Ontario’s Express Entry Streams
The Human Capital Priorities stream, Skilled Trades stream and French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream operate through the federal government’s Express Entry System. To be qualify for one of these streams, first you must have an Express Entry profile and receive a notification of interest from Ontario.
If you have the skills and experience that Ontario employers need you can apply to one of these streams.
Human Capital Priorities stream
The Human Capital Priorities stream is an immigration stream of Ontario’s Express Entry under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
This stream gives the opportunity to apply to permanently live in Ontario foreign workers with the required skilled work experience, language abilities and education.
You must have a valid profile in the IRCC Express Entry system. If you have the requirements that the province seeks, in that case, you will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
If you are nominated, then you can apply to the federal government through IRCC, and they wil make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
Stream Requirements
– Work Experience
You must decide whether you want to be evaluated under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class program.
To be considered under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the following requirements are required: At least one year, continuous (no interruption in employment for a period of one year), paid, and full-time (in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) You must have work experience (equivalent to paid part-time work).
Work experience must be obtained within the last five years from the date the applicant submits the application to OINP.
– Education
The applicant must have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree. If the applicants gained one of these degree’s outside Canada, then they obtain an Educational Credential Assessment report that proves your education is equivalent to a Canadian credential, which has to be done by one of the following organizations, designated by IRCC.
– Language
With the language test, you must prove that you can understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher. The language test results must be submitted your application to this stream within two years from the date you submit your application.
– Settlement funds
When settling in Canada, you must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members.
The applicant’s family member includes their spouse, common-law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
– Intention to live in Ontario
The applicant must intend to live in Ontario after they are granted permanent residence. The province determines this by examining the applicant’s ties to Ontario, like working or having worked in Ontario, getting job offers or applying/ interviewing for jobs, studying, volunteering, leasing or owning property, visiting, having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships.
– Legal status in Canada (if applicable)
If the applicants are applying inside Canada, they must have legal status as visitor record, study permit, or work permit at the time they make the application and should maintain that status until the time of nomination.
Skilled Trades stream
Skilled Trades Stream is an immigration stream of Ontario’s Express Entry under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
Foreign nationals with work experience in Ontario in suitably skilled jobs are given the opportunity to apply to live and work permanently in Ontario.
You must have a valid profile in the IRCC Express Entry system. If you have the requirements that the province seeks, in that case, you will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
If you are nominated, then you can apply to the federal government through IRCC, and they will make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
Stream Requirements
– Work experience
The applicant must have at least one year of cumulative paid, full-time work experience (or the equivalent of paid part-time work) in Ontario. This work experience must be one of these occupations: Major Groups 72 (excluding occupations under transportation officers), 73, 82, 83, 93 (excluding aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors) or Minor Group 6320 (excluding cooks) of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
The work experience must have been obtained within the last two years from submitting your application to the OINP in one or more of the occupations you identified in your Express Entry profile in Ontario while maintaining legal status in Canada.
– Valid certificate or licence (if applicable)
If you are claiming work experience in a compulsory trade, you must have a valid certificate or licence in Ontario at the time you make your application, even if you are no longer working in the trade.
You must have held a valid certificate or licence covering the period of work experience used to meet the minimum one year of work experience in an eligible skilled trades occupation.
– Current residence in Ontario and legal status in Canada
You must live in Ontario and hold a valid work permit at the time you make the application.
If your work permit expires, you may still apply to the OINP if you have applied for IRCC to renew or extend it before its expiry date. It is not required to have a job at the time you apply.
– Language
With the language test, you must prove that you can understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher. The language test results must be submitted your application to this stream within two years from the date you submit your application.
– Settlement funds
When settling in Canada, you must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members.
The applicant’s family member includes their spouse, common-law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
– Intention to live in Ontario
The applicant must intend to live in Ontario after they are granted permanent residence. The province determines this by examining the applicant’s ties to Ontario, like working or having worked in Ontario, getting job offers or applying/ interviewing for jobs, studying, volunteering, leasing or owning property, visiting, having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships.
