New Ontario Pnp

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Ontario PNP

As in https://www.ontario.ca/

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program. It works in partnership with the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The OINP recognizes and nominates people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience the Ontario economy needs, and the Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has the following streams:

  • Human Capital Priorities Stream
  • Skilled Trades Stream
  • Entrepreneur Stream

Human Capital Priorities Stream

Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

It allows foreign workers with the required skills of work experience, language abilities and education the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

You must have a valid profile in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) Express Entry system and receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

Before You Apply

1. Create a profile in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system

You must have a profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system before we can send you a Notification of Interest (NOI), which you need before you can apply to Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream.

Once you create your profile, you will receive an Express Entry profile number and a Job Seeker Validation Code. You will need these numbers if you receive a NOI from Ontario and wish to apply to Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream. You will also be assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

2. Make sure you meet the mandatory requirements

This stream has a number of mandatory requirements you must meet before you can apply.

3. Understand the application process

Please note:

  • from the date you receive a Notification of Interest issued by Ontario for Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream, you have 45 calendar days to apply to this stream.
  • you have to apply through the OINP e-Filing Portal
  • it takes about three hours to complete the application
  • you do not have to complete the application in one session, you can save your work and return to it later
  • you can complete the application yourself or have a representative complete it on your behalf
  • you have to pay $1,500 to apply
  • you have to pay by credit card, we only accept Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard and Mastercard Debit

4. Have your supporting documents ready

You also need to make sure you have all your supporting documents, in English or French, scanned and ready to upload when you apply.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system

Express Entry is an online system IRCC uses to manage applications for permanent residence in Canada.

What you need to do

Before you can create your profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system, you must:

  • take a language test
  • get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) if you completed your education outside Canada, and
  • determine the National Occupational Classification code for your past work experience

If you meet the Express Entry criteria, you will be accepted into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You will receive an Express Entry profile number and a job seeker validation code. You will need to submit these with your application to the OINP.

Mandatory Requirements

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream, you must meet the all the criteria in the seven categories below. You do not need a job offer to apply.

1. Work Experience

You must have:

  • at least one year of cumulative paid full-time work experience (or the equivalent in paid part-time work) in Ontario in a skilled trade

Your work experience must have been:

  • obtained within the last two years from the date of submitting your application to the OINP
  • in one or more of the occupations that you identified in your Express Entry profile
  • in Ontario while maintaining legal status in Canada

Please note:

  • your work experience must have been obtained over a period of at least one year
  • work experience totaling 1,560 hours obtained in less than one year period does not qualify
  • if you worked in a compulsory trade, only work experience acquired after becoming qualified to practice that occupation in Ontario will qualify
  • paid work experience gained while studying full time at a post-secondary institution (for example, on a co-op work term) and self-employment are not eligible
  • volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count as work experience

2. Valid certificate or licence (if applicable)

If you are claiming work experience in a compulsory trade, even if you are no longer working in the trade, you must have a valid certificate or licence in Ontario at the time you apply and you must have held a valid certificate or licence that covers the period of work experience that is being used to meet the minimum one year of work experience in an eligible skilled trades occupation.

3. Current residence in Ontario and legal status in Canada

You must be living in Ontario and hold a valid work permit at the time you apply.

If your work permit has expired, you may still apply to the OINP if you have submitted an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to renew/extend your work permit before its expiry date.

4. Language

You must be able to understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher.

5. Settlement Funds

You must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members when you settle in Canada.

Note that a family member includes your spouse, common law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.

You can meet this requirement through one or a combination of any of the following:

  • funds as demonstrated by the balance listed in bank statements, or statements of accounts showing other investments such as non-locked in, fixed term deposits, mutual funds, etcetera
  • annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario
  • a job offer in Ontario

6. Intention to live in Ontario

You must intend to live in Ontario after you’re granted permanent residence. These include:

  • working or have worked in Ontario
  • getting job offers or applying/ interviewing for jobs
  • studying
  • volunteering
  • leasing or owning property
  • visiting
  • having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships

Supporting Documents

You must provide supporting documents to validate the information in your application and to prove you meet the eligibility criteria.

If a supporting document is not in English or French, you must provide a copy of the original document and a notarized translation of the document.

The following mandatory documents are required with your application:

  • notification of interest from Ontario
  • identity documents – photographs, passport, family members passport
  • status documents in Canada – work permits, study permits, temporary resident visa, any other Canadian immigration document
  • language test results
  • documents to support your work history – Employment/work experience reference letters, Proof of compensation, Canada Revenue Agency statements, work contracts, Other work-related documentation, Trade certification
  • documents to demonstrate that you meet the settlement funds requirement
  • resumé
  • other optional documents (if applicable)
  • Ongoing employment in Ontario (if applicable)
  • Job offer in Ontario (if applicable)
  • Intention to reside in Ontario documents – current and/or previous employment in Ontario, job offers or jobs applied to/interviewed for in Ontario, education in Ontario, volunteer work in Ontario, lease agreements for a residence in Ontario or property ownership, professional networks and affiliations, family ties, social connections or personal relationships, previous visits to Ontario

Entrepreneur Stream

The Entrepreneur Stream is an immigration stream for entrepreneurs from outside Canada interested in starting a new business or buying an existing business in Ontario.

