Ontario Holds Last Immigration Draws for 2020
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Nominations for 2020
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) ended 2020 with a bang, after reaching its 2020 allocation of 8050 nominations made to applicants across all their immigration pathways, including 400 additional nominations through an in-year reallocation and 50 additional NOC skill level C nominations. Ontario has now surpassed its allocation for 2020. Any new applications and applications that are already submitted, will be accepted and processed under the OINP’s 2021 nomination allocation.
Originally, the OINP received a nomination allocation of 7600. Ontario had continuously demanded that the government increase its immigration levels for 2020. This has also resulted in the government’s increase of the overall Provincial Nomination Allocations (PNP’s) for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Express Entry Tech Draw
The final OINP Express Entry Tech draw was held under the Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP) Tech draw on December 15th, 2020. A total of 668 invitations were issued to candidates with Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) of 460 and 468. Candidates who received a Notification of Interest (NOI) had work experience in one of the targeted National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes:
Entrepreneur Stream Draw
On the same day, the OINP issued 19 invitations to apply to the entrepreneur stream. Candidates received an invitation to apply (ITA) if their expression of interest (EOI) got a score between 140 and 200. Candidates had submitted their EOI between November 22, 2019, and December 10, 2020. EOI’s are valid for a period of 1-year. Once a candidate receives an ITA, they will receive an email with instructions on how to complete the application.
Overview of the OINP
The OINP nominates people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience necessary for the Province of Ontario. Once a nomination occurs, it is the Government of Canada that makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.
In order to qualify under the OINP, you must qualify under:
- Employer job offer category: for workers who already have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer
- Human capital category: for workers who have valuable work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system; or for graduate students
- Business category: for entrepreneurs looking to start a new or buy an existing business in Ontario
Each of these three pathways has various streams to qualify under. You must meet the minimum requirements under one of the streams to apply. Some of the streams require you to first apply online through the OINP e-filing Portal for a nomination and others require you to have a valid Express Entry profile and Job Seeker Validation Code.
Applicants must apply online through the OINP e filing portal to be nominated. Once you receive an NOI, you have 45 days to submit an application to the OINP. The next step after OINP approval is to receive a nomination, and once you do, you will receive an additional 600 points to your overall CRS Score, essentially guaranteeing an Invitation under EE.
The application fee under the OINP is generally $1,500, but there are streams where the fee is $2,000. You must have the intention to live in Ontario.
There is no guarantee that if you meet the eligibility requirements under the OINP, you will be selected and receive an NOI, but if you do not apply and you are not in the pool, you risk having an opportunity to come to Canada. Therefore, having an active Express Entry profile will increase your chances of being selected under one of the EE PNP’s.
If you receive a nomination, you will receive an additional 600 points to your overall CRS Score, essentially guaranteeing an Invitation under EE.
Our firm is here to help! If you received an Invitation under the OINP and have questions regarding permanent residency in Canada, please contact us for additional information.
