Immigrating to Ontario with the Academic Graduate Stream (OINP)

This article discusses Ontario’s pathway for immigration for foreign nationals with a Masters Degrees or PhD.

The Masters Graduate stream and the PhD Graduate stream are very similar immigration programs that provide a permanent residency pathway to foreign nationals who have the necessary academic educations.

Requirements for the Masters Graduate Stream and the PhD Graduate Stream Application:

Job Offer:	Not Required
Work Experience:	Not Required
Education:	Applicant’s must have either a Masters Degree or a PhD from Ontario. PhD: At least two years of the applicant’s PhD studies must have been completed while legally living and studying in Ontario. Masters: The applicant for must at least one year of full time study
Language:	Applicants must be able to understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher. Proof of English competency may be requested.
Residence:	Applicants must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years before the application.
Financial Assets:	Applicants must have enough money to support themselves and any dependent family members when the applicant settles in Canada. Proof may be requested with bank statements, annual earnings from employment, etc.

Competitive Factors in the OINP Graduate Streams:

Even if an applicant is fully qualified and satisfies all the requirements, the applicant might not be accepted or might otherwise be rejected at any stage of the application process since only the top candidates are selected from everyone competing.

The competitive factors in evaluating a Masters Graduate Stream and the PhD Graduate Stream OINP program application include: age, education, work experience, if there is a job offer, language skills, and cultural adaptability. The competitive evaluation favours higher education, more work experience, economic or family ties to Canada, strong language skills, a valid job offer, and a suitable age for starting a life here.

Process for Applying to the OINP Masters Graduate Stream and the PhD Graduate Stream Program:

Step 1 – Determine Eligibility: The first thing the applicant should do before applying is make sure that they are qualified. The applicant should evaluate the technical and legal requirements for the Masters Graduate Stream and the PhD Graduate Stream. It is recommended to speak with an immigration consultant on this matter. Once the applicant has decided that they meet the requirements, then they should proceed to the next step.

Step 2 – Create Expression of Interest: The next step is for the applicant to submit an Expression of Interest through OINP’s e-Filing Portal. The submission is competitive and only the highest ranked submissions are selected for the next step. Once selected, the applicant will be given an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the OINP draw.

Step 3 – Apply for Provincial Nomination: Once an applicant has the ITA, they may apply to the OINP for provincial nomination which will be competitively processed.

Step 4: Apply for Permanent Residence: Once the applicant has received the provincial nomination, the applicant must submit an official application for permanent residence with the IRCC. Once this has been completed, the applicant will his or her profile evaluated by the IRCC for a final determination of whether the applicant will be issued a permanent residency visa for Ontario.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. The information and facts referred to herein may be amended, removed or otherwise changed by the applicable government authority. As such, the information contained herein is provided with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness.