OINP – In-Demand Skills Stream

The In-Demand Skills Stream targets the foreign workers and international students having a job offer in an eligible occupation with the right set of skills, experience and education.

The In-Demand Skills Stream of Employer Job Offer Category is one of several immigration streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program(OINP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Ontario. The In-Demand Skills stream targets the foreign workers and international students who have experience in one of the province’s In-demand occupations and having a valid job offer from the employer of Ontario for the position the same as the experience. The candidate must demonstrate the intent to live and work in Ontario permanently.

The eligible candidate with the right set of skills, education, and experience may receive a provincial nomination for Ontario. A successfully nominated candidate under the Foreign Worker Stream can apply for Canadian permanent residence in IRCC. The candidate must demonstrate the intent to live and work in Ontario permanently.

If the candidate is living in Ontario, it must be on a valid status which can be a study permit, work permit or visitor visa. The OINP also accepts applications from the applicants who are on an Implied Status while applying.

The applicant also needs to submit an Employer Form, which must be completed by the Ontario employer who is providing the job offer. A successfully nominated candidate under the In-Demand Skills Stream may apply a work permit and Canadian permanent residence status with IRCC.

Eligibility Requirement

Connection To Province

Job Offer

To be eligible for In-Demand Skilled Stream, the candidate must have a job offer for a full-time and permanent job position from an Ontario employer. The job offer must be for a position from one of the occupations of In-Demand Occupations under NOC Skill Level C And D. The wages for the position must meet the median-level wage levels of Ontario.

If the position of a job offer that requires authorization or licensing, the candidate must demonstrate the valid licence issued and verified by the appropriate regulatory body.

Language Proficiency

To be eligible for the OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream, the candidate must demonstrate the language proficiency level in all four competencies – writing, reading, listening, and speaking through the valid test results obtained within the last two years prior to the applying of application.

The candidate must able to demonstrate the ability of language skills with the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4 or higher through the following valid English or French test:

• For English:
  • International English Language Testing (IELTS) – General Training test only
  • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – General test only
• For French:
  • Test d’évaluation de français pour le Canada (TEF Canada)
  • Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada)

Level of Education

To be eligible for this stream, the candidate must have completed at least the Canadian High School diploma or its equivalent education from another country. The equivalent education must be proved through the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report which shows that the candidate education is equivalent to the Canadian high school diploma. The ECA must be obtained through the designated organization by the IRCC. The ECA must not be older than 5 years on the date applying to the OINP.

Work Experience

The candidate must have at least nine months of cumulative paid work experience or the equivalent to the part-time work obtained in the last three(3) years prior to the submission of the application to OINP in the occupation listed in your job offer which must be obtained while lawfully residing and working in Ontario. The candidate must have performed the same work duties matching to the duties under NOC which was listed in the job offer.

If the candidate claimed occupation that requires authorization or licensing, the candidate must demonstrate the valid licence issued and verified by the appropriate regulatory body. The cumulative work experience means the work you have done will add up to a total of nine months of work.

The candidate also claims a work experience obtained while self-employed but it must have been paid, full-time or the equivalent part-time and in the same occupation NOC which was listed in the job offer. This can be demonstrated through the documentation which includes:

• the confirmation of business ownership,
• reference letters from the clients mentioning the services provided and the payment details,
• proof of ongoing payments for the services provided through the invoices or other related documents
• employment documents independently verifiable through 3rd parties.
• Independent documents include the reference letter from third parties indicating the applicant’s duties and periods of work, document indicating the payments to the applicant, services provided by the applicant.

Whereas the reference letter from the applicant, business partner, or family member will not be acceptable.

Settlement Funds

To be eligible for the In-Demand Skills Stream candidate must demonstrate sufficient funds to successfully establish yourself and your family in Ontario and to pay your immigration costs and travel expenses. The settlement funds requirements met through one or combination of factors listed by OINP such as annual earning from the ongoing employment, bank statements, and/or job offer in Ontario.

Employer Requirements

Job Offer

The employer must provide a job offer for a full-time and permanent position which must consist of at least 30 hours of paid work per week for 52 weeks which must include the periods of paid vacations. The job offer position must be in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B to be eligible for this stream.

The position for which the applicant will be working must meet the median wage level for the occupation in the specific employment region of Ontario. If the applicant is already working for this job, the wage of job must be equal to or greater than the current wage of the applicant earning in that position and must meet the median wage level.

