The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (‘OINP’) has recently been allocated 6,600 nominations; this is an increase of 600 spots from last year. Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence under several streams within the OINP stand to benefit.
As in previous years, applicants under any of the Ontario Express Entry streams must receive a Notification of Interest “NOI”; they then have 45 days to apply to the OINP. The NOI is issued within the federal Express Entry pre-selection system to those who meet the province’s criteria for the Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream, the Ontario French Speaking Skilled Worker and the Ontario Skilled Trades streams. Applicants must:
Already be in the pool of eligible Express Entry candidates; and
have indicated in their Profile that they are interested in residing permanently in Ontario.
Individuals with a provincial nomination earn an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry ranking, thus dramatically increasing their chances of being issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. The online application system reopened on January 18, 2017, and is now accepting applications.
The OINP has already started issuing NOIs under the Human Capital Priorities “HCP” Stream. On Monday, January 22, 340 invitations were issued for those with a CRS score range between, 440 and 446. We expect that the OINP will continue to issue NOIs on a regular basis to those with a minimum CRS score of 400 who meet all eligibility criteria. We await notification of when the program will begin accepting applications for the master's Graduate and Ph.D. Graduate Streams.
The increase in nominations provides additional opportunities under this program. Interested applicants should apply as early as possible, as the intake of applications is expected to exceed the quota and the program will stop accepting applications once the quota is filled. If you are interested, please contact our office to arrange a preliminary consultation.
Are you’re interested in learning how to immigrate to Canada? We can help!
Working with immigration counsel can save you time and money throughout your immigration process. Get started today by completing our free Consult Request Form and a member of our team will contact you to discuss your options!
This update has been compiled with the latest available information for the general information of Border Law clients and other interested parties. This Update is not comprehensive and should not be relied upon without appropriate legal advice.