French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream
The French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream is an immigration stream of Ontario’s Express Entry under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
This stream gives the opportunity to apply to permanently live in Ontario foreign workers with the required skilled work experience, language abilities and education.
You must have a valid profile in the IRCC Express Entry system. If you have the requirements that the province seeks, in that case, you will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
If you are nominated, then you can apply to the federal government through IRCC, and they wil make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
Stream requirements
– Work Experience
You must decide whether you want to be evaluated under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class program.
To be considered under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the following requirements are required: At least one year, continuous (no interruption in employment for a period of one year), paid, and full-time (in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) You must have work experience (equivalent to paid part-time work).
Work experience must be obtained within the last five years from the date the applicant submits the application to OINP.
– Education
The applicant must have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree. If the applicants gained one of these degree’s outside Canada, then they obtain an Educational Credential Assessment report that proves your education is equivalent to a Canadian credential, which has to be done by one of the following organizations, designated by IRCC.
– Language
With the language test, you must prove that you can understand, read, write and speak English at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 6 and French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher. The language test results must be submitted your application to this stream within two years from the date you submit your application.
– Settlement funds
When settling in Canada, you must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members.
The applicant’s family member includes their spouse, common-law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
– Intention to live in Ontario
The applicant must intend to live in Ontario after they are granted permanent residence. The province determines this by examining the applicant’s ties to Ontario, like working or having worked in Ontario, getting job offers or applying/ interviewing for jobs, studying, volunteering, leasing or owning property, visiting, having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships.
– Legal status in Canada (if applicable)
If the applicants are applying inside Canada, they must have legal status as visitor record, study permit, or work permit at the time they make the application and should maintain that status until the time of nomination.
Ontario’s Expression of Interest Streams
The OINP has an expression of interest system to manage the applications for the following streams:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
- Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
- Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
- Masters Graduate stream
- PhD Graduate stream
- Entrepreneur stream (it has its scoring factors for its expression of interest system)
Before applying to these streams, you must let the OINP know you wish to be invited to apply by registering for an expression of interest. Registering an expression of interest is not the same as using the OINP or applying for permanent residency. You can only apply to these streams if you are invited.
If you have a job offer in Ontario you should check Employer Job Offer stream options:
The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
This stream gives foreign workers in and outside of Canada with a job offer in a skilled occupation and the opportunity to apply to live and work in Ontario permanently.
Applicant Requirements
A candidate must have a valid job offer from an eligible Ontario employer to apply to the Ontario Foreign Worker stream.
The job offer must be under skilled occupation in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
You must have a valid profile in the IRCC Express Entry system. If you have the requirements that the province seeks, in that case, you will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
If you are nominated, then you can apply to the federal government through IRCC, and they wil make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
To be qualified under this stream, applicants must have a permanent and full-time job offer under NOC TEER category 1, 2 or 3. This job offer must meet the median wage levels for Ontario and be in a position necessary to the business. For the applicants already working in the position, the proposed wage must be equal to or greater than the current wage. Two cumulative years of relevant work experience in the previous five years before the date of application is necessary for the requirements. If the position requires it, the applicants must have the relevant mandatory licensing in Ontario. The candidates must have an intention to settle in Ontario.
The Employer and the Business Requirements
The potential business must be established and in good standing in Ontario and have a good workplace and business practices history. The business must also meet minimum gross annual revenue requirements. For instance, inside the Greater Toronto Area, the business’s revenue must be at least $1 million CAD in gross annual revenue and five full-time employees; outside of the Greater Toronto Area, a minimum of $500,000 CAD in gross annual revenue and at least three full-time employees.
The employer must first show that reasonable efforts have been made to recruit a Canadian to fill the position required for the workplace. Then, they must make a job offer to the foreign national.
Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
This stream gives international students with a job offer in a skilled occupation and the opportunity to apply to live and work in Ontario permanently.
