OINP Explained

OINP is Ontario’s provincial immigration program that provides options for obtaining permanent residence. 

It works similarly to Express Entry: first, you submit your profile (expression of interest) and await the invitation to apply (ITA). 

Once ITA is received, you will be asked to submit an application to OINP including your documents. OINP will then process your application and issue a nomination certificate that you will use to apply for permanent residence. 

A major thing to look out for: just because you have a nomination, it does not mean you can use it to claim 600 points with Express Entry. This is applicable only to specific streams that are aligned with Express Entry. 

OINP consists of 8 streams and serves as a great pathway for obtaining permanent residence, especially when your score within Express Entry is not competitive enough. 

Below you will find a detailed summary of each stream with eligibility criteria:

1. Foreign Worker Stream:

   1. Must have a full-time and permanent job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, 1, 2, or 3) in Ontario

   2. Offered salary must meet or exceed the median wage level for the occupation based on the area of employment

   3. Must have relevant work experience of at least 2 years in the same occupation

2. International Student Stream:

   1. Must have graduated from an eligible post-secondary institution in Ontario and applied to OINP within 2 years

      1. Application to OINP means a complete submission after receiving an ITA

   2. Must have a full-time and permanent job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, 1, 2, or 3) in Ontario

   3. Offered salary must meet or exceed the low wage level for the occupation based on the area of employment

3. In-Demand Skills Stream:

   1. Must have a full-time and permanent job offer in an eligible occupation in Ontario

   2. Offered salary must meet or exceed the median wage level for the occupation based on the area of employment

   3. Must have relevant work experience of at least 9 months within the last 3 years in the same occupation

   4. Must meet minimum language requirements of CLB 4

   5. Must have a high school diploma - Canadian or equivalent 

The 3 streams above are employer-centered streams which means that the employer must meet eligibility requirements depending on the stream that you are applying under.  

4. Masters Graduate Stream:

   1. Must have obtained a master’s degree from an eligible post-secondary institution in Ontario and applied to OINP within 2 years

      1. Application to OINP means a complete submission after receiving an ITA

   2. Must meet minimum language requirements of CLB 7

   3. Must have lived in Ontario for at least 1 year in the past 2

   4. Must show enough money based on the family size (applicant, spouse, children)

   5. Cannot live in any other province other than Ontario at the time of application

5. PhD Graduate Stream:

   1. Must have obtained a PhD degree from an eligible post-secondary institution in Ontario and applied to OINP within 2 years

      1. Application to OINP means a complete submission after receiving an ITA

   2. Must have lived in Ontario for at least 1 year in the past 2

      1. At least 2 years of PhD studies must have been completed in Ontario 

   3. Must show enough money based on the family size (applicant, spouse, children)

As you can see, the above 2 streams do not require having a job offer, which means that there won’t be any additional requirements for the employer to meet.

The remaining 3 streams operate through Express Entry - this means that you must have a valid Express Entry profile, select Ontario as the province of interest, and you must be eligible under Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker Program or Canadian Experience Class. 

The 3 streams are:

1. Human Capital Priorities Stream:

   1. Must have a post-secondary diploma (bachelor’s and up)

   2. Must meet minimum language requirements of CLB 7

   3. Must show enough money based on the family size (applicant, spouse, children)

   4. Must have at least 1 year of experience in a selected occupation 

      1. OINP doesn’t have a standard list of occupations under this stream and it changes based on the labour market trends. You can check the data on 2024 here.

2. Skilled Trades Stream:

   1. Must have at least 1 year of experience within the last 2 in occupations that start with the following digits in relation to the NOC code:

      1. 72* 

      2. 73

      3. 82

      4. 83

      5. 93*

      6. 6320*

      *exclusions apply

      
      

   2. Must be living in Ontario and hold a valid work permit or hold a maintained status as worker

   3. Must meet minimum language requirements of CLB 5

   4. Must show enough money based on the family size (applicant, spouse, children)

3. French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream:

   1. Must have a post-secondary diploma (bachelor’s and up)

   2. Must meet minimum language requirements:

      1. CLB 6 for English

      2. CLB (NCLC) 7 for French

   3. Must show enough money based on the family size (applicant, spouse, children)

For more information about each stream and scoring factors, visit the official webpage here.

To see invitations to apply issued to date, check this. To understand your chances for PR using OINP, get in touch using the form below 🙂