Ontariois Canada’s most populous province, home to the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto. It is Canada’s leading manufacturing province and abounds in natural resources. The provincial nominee program for Ontario is called the Ontario Immigrant nominee program (OINP) which allows foreign workers, international students, and others with the right skills, experience, and education to apply for a nomination for permanent resident status in Ontario.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) operates three categories through which qualified individuals are nominated for Permanent Residence – The Business Category, The Employer Job Offer Category and the Human Capital Category.

1. The Business Category specially caters to entrepreneurs from outside of Canada who wish to purchase an existing Ontario business or establish a new business that will bring significant economic benefit to Ontario.

2. The Employer Job Offer Category,you must have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer to qualify.

3. Human Capital Category has two sub categories:

• The international graduate streams, the candidate must have a master’s or Ph.D. degree from Ontario University and apply within two years of receiving the degree. and

• 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.

Application process

There are three main steps to follow when applying for permanent residence:

1. Make sure you qualify

Once you’ve selected the stream you would like to apply under, make sure you meet all the mandatory requirements for that stream.

2. Apply to be nominated by the Ontario government

Once you’ve chosen your stream, you must apply online, through the OINP e-Filing Portal. It takes between two to three hours to complete the application.

The application cost for:

• the employer job offer and human capital streams is either $1,500 or $2,000

• the business streams is $3,500 per business partner or key staff applicant

3. Apply to the Government of Canada for permanent residence

If your application is successful and you are nominated by the Ontario government, the next step is to apply for permanent residence through IRCC.

The Government of Canada makes the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.