December

December 20, 2018

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has finished processing the increase to its 2018 nomination allocation and has started to notify successful applicants. The OINP has issued a total of 6850 nominations to successful applicants across all streams in 2018. New applications, and applications which have already been submitted to the OINP, will continue to be accepted and considered under the OINP’s 2019 nomination allocation.

You can check the status of your application at any time through the OINP e-Filing Portal.

Please monitor this OINP Updates page for news, announcements and program developments.

December 14, 2018

Changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

1) New Designated French Language Testing Organization and Test

As of December 10, 2018, the Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada), administered by the Centre international d'études pédagogiques (CIEP) (available in French only) is now accepted by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. The organization was designated by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on November 7, 2018.

The equivalencies between the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (for French language testing) and the TCF Canada results have been established and included in the language test equivalency charts on IRCC's website.

For more information of the TCF Canada, please visit their website at http://www.ciep.fr/en.

2) Updated Employer Form

The Employer Form has been updated with additional instructions and helpful hints on how to complete the form.

In addition, employers can now appoint an authorized representative to conduct business on their behalf with the OINP in Section A of the Employer Form. The authorized representative must complete, date and sign Section A of the form. Going forward, an employer no longer needs to complete a separate Appointing or Cancelling a Representative  form.

3) Changes to the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream

Effective December 10, 2018, employers are no longer required to provide additional supporting documents at the time of application to demonstrate that they meet program criteria for the In-Demand Skills Stream.

All Employer Job Offer streams (Foreign Worker, International Student, In-Demand Skills) are now aligned and require the following employer documents at the time of application:

  • Employer Form
  • Original signed and dated job offer
  • Collective agreement (if the wage of the job offer is subject to a collective agreement)
  • Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) (if the applicant is currently working for the employer on a LMIA-backed work permit).

The OINP will contact an employer directly if additional documents are required to verify that an application meets program criteria.

4) Clarification with respect to Authorized Representatives

The definition of an authorized representative has been modified to align with the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 (OIA). Only representatives who are authorized under the OIA can be appointed by an applicant or employer.

5) Updated Application Guides

All of the program application guides have been updated.

Please ensure that you refer to the updated application guides before submitting an application to the OINP.

December 6, 2018

Important Notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday, December 7, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) to Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

Any client whose application deadline is affected by the system maintenance is asked to contact the program directly at ontarionominee@ontario.ca.

December 6, 2018

Important Notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has received an increase to its 2018 nomination allocation. The program will continue to process applications and issue nominations until the increased allocation is fulfilled. Any applications submitted that exceed the OINP’s nomination allocation increase will be processed. If approved, you will be nominated in 2019 and you will be notified at that time.

You can check the status of your application at any time through the OINP e-Filing Portal.

Please monitor this OINP Updates page for news, announcements and program developments.

November

November 27, 2018

Express Entry – Targeted Notifications of Interest under Human Capital Priorities Stream

Please be advised that the OINP has issued Notifications of Interest (NOI) under the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream to targeted candidates in the Express Entry pool who meet the HCP stream criteria and have a job offer in Ontario with points for arranged employment.

This targeted search was done to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development priorities, as well as to be more responsive to employer needs.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

Number of invitations issued: 185
Date and time of portal search: November 26, 2018 at 1:13PM EST
CRS score range: 350-448
Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to November 26, 2018

November 23, 2018

Entrepreneur Stream – Invitations to Apply Issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 15 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 112.

November 16, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday, November 16, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) to Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 8 am (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

November 9, 2018

Important notice

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has reached its 2018 nomination allocation, a total of 6,600 nominations for successful applicants across all streams.

New applications, and applications which have already been submitted to the OINP, will continue to be accepted and considered under the OINP’s 2019 nomination allocation, with the exception of the Masters Graduate Stream.

The OINP is operated by the Ontario government in partnership with the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The OINP assesses applications and nominates candidates for permanent residence. Individuals nominated by the OINP can then apply for permanent residence through IRCC. IRCC makes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to successful applicants.

Please visit our web page for additional information on the OINP.

November 2, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Sunday, November 4, 2018 from 5:00 a.m. (EST) to 9:00 a.m. (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

October

October 23, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 18 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 110.

October 22, 2018

Please be advised that effective Monday October 29, 2018 the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has moved to:

400 University Avenue, 4th Floor
Toronto, ON

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program general inquiries line will be disabled on Friday October 26, 2018 until Tuesday October 30, 2018.