Applicant Requirements
The job offer must be under skilled occupation in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
You must have a valid profile in the IRCC Express Entry system. If you have the requirements that the province seeks, in that case, you will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
If you are nominated, then you can apply to the federal government through IRCC, and they will make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
The applicant must have completed a Canadian educational credential within the previous two years and must meet one of the two conditions: first, the degree or diploma that takes at least two years of full-time study to complete or second, the degree or diploma that takes one year to complete but which requires a previously completed degree as a prerequisite for admission.
Some of the educational institutions are not eligible for this stream of immigration. Candidates should check with the OINP before applying to ensure their educational credentials are accepted.
If the position offered to the applicant requires a licence to practice in Ontario, then the applicant must hold a valid licence, certificate, or authorization to practice the profession. An eligible regulatory body in Ontario must have issued the licence.
The applicant who applied to OINP must prove that they have the intention to reside in the province. This intention can be shown through connections to the province such as relatives, past education, etc.; investment in the province such as purchase of property; or efforts to participate in Ontario society such as volunteering, work experience, etc.
The Employer and the Business Requirements
The applicant must have a valid job offer from an eligible Ontario employer to be eligible for the Ontario International Students stream.
The employer’s job offer must be a full-time, indeterminate position with a wage which meets industry standards.
The potential business must be established and in good standing in Ontario and have a good workplace and business practices history. The business must also meet minimum gross annual revenue requirements. For instance, inside the Greater Toronto Area, the business’s revenue must be at least $1 million CAD in gross annual revenue and five full-time employees; outside of the Greater Toronto Area, a minimum of $500,000 CAD in gross annual revenue and at least three full-time employees.
The employer must first show that reasonable efforts have been made to recruit a Canadian to fill the position required for the workplace. Then, they must make a job offer to the foreign national.
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream
This stream targets foreign nationals with work experience in one of the province’s in-demand occupations obtained within Ontario and who possess a valid job offer from an Ontario employer.
Applicant Requirements
To be qualified for this stream, a foreign national must have a valid job offer from an Ontario employer. The job offer must be for a full-time position in one of the OINP In-Demand Occupations, paid at or above the median wage level in Ontario.
The applicant requires a minimum language proficiency score in English or French, consistent with the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4.
The applicant must have completed an educational credential equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma or higher.
The applicant must have a cumulative amount of at least 1 year of full-time work experience in the last three years. The work experience must have been in the same in-demand NOC code as the occupation listed on their Ontario job offer and obtained in Ontario.
Suppose the position requires a licence to practice in Ontario. In that case, the applicant must hold a valid licence, certificate, or authorization to practice the profession as indicated on their Ontario job offer. An eligible regulatory body in Ontario must have issued the licence.
The applicant must meet the settlement funds requirement as determined by IRCC. This can be shown by the candidate’s finances, through maintaining a valid offer of employment with annual compensation that meets the minimum settlement funds requirement, or through some combination of the two.
Applicants who applied to OINP must prove they intend to reside in the province. This intention can be shown through connections to the province, such as relatives, past education, etc.; investment in the province, such as property purchase; or efforts to participate in Ontario society, such as volunteering, work experience, etc.
Here are the eligible positions in any location in Ontario (inside and outside the Greater Toronto Area) in National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 4 or 5:
- NOC 44101 – Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations
- NOC 65202 – Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
- NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
- NOC 84120 – Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers
- NOC 85101 – Harvesting labourers
- NOC 85103 – Nursery and greenhouse labourers
- NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
Here are the positions must be outside the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) in National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 4 or 5:
- NOC 94100 – Machine operators, mineral and metal processing
- NOC 94105 – Metalworking and forging machine operators
- NOC 94106 – Machining tool operators
- NOC 94107 – Machine operators of other metal products
- NOC 94110 – Chemical plant machine operators
- NOC 94111 – Plastics processing machine operators
- NOC 94124 – Woodworking machine operators
- NOC 94132 – Industrial sewing machine operators
- NOC 94140 – Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
- NOC 94201 – Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
- NOC 94204 – Mechanical assemblers and inspectors
- NOC 94213 – Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
- NOC 94219 – Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors
- NOC 95102 – Labourers in chemical products processing and utilities
The Employer and the Business Requirements
The applicant must have a valid job offer from an eligible Ontario employer to be eligible for the Ontario In-Demand Skills stream.
