International Graduates Streams

International Graduates Streams

International Graduate Stream - OINP

Ontario International Students is one of the Employer Job Offer streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Ontario. The International Students stream targets foreign nationals who have completed a Canadian educational credential and who have a job offer from an Ontario employer.

Important Update
The Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream opened to accepting applications on March 3rd, 2020. Intake was met the same day and the stream is now closed.

Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Ontario International Students stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence.

Program Requirements

Requirement
Express Entry Profile No
Connection to Province No
Job Offer Yes
Language Proficiency No minimum
Level of Education Post-secondary 2 years
Work Experience No minimum
Investment Requirement None

Applicant Requirements

In order to qualify for the Ontario International Students stream, a foreign national must have a valid job offer from an Ontario employer. The job offer must be for a full-time position, paid at or above the low wage level for that occupation in Ontario. The position must be at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0, A, or B.

Any person applying to this stream must have completed a Canadian educational credential within the previous two years and which meets one of the two following conditions:

  • A degree or diploma that takes at least two years of full-time study to complete, or;
  • A degree or diploma that takes one year to complete but which requires a previously completed degree as a prerequisite for admission.

Please note that certain educational institutions are not eligible for this stream of immigration. Candidates should check with the OINP prior to applying to ensure that their educational credential is accepted.

If the position being offered to the applicant requires a licence to practice in Ontario, then the applicant must hold the valid licence, certificate, or authorization to practice the profession. The licence must have been issued by an eligible regulatory body in Ontario.
If the position being offered to the applicant requires a licence to practice in Ontario, then the applicant must hold the valid licence, certificate, or authorization to practice the profession. The licence must have been issued by an eligible regulatory body in Ontario.

All applicants to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) must prove their intention to reside in the province. This can be shown through connections to the province (relatives, past education, etc.), investment in the province (purchase of property), or efforts to participate in Ontario society (volunteering, work experience, etc.).

Employer Requirements

In order for an applicant to apply to the Ontario International Students stream, they must have a valid job offer from an eligible Ontario employer.

The employer must offer a full-time, indeterminate position with a wage that meets industry standards.

The business must be established and in good standing in Ontario with a history of good workplace and business practices. The business must also meet minimum gross annual revenue and employee requirements:

  • Inside of the Greater Toronto Area: A minimum of $1 million CAD in gross annual revenue, and; At least five full-time employees.
  • Outside of the Greater Toronto Area: A minimum of $500,000 CAD in gross annual revenue, and; At least three full-time employees.

The employer must demonstrate that reasonable efforts were made to recruit a Canadian to fill the position prior to offering the position to a foreign national unless the foreign national already have the authorization to work in Ontario.

Application Procedure

The Ontario International Students stream is always open to new applications. Eligible candidates can submit an application at any time and applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the stream has an annual intake quota. Once this quota is met, the stream will close until the following year. Interested candidates must register by creating a One-Key account with the e-Filing Portal. The OINP application fee is $1,500 CAD for the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream.

If the province approves the application, Ontario will notify the applicant they have been selected for provincial nomination. This notification will be sent to the applicant’s ONe-Key account within the e-Filing Portal.

The province will also issue a work permit support letter enabling applicants to apply for a work permit while their permanent residency application is in processing. Select skilled worker categories of immigration allow foreign nationals to apply for temporary work permits allowing them to work in Canada while their permanent residency application is in processing. These work permits do not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), meaning they are LMIA-exempt. To apply for such a work permit, an applicant must include a work permit support letter issued by the province and submit their applications to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

After receiving a provincial nomination an applicant has six months to submit a federal application for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants in this program must complete and submit a paper-based application for permanent residence and submit it by mail to the appropriate application centre. Paper-based PNP applications for permanent residence are generally processed within 18 months.