OINP – PhD Graduate Stream

The PhD Graduate Stream targets the international students who graduated with a PhD degree from an eligible Ontario university and intent to live in Ontario permanently.

The Phd Graduate stream of International Graduates under Human Capital 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 PhD Graduate stream targets international graduates with a PhD degree obtained from an eligible Ontario university within the last two years. The candidate must demonstrate the intent to live and work in Ontario permanently.

The candidate must submit an application within the two years of completing the master’s degree. 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.

To be eligible for the Master Graduate stream, the candidate must also demonstrate that he/she will not intend to pursue further academic studies in Ontario. The applicant must also demonstrate the residence status in Ontario for at least 1 year in the last 2 years before the submission date of application.

Eligibility Requirement

Connection To Province

To be eligible for the OINP Master Graduate stream, the candidate must demonstrate that they resided in Ontario for at least 1 year out of 2 years prior to the application submission.

Level of Education

To be eligible for this stream, the candidate must have completed a doctoral degree from an eligible Ontario university within the last two years. The candidate must have completed at least two years of study while lawfully living in Ontario.

List of eligible Ontario universities mentioned below.

Settlement Funds

To be eligible for Master Graduate stream, a candidate must demonstrate that they have sufficient settlement funds to economically establish themselves and their family in Ontario through one of the following combinations:

• Annual earning from the current running employment in Ontario,
• Funds that can be readily converted to cash demonstrated through the statements of accounts or bank statements showing other investments such as mutual funds and fixed-term deposits.
• Job offer from an Ontario employer which includes the employment contract/job offer letter mentioning the position, wage and hours of work. If currently working in Ontario, two recent payslips must be provided as proof of funds.

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

Ineligible Applicants

The following applicants are not eligible under the OINP Master Graduate Stream of Human Capital Category:

• The international students who are in the final semester of studies and not yet completed their PhD degree, applications will not be accepted by the OINP. The applicant must meet all the degree requirements at the time of application submission.
• Individuals who completed his/her PhD degree from more than two years ago.
• The applicants who are the recipient of a scholarship, grant or bursary that requires them to return back to their home country or in another jurisdiction after the completion of studies.
• Individuals currently living in Ontario without legal status.

Eligible Ontario Universities

To be eligible for OINP PhD Graduate Stream, the applicant must be completed a PhD degree from the following universities:

• Brock University
• Carleton University
• Dominican University College
• Lakehead University
• Laurentian University
• McMaster University
• Nipissing University
• Queen’s University
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Ryerson University
• Saint Paul University (Federated with University of Ottawa)
• St. Jerome’s University (Federated with University of Waterloo)
• Trent University
• University of Guelph
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• University of Ottawa
• University of St. Michael’s College (Federated with University of Toronto)
• University of Toronto
• University of Trinity College (Federated with University of Toronto)
• University of Waterloo
• University of Windsor
• Victoria University (Federated with University of Toronto)
• Western University
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• York University

Application Procedure

The OINP PhD Graduate streams accept only a limited number of applications each intake as it opens to accept new applications of PhD Graduate during the limited intake period. Whenever the program open to accept applications, interested candidates register their profile by creating their One-Key account in the e-Filing Portal. After registering their account, the candidate will have 14 days to submit their completed application with the application fee of $1,500 CAD. Once the application is submitted, the applicant will not be able to make any changes. All the supporting documents must be translated and notarized if they are not in English or French from the certified translator authorized by the Association of Translators and Interpreter of Ontario (ATIO).

If the applicant believes that the OINP decision was made with an error, an individual may request an application’s internal review within the 30 days of receiving the notification. If the applicant is residing outside they may have 60 days to make a request. If the application is approved for the provincial nomination, OINP will notify the applicant by sending the notification to the applicant’s One-Key profile within the e-Filing Portal. The Confirmation of Nomination(OINP Certificate of Nomination) and a Letter of Nomination(Nomination Approval Letter) is issued to the applicant

After successfully receiving a provincial nomination, the applicant submits an application for Canadian Permanent Residence to the IRCC within six months. The application must include both the documents of Certificate of Nomination and Nomination Approval Letter. Under this program, the applicant must mail a complete paper-based application for Permanent Residence Status to the appropriate centre which is generally processed within 18 months.