registration form
• Once received, complete the EOI registration form
• Submit the completed form by email to [email protected]
• The OINP will then assess and score the business concept. If the entrepreneur candidate does not meet the minimum stream criteria, the business concept will not be reviewed.

If the business concept is accepted, the EOI will be placed in a pool and will be ranked against other entrepreneur candidates. If entrepreneur candidate is invited to apply, he/she will receive an email with instructions on how to submit an online application through the OINP e-Filing Portal. The candidate has 90 calendar days to submit the online application from the date of invitation to apply.

How GSP Immigration Can Help ?

• Every OINP stream has its specific requirements, and it is especially important to select the right stream where you may qualify for. We help in selecting the right stream based on your profile.
• We review the documents and submit the PNP application.
• We review the documents and submit the final Permanent Residence application to IRCC.
• We track the application throughout the process while communicating with the government on client’s behalf.