October 22, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday October 26, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) to Sunday October 28, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

Any client whose application deadline is affected by the system maintenance is asked to contact the program directly at ontarionominee@ontario.ca.

October 19, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday October 19, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) to Saturday October 20, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

October 11, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday, October 12, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) to Sunday October 14, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). You may be unable to submit an online application during this time.

September

September 21, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 16 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 117.

September 13, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday September 14, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. (EST) to Saturday September 15, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

September 6, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday September 7, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. (EST) - 11:59 p.m. (EST). You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

August

August 24, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP issued 21 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream on August 20, 2018. The minimum score was 110.

August 24, 2018

Important notice: Technical difficulties with OINP e-filing portal

Please be advised that the program was experiencing technical difficulties with the OINP e-Filing Portal on Wednesday August 22, 2018. The issue has now been resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

August 24, 2018

Important notice: Technical difficulties with OINP e-filing portal

Please be advised that the program was experiencing technical difficulties with the OINP e-Filing Portal on Friday August 17, 2018. The issue has now been resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

August 22, 2018

Important notice: Technical difficulties with OINP e-filing portal

Please be advised that the program is experiencing technical difficulties with the OINP e-Filing Portal.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

August 15, 2018

The OINP has updated the information available on our website about our processing times, Notifications of Interest issued under our Express Entry streams and the issue of Invitations to Apply under our Entrepreneur Stream.

August 10, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday August 10, 2018. You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

July

July 27, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Friday July 27, 2018. You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

May

May 28, 2018

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program general inquiries line is now active.

All telephone inquiries can be directed to our general inquiries line at 416-327-0374 or toll-free at 1-866-214-6820 (within North America only) or alternatively please email: ontarionominee@ontario.ca.

May 25, 2018

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program general inquiries line will be disabled on Friday May 25, 2018 until Tuesday May 29, 2018.

May 23, 2018

Please be advised that effective Monday May 28, 2018 the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has temporarily moved to:

900 Bay Street (corner of Bay Street and Wellesley Street)
5th Floor, Hearst Block
Toronto ON

Map

You may contact the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program by:

Phone: 416-327-0374 or toll-free at 1-866-214-6820 (within North America only)

Email:
ontarionominee@ontario.ca (general inquiries)
business.immigration@ontario.ca (business streams)

May 14, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 10 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 127.

May 2, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) e-Filing Portal will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance between Thursday May 3, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and ending on Monday May 7, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. (EST). You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

April

April 16, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 13 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 132.

In addition to issuing ITAs, registrants with an expression of interest (EOI) that was one (1) year or older have been removed from the EOI selection pool. As per our guidelines, registrants with EOIs that have been removed are welcome to resubmit an EOI to the selection pool. For additional information, please see page 27 of the OINP Entrepreneur Stream Guide.

April 13, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Sunday April 15, 2018. You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

April 5, 2018

Important notice

Re: OINP has paused intake to the Masters Graduate Stream

Please note that the Masters Graduate Stream has reached its application intake limit. No additional registrations for this stream can be accepted at this time.

To ensure processing efficiency and quality customer service, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is monitoring the intake of applications to the Masters Graduate Stream throughout the year. This stream will be paused and reopened periodically until the province’s 2018 nomination allocation is fulfilled.

Please check this page periodically for an update on when this stream will reopen.

If you have successfully registered for the Masters Graduate Stream and received a confirmation number from the OINP e-Filing Portal, you may continue with your application. You have 14 calendar days to complete and submit your application after registering.

April 5, 2018

Important notice

Re: OINP now accepting applications to the Masters Graduate Stream

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is now accepting applications to the Masters Graduate Stream.

Please note that the OINP is monitoring the intake of applications with respect to the limits of Ontario’s 2018 nomination allocation. Applicants will be informed when the application intake limits have been met.

You must access the OINP e-Filing Portal directly from the OINP website using the following link: Masters Graduate Stream.

April 4, 2018

Important notice

This is to inform you about an important OINP update to be announced on www.ontarioimmigration.ca in the week of April 2, 2018.

