Immigrate to Ontario with the Foreign Workers Stream (OINP)

This article discusses Ontario’s pathway for immigration for foreign nationals through Ontario’s Foreign Worker Stream. The Foreign Worker stream is focused on foreign nationals with professional skills that have a job offer to work in Ontario. The aim of this pathway is to provide permanent residency to foreign nationals that have useful professional skills for the Ontario economy.

Requirements for the Foreign Worker Stream Application:

Job Offer:	The job offer must be for a full-time and permanent position with a fair market wage and must be primarily based in Ontario. The job offered must be in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Work Experience:	Applicants must be able to demonstrate two years of work experience in the same occupation as the applicant’s job offer.
Education:	Not required. No minimum.
License	If the applicant’s job offer is for an occupation that requires a mandatory license or other authorization in Ontario, then the applicant must hold a valid license or authorization from the appropriate regulatory body in Ontario when the applicant applies.
Language:	Not Required. No minimum. .
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.
Employer Requirements:	The employer will also be subject to some requirements in order for the job offer to be considered valid. The requirements include that the business have a minimum gross annual revenue of $500,000 for businesses located outside of the Greater Toronto Area, and a minimum gross annual revenue of $1,000,000 for businesses located in the Greater Toronto Area.

Competitive Factors in the OINP Foreign Worker Stream:

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 Foreign Worker stream application may 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 Foreign Worker Stream:

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 Foreign Worker 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.