Yesterday, Ontario opened applications for two streams under its Employer Job Offer category. After undergoing technical glitches and a short application period, both streams have reached their intake limit and have been brought to an end.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer stream allows individuals with a job offer to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian immigration. They can apply inside Canada or from outside, as long as they have been employed for a permanent position with an Ontario employer.
On March 3, the OINP published a statement opening up the application to the International Student Stream. Intake was quickly paused due to “technical glitches,” according to the OINP webpage.
It was later re-opened along with the other stream known as “Foreign Worker Stream”, but shortly after applications to both streams had reached their intake limit, they were closed.
The OINP said they accepted 1,322 successful registrations during the intake window of the applications. Those who were successfully registered and obtained a file number have fourteen (14) days to submit an application, which takes about three hours on the OINP website.
“Demand for the streams was very high, so not all who wanted to register were able to do so,” a representative from the Ontario province office wrote in an email. “The OINP will continue to keep track of application intakes across all streams to determine when the Employer Job Offer will reopen in 2020.”
At the moment, applications to these two streams (International Student and Foreign Worker streams) remain closed until further notice. Applications are open to those who qualify for the In-Demand Skills Stream under Ontario’s Employer Job Offer stream.
Immigrating to work in Ontario Under Employer Job Offer Streams
There are three main streams under Ontario’s Employer Job Offer stream:
- Foreign Worker Stream, where applicants need an employment offer in skilled occupations with a National Occupation Classifications (NOC) code type 0, A, or B.
- International Student Stream, where qualified for international student graduates, require an employment offer in a skilled occupation.
- In-Demand Skills Stream, for international workers who have employment, offers in certain in-demand occupations.
However, the Employer Job Offer stream is not the only pathway for foreigners who want to immigrate to Ontario.
The OINP Human Capital Category does not usually require applicants to have a job offer in the province. It includes sub-categories for both international student graduates and foreign workers.
Workers qualify for a federal Express Entry-Aligned program may be able to migrate to Ontario through one of three streams:
- Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream, a route for candidates who eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class. They must also meet certain work experience, study requirements, and language requirements.
- Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker Streams, bilingual applicants with skilled work experience can be invited to file for a provincial nomination under this category.
- Ontario Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream, for applicants in the Federal Skilled Trades Program who have recent experience working in the province.
Ontario’s International Graduate category includes options for Masters and PhD graduates.
- Masters Graduate Stream, foreign students who graduated with a master’s degree from an eligible post-secondary institution in Ontario may be able to apply for permanent residence to the province without a job offer. Currently, this stream is not accepting applications.
- PhD Graduate Stream, those who obtained their PhD from a government-approved Ontario university may qualify for a provincial nomination without a job offer. Currently, applications are open for this stream.
