There are many ways to immigrate to Canada, including Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs and sponsorship opportunities. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program falls under Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs and offers foreign workers, international students and entrepreneurs the opportunity to immigrate to Ontario. This blog will discuss the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and updates that have been made to this program for 2023.
What Is Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program?
Foreign workers, international students and business owners can apply for permanent residence in Ontario under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (ONIP). ONIP works in partnership with the IRCC to consider people with the right skills, experience and education for the program. The IRCC has the final say about which applications get approved for permanent residence.
How does the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program work?
The first step is to register an expression of interest with Ontario. ONIP is broken down into 9 different streams that candidates may qualify for and the following streams use an expression of interest system:
Once a candidate has selected the stream that is relevant to their skills and experience, they then register an expression of interest to let the ONIP know that they wish to apply. An expression of interest is not an application, it is a pre-application stage that gives the ONIP relevant information to determine if they should issue an invitation to apply. The ONIP will assess and rank prospective candidates based on the following factors:
- Education – level and field of education
- Language – English and/or French fluency
- Regional information
- Skill and work experience level
- Job offer in Ontario
- Canadian work experience
The entrepreneur stream has different scoring factors than the above criteria. For example, a candidate’s business concept must be presented to the ONIP, who will then assess and score it based on the other applications received.
ONIP also offers 3 streams through the federal government’s Express Entry system. These streams require candidates to have an Express Entry profile and to receive a notification of interest from Ontario. The three ONIP streams under Express Entry are:
Applying for ONIP
Once an applicant has been nominated to apply by Ontario, they can begin submitting information to the IRCC for permanent residency. Most streams will require an application fee but the fee varies depending on the stream selected. Candidates are required to include supporting documents in their online application. The IRCC will assess all the information provided in the application before determining if a candidate can become a permanent resident of Ontario.
2023 Updates for ONIP
The following ONIP invitations to apply have been issued so far in 2023:
- 4,032 invites for the foreign worker stream
- 2,963 invites for the international student stream
- 807 invites for the in-demand skills stream
- 4,146 invites for the Masters graduate stream
- 349 invites for the PhD graduate stream
- 49 invites for the entrepreneur stream
Windmill Microlending Supports ONIP Participants
At Windmill Microlending, we empower skilled immigrants and refugees with permanent status to achieve career success in Canada. Some of our clients become permanent residents by applying through ONIP streams.
We provide low-interest microloans of up to $15,000 to skilled immigrants who wish to enhance their career prospects in Canada. A Windmill loan can be put towards accreditation, training, licensing fees and even living expenses during a period of study. Windmill clients also receive additional support such as mentorship, financial planning and career success coaching. After receiving a Windmill microloan, our clients significantly increase their incomes by an average of 3.5x and are less likely to be under-employed.
If you are a recent permanent resident with an interest in further education, why not apply for a Windmill microloan to achieve your career goals? More information about our loans and how to submit an application are available to view here.