The employer’s job offer must be a full-time, indeterminate position with a medium wage which meets industry standards.
The potential business must be established and in good standing in Ontario and have a good workplace and business practices history. The business must also meet minimum gross annual revenue requirements. For instance, inside the Greater Toronto Area, the business’s revenue must be at least $1 million CAD in gross annual revenue and five full-time employees; outside of the Greater Toronto Area, a minimum of $500,000 CAD in gross annual revenue and at least three full-time employees.
The employer must first show that reasonable efforts have been made to recruit a Canadian to fill the position required for the workplace. Then, they must make a job offer to the foreign national. The position offered must be urgently necessary to your employer’s business.
Masters Graduate stream
After you receive an invitation to apply, you may apply to the Master’s Graduate stream. You don’t need a job offer to apply but meet all the requirements below to approve your application.
First, you must have received an invitation to apply within the identified deadline.
You must demonstrate that you had the qualifications you claimed in the expression of interest that you registered with the OINP and attested to.
The second requirement to be qualified for this stream is the applicant must have completed a master’s degree at least one academic year of full-time study or part-time program, which is equivalent to at least one full-time academic year. The degree is from an eligible university in Ontario listed.
You don’t qualify if you are enrolled as a student when you are applying unless you meet the requirements to be licensed in a regulated occupation in Ontario and work full-time in Ontario.
The candidates don’t qualify if they have received a bursary, grant or scholarship which requires them to return to their home country after they gain their degree.
The applicants must be able to understand, read, write, and speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher by providing language test results before submitting their application to this stream. The test results must have been at most two years from their application, not from when they were invited to apply.
The applicants must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years before they applied.
The applicants must have enough money to support themselves and their dependent family when settling in Canada.
A family member includes their spouse, common-law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
The applicants must have the intention to live in Ontario after they have been granted permanent residence.
At the time of the application, the applicants must be either living in Ontario with legal status (study permit, work permit, visitor record) or living outside Canada.
The applicants are not qualified if they live in a province or territory in Canada other than Ontario when they apply.
If the applicants are applying from within Canada, they must have legal status as a visitor record, study permit, or work permit at the time they apply. They should maintain that status until the time of nomination.
The application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements necessary to obtain the master’s degree.
PhD Graduate stream
After you receive an invitation to apply, you may apply to the PhD Graduate stream. You don’t need a job offer to apply but meet all the requirements below to approve your application.
You must have received an invitation to apply within the identified deadline. You must demonstrate that you had the qualifications you claimed in the expression of interest that you registered with the OINP and attested to.
The applicant must have completed the requirements necessary to obtain a PhD degree from an eligible university in Ontario. At least two years of this PhD study must be completed while the applicant legally living and studying in Ontario.
The candidates don’t qualify if they have received a bursary, grant or scholarship which requires them to return to their home country after they gain their degree.
The applicants must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years before they applied.
The applicants must have enough money to support themselves and their dependent family when settling in Canada.
A family member includes their spouse, common-law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.
The applicants must have the intention to live in Ontario after they have been granted permanent residence.
If the applicants are applying from within Canada, they must have legal status as a visitor record, study permit, or work permit at the time they apply. They should maintain that status until the time of nomination.
The application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements necessary to obtain the master’s degree.
There are some Scoring factors in this stream. Once the applicant registers an expression of interest under this stream, they will be assigned points based on the following factors: Employment/labour market factors, Education (from a Canadian public institution), Language, and Regional Immigration (location of study (where you physically attended classes)