March

March 28, 2018

Express Entry – Targeted notifications of interest under human capital priorities stream

Please be advised that the OINP has issued Notifications of Interest (NOI) under the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) Stream to targeted candidates in the Express Entry pool who:

  1. meet the HCP Stream criteria and have a job offer in Ontario; or
  2. meet the HCP Stream criteria have French language skills at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all language abilities

This targeted search was done to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development priorities, as well as to be more responsive to employer needs. In addition, French-speaking candidates were targeted to assist the province in meeting the Ontario Immigration Strategy’s goal of five per cent Francophone immigration.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

Search # 1

Candidates in the Express Entry pool who meet the HCP Stream criteria and have a job offer in Ontario:

  • Number of invitations issued: 480
  • Date and time of portal search: March 26, 2018 at 2PM EST
  • CRS score range: 351-446
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to March 26, 2018

Search #2

Candidates in the Express Entry pool who meet the HCP Stream criteria and who have French language skills at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or above in all language abilities:

  • Number of invitations issued: 299
  • Date and time of portal search: March 26, 2018 at 4PM EST
  • CRS score range: 351-446
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to March 26, 2018

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis.

March 22, 2018

Accepting applications to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program – Completeness check

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has introduced changes to the processing of applications at intake.

The OINP is administered in accordance with the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 (Act) and its regulations.

Please note that section 5 of Ontario Regulation 421/17 (Approvals under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and Other Matters) made under the Act requires that all applications be reviewed for completeness.

You must submit a complete application that complies with program criteria at the time you submit a paid application.

A completeness check is then undertaken to ensure that you have submitted all required documentation and information in order to demonstrate that you can meet OINP eligibility requirements.

If your application is complete, the program will issue a letter acknowledging its completeness and indicating that it has been forwarded for formal assessment in order to confirm that you meet all OINP eligibility requirements.

If your application is incomplete, the program will issue a letter providing 14 calendar days to submit documentation or provide information that may have been overlooked or forgotten at the time of application submission.

The provision of additional time cannot be used to satisfy a requirement that should have been met before you applied. Example 1: You cannot use the additional time to take a language test. Example 2: You can use the additional time to submit a language test that was valid at the date of your application submission.

If you do not provide all of the requested information or documentation within 14 calendar days, the program will notify you that your application is incomplete and explain why. Your application fee will also be refunded.

The program will not grant extensions beyond the 14 days.

Please be advised that once your application has been accepted as complete, the program may still contact you should we require additional information to support the formal assessment of your application.

March 16, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance on Sunday March 18, 2018. You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

March 14, 2018
Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued
Please be advised that the OINP has issued 10 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 135.

In addition to issuing ITAs, registrants with an expression of interest (EOI) that was one (1) year or older have been removed from the EOI selection pool. As per our guidelines, registrants with EOIs that have been removed are welcome to resubmit an EOI to the selection pool. For additional information, please see the OINP Entrepreneur Stream Guide.

March 2, 2018

Important notice

Please be advised that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will be undergoing scheduled system maintenance between Saturday March 3, 2018 and ending on Sunday March 4, 2018. You will be unable to submit an online application during this time.

Please monitor this OINP Updates page for news, announcements and program developments.

February

February 27, 2018

Express Entry – Human capital priorities notification of interest

Please be advised that the OINP has commenced issuing NOIs under the HCP Stream.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

  • Number of invitations issued: 511
  • Date and time of portal search: February 26, 2018 at 2:00PM EST
  • CRS score range: 441-433
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to February 22, 2018

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis to applicants, who at minimum, have a CRS of 400 and meet all eligibility criteria.

February 13, 2018

Express Entry – Human capital priorities notification of interest

Please be advised that the OINP has commenced issuing NOIs under the HCP Stream.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

  • Number of invitations issued: 488
  • Date and time of portal search: February 12, 2018 at 2:30PM EST
  • CRS score range: 441-435
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to February 8, 2018 at 4PM EST

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis to applicants, who at minimum, have a CRS of 400 and meet all eligibility criteria.

February 8, 2018

Express Entry – Human capital priorities notification of interest

Please be advised that the OINP has commenced issuing NOIs under the HCP Stream.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

  • Number of invitations issued: 89
  • Date and time of portal search: January 25, 2018 at 2:15PM EST
  • CRS score range: 444 to 433
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to January 25, 2018

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis to applicants, who at minimum, have a CRS of 400 and meet all eligibility criteria.

February 6, 2018

Entrepreneur stream – Invitations to apply issued

Please be advised that the OINP has issued 13 Invitations to Apply under the Entrepreneur Stream. The minimum score was 137.

January

January 29, 2018

Important notice

Re: OINP has paused intake to the Masters Graduate Stream

Please note that the Masters Graduate Stream has reached its application intake limit. No additional registrations for this stream can be accepted at this time.