The job offer position must be necessary to the employer’s business and the position must be aligned with the existing business activities.

Business Requirement

The employer’s business must be active for at least three (3) years prior to the application submission date. The location of the business must be maintained in Ontario where the application will work. If the applicant will work in more than one location the employer must maintain the place of business in Ontario where the applicant will report to work. The business must be in compliance with all the Provincial Labour Laws, including but not limited to the health and safety, employment standards and labour relations legislation.

The employer must able to demonstrate the minimum number of employers who are Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada and working full-time at the location where the application will work.

• If the applicant will report to work or work in the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must demonstrate that the business has at least five full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residence who work or report at the same location.
• If the applicant will report to work or work Outside the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must demonstrate the business has at least three full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residence who work or report at the same location.

If the employer’s business where the applicant will work or report to work location is in the Greater Toronto Area (including the City of Toronto, Halton, Durham, York and Peel Regions), the employer must demonstrate that the business had a total gross annual revenue of at least $1,000,000 (excluding HST/GST).

If the employer’s business where the applicant will work or report to work location is outside the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must demonstrate that the business had a total gross annual revenue of at least $500,000 (excluding HST/GST).

Recruitment Requirement

The employer must demonstrate they have made reasonable but unsuccessful efforts to fulfil the position of the job offer with the permanent resident or Canadian citizen. The employer must need to demonstrate sufficient proof of recruitment efforts if the candidate is visiting Canada, currently living abroad, or working in the territory, or province other then Ontario. The employer need not demonstrate if the applicant is an individual authorized to work in Ontario or the employer is having an LMIA for the exact NOC code and position being offered to the applicant.

In-Demand Occupations

The job offer position must be offered in one of the following occupations of NOC Skill Level C and D:

• NOC 3413 – orderlies, nurse aides, and patient service associates
• NOC 4412 – home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers
• NOC 7441 – residential and commercial installers and servicers
• NOC 7511 – transport truck drivers
• NOC 7521 – heavy equipment operators (except crane)
• NOC 7611 – construction trades helpers and labourers
• NOC 8431 – general farmworkers
• NOC 8432 – nursery and greenhouse workers
• NOC 8611 – harvesting labourers
• NOC 9462 – meat cutters and industrial butchers, poultry preparers and related workers

Intention To Reside In Ontario

Candidate must demonstrate the intent to live and work in Ontario which can be demonstrated through the following ties of a candidate to Ontario:

• Any employment in Ontario
• Jobs applied/interviews for or job offer in Ontario
• Education studies in Ontario
• Volunteer work in Ontario
• Lease Agreement or Property ownership for a residence in Ontario
• Professional affiliations and network
• Family ties
• Personal relationships or social connections
• Last visit to Ontario

Application Procedure

Before submitting an application, the candidate must first review the job offer, employer requirements and applicant requirements of the stream to ensure they are eligible to apply for this stream.

The eligible candidates can register the online application via the OINP e-Filing Portal. After registering, the applicant will have 14 calendar days to submit their completed application with the supporting scanned documents and an OINP application fee. If the documents are not in English or French, the applicant must translate the supporting documents from a certified translator accredited by the ATIO and/or obtain a notarization if the documents are not translated by a translator certified by the ATIO. The OINP application fee is $1,500 CAD for the job offer obtained is located outside the Greater Toronto Area and $2,000 CAD for the job offer obtained in the Greater Toronto Area.

The OINP considers applications incomplete and refunds the application fee if the applicant submits an incorrect supporting documents or the required documents are not certified or notarized. The applicant must also notify any changes to the personal information to the OINP.

If the applicant is nominated by the OINP, the applicant will receive a Nomination Approval Letter (Letter of Nomination), Confirmation of Nomination (OINP Certificate of Nomination) and a work permit support letter. The applicant must continue to meet the conditions of their nomination. The applicant must inform the OINP if there are any changes in the position title, job offer conditions, duties, wages, employment location, and/or hours of work. The OINP must be notified if the employment is ceased by the employer of the applicant.

With the work permit support letter issued by the province, the applicant will able to apply for a work permit application to IRCC while their permanent residency application is in processing. After receiving a provincial nomination candidate has six months to complete and submit a paper-based application for permanent residence by mail to the appropriate application centre which is generally processed within 18 months.