On June 18, 2020 the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued 143 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to candidates who had a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) between 424 and 436. All candidates must have a valid profile in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) Express Entry (EE) system.

The OINP French Speaking Draw has issued 692 NOI’s to date for 2020. This was the lowest number of candidates chosen under the French Speaking EE for 2020. If you look at the OINP draw history for 2019, only 549 NOI’s were issued under this stream and draws stopped in May 2019. For the last OINP French Speaking Draw in April, there where 307 NOI’s issued. In 2019, So far is 2020, there have already been 692 NOI’s issued, so the numbers from 2019 to 2020 have definitely increased.

The Ontario PNP has an allocation of 7600 for 2020 and to date the OINP French Speaking PNP draw 2020 has issued 4482 NOI’s. Now, receiving a NOI does not guarantee an Invitation. So that number does not necessarily mean that 4482 will be issued Invitations and of that, there may be some applicants who decide to refuse the PNP, which will also reduce that number.

Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream is an immigration stream under the OINP that gives French-speaking skilled workers with strong English language abilities the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.A job offer is not required. There are many francophone communities in Ontario. In fact, Canada’s 2016 census, indicated over 622,000, which has increased over the years. For this draw, a CLB score of 7 was required for the French test and a CLB of 6 was required for the English test.

Applicants must receive a NOI from Ontario before applying online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence. There is no indication on how long it takes to get a NOI. Receiving a NOI does not guarantee an invitation; rather, once you receive a NOI, you have 45 days to submit an application in the OINP e filing portal. Once your application is reviewed, you will receive a decision on whether you qualified for Ontario’s EE French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream.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 $1,500. You must have 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 a 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 to Canada, please contact us for additional information.