To ensure processing efficiency and quality customer service, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is monitoring the intake of applications to the Masters Graduate Stream throughout the year. This stream will be paused and reopened periodically until the province’s 2018 nomination allocation is fulfilled.

Please check this page periodically for an update on when this stream will reopen.

If you have successfully registered for the Masters Graduate Stream and received a confirmation number from the OINP e-Filing Portal, you may continue with your application. You have 14 calendar days to complete and submit your application after registering.

January 29, 2018

Important notice

Re: OINP now accepting applications to the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate Streams

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is now accepting applications to the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate Streams.

Please note that the OINP is monitoring the intake of applications with respect to the limits of Ontario’s 2018 nomination allocation. Applicants will be informed when the application intake limits for each stream have been met.

You must access the OINP e-Filing Portal directly from the OINP website using the following links:

Masters Graduate Stream

PhD Graduate Stream

January 26, 2018

Express Entry – Human capital priorities notification of interest

Please be advised that the OINP has commenced issuing NOIs under the HCP Stream.

The results of today’s round are as follows:

  • Number of invitations issued: 380
  • Date and time of portal search: January 25, 2018 at 2:15PM EST
  • CRS score range: 444 to 433
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to January 25, 2018

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis to applicants, who at minimum, have a CRS of 400 and meet all eligibility criteria.

January 26, 2018

Important notice

This is to inform you about an important OINP update to be announced early in the week of January 29, 2018.

January 23, 2018

Express Entry – Human capital priorities notification of interest

Please be advised that the OINP has commenced issuing NOIs under the HCP Stream.

Following the issuance of NOIs, the OINP will post on its website a program update informing stakeholders of the methodology used to issue NOIs.

The results of yesterday’s round are as follows:

  • Number of invitations issued: 340
  • Date and time of portal search: January 19, 2018 at 3:00 EST
  • CRS score range: 440 to 446
  • Date Express Entry profile submitted: January 1, 2018 to January 19, 2018

The OINP is managing the volume of applications to the HCP Stream at this time. The OINP will be issuing NOIs on a regular basis to applicants, who at minimum, have a CRS of 400 and meet all eligibility criteria.

January 18, 2018

Important notice

Re: 2018 Nomination Allocation Announced, Online Application System to Reopen, Program will Resume Issuing Notifications of Interest

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is pleased to announce that the federal government, recognizing the success of the OINP and its importance to Ontario’s economy, has increased the province’s 2018 allocation by 600 nominations to a total of 6,600.

The OINP is now accepting applications to the following streams:

  • Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
  • Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
  • Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
  • Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream
  • Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
  • Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream
  • Corporate Stream
  • Entrepreneur Stream

You must access the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) e-Filing Portal directly from the OINP website. The link to the e-Filing Portal is located on each stream webpage.

The OINP is monitoring the intake of applications with respect to the limits of Ontario’s federal nomination allocation in 2018. Applicants will be informed when the OINP is no longer accepting applications via the OINP Updates webpage.

Please refer to the recently updated Application Guides before applying as some criteria and processes have changed as a result of the Proclamation of the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 on January 1, 2018. Carefully review the application guide to ensure you meet all stream criteria.

In addition, the OINP will resume issuing Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to applicants who qualify for Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities (HCP) Stream.

Please monitor the Program Updates page for news about when the OINP will begin accepting applications for the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate Streams.

January 17, 2018

Re: Updated program materials

Updated program materials, including Application Guides for all streams, as well as Frequently Asked Questions, have been posted. Please consult these materials as some criteria and processes have changed as a result of proclamation of the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 on January 1, 2018.

It is important to carefully review the application guide to ensure you meet all stream criteria before submitting an application.

January 15, 2018

Re: Scheduled system maintenance

Please note that the scheduled system maintenance announced on December 21, 2017 for the OINP e-Filing Portal will continue to be in effect past the estimated completion date of January 15, 2018.

Please monitor the OINP updates page for news, announcements, and program information. Stay in touch by visiting our social media pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

January 2, 2018

Re: Proclamation of the Ontario Immigration Act

The Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 and its regulations were proclaimed into force on January 1, 2018.

This is an important step for the OINP, which has grown substantially since its launch in 2007. The Ontario Immigration Act’s enhanced regulations strengthen the transparency, accountability, and consistency of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

The Act and its regulations are part of the Government of Ontario’s plan to invest in people and support the sectors that boost the economy and create jobs for all Ontarians. They give Ontario important tools to attract and select global talent to promote business growth.

You can find the Act and its regulations on the e-Laws webpage.