It gives an entrepreneur (and up to one foreign national business partner) the opportunity to be nominated for permanent residence once their business has been established in Ontario.

The Entrepreneur Stream application is a two-stage process. An overview of the process follows:

Stage 1

  • Register an expression of interest by email.
  • If invited, submit an online application.
  • You and your business partner (if applicable) attend a mandatory interview.
  • If your stage 1 application is successful, you must sign a performance agreement.

Stage 2

  • We issue a temporary work permit support letter so that you can apply to IRCC for a temporary work permit.
  • Establish your business – you have 20 months from the date you arrive in Ontario to implement your business plan and submit a final report.
  • If your business meets all requirements, we ask you for documentation to make sure you are eligible for nomination for permanent residence.

Mandatory minimum requirements at Stage 1

To qualify for nomination as a permanent resident under the Entrepreneur Stream, you must demonstrate that you will have a viable business that is likely to provide material economic benefit to the economy of Ontario as a whole or to the local Ontario economy where the business will be located. You and one foreign national business partner (if applicable) must both meet the eligibility requirements.

If you are invited to submit an application, you must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate you meet eligibility requirements.

Business Experience

You must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.

Your experience must be as a business owner or as a senior manager (business management). As a business owner you must have had an active role in the business and owned at least one-third of the business. As a senior manager you must have had senior decision-making responsibilities in the business and managed the day-to-day operations of the business in whole or in part.

Net Worth

You must have a minimum personal net worth. If your proposed business is to be located:

  • within the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto and Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) you must have a minimum personal net worth of $800,000 Canadian
  • outside of the Greater Toronto Area, you must have a minimum personal net worth of $400,000 Canadian

Personal Investment Funds and Minimum Equity

You must make minimum investments in your business from your personal net worth. If your proposed business is to be located:

  • within the Greater Toronto Area, you must make a minimum personal investment of $600,000 Canadian
  • outside of the Greater Toronto Area, you must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 Canadian

Active Involvement

You must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.

Capital Investment Purpose

The primary purpose of investing capital in the business must be to make a profit. It must not be to derive interest, dividends or capital gains.

Job Creation

If the business is to be located inside the Greater Toronto Area you must create at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

If the business is to be located outside the Greater Toronto Area or in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector, regardless of location you must create at least one permanent full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

These jobs must:

Additional requirements if purchasing an existing business

If you plan to purchase an existing business:

  • you must make at least one business-related visit to Ontario within 12 months from the date of registering an expression of interest
  • the business being purchased must have been in continuous operation by the same owner(s) for the previous 60 months (proof of ownership and either a letter of intent to purchase the business or sale agreement is required)
  • ownership of the business must be completely transferred to the applicant or any business partner
  • the previous owner(s) cannot retain any shares of the business
  • you must use at least 10% of your personal investment towards improving or expanding the business in Ontario
  • you must keep all permanent, full-time jobs in the business prior to the transfer of ownership
  • the proposed business must not have been previously owned/operated by current or former OINP business stream nominees, including anyone who has received a certificate of nomination under the Entrepreneur Stream or the Opportunities Ontario Investor Component

General Business Requirements

In addition to meeting the minimum requirements listed above, you must also meet the general business requirements listed below.

Business Purpose

The purpose of the business must be to make a profit from active income through the sale of goods and/or services.

Canadian and Ontario Legal Requirements

The business must comply with all applicable federal, provincial or municipal legal, regulatory and licensing requirements. This includes compliance with Ontario’s labour and employment standards laws.

Permanent Business

Your business must operate on a permanent basis in Ontario. Project-based and seasonal businesses are ineligible.

Business Premises in Ontario

You must maintain a place of business in Ontario at all times.

Qualifying Third-party Investors

Any third-party investors must be a Schedule I or Schedule II bank or an institutional investor.

Mandatory minimum requirements at Stage 2

Language

You must be able to listen, read, write and speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4.

Residency

You must be physically living in Ontario for 75% of the time during which you are establishing your business.

You must receive a temporary work permit and arrive in Ontario within 12 months of receiving approval at Stage 1 and inform the program of your arrival within seven days.

Active Management

You must be actively involved in the day-to-day management activities of your business.

Meet the commitments in your performance agreement

You must meet all the commitments agreed to in your performance agreement, which are based on information provided in your EOI and business plan.

Entrepreneur Stream – Applicant Checklist

If your expression of interest (EOI) is successful and you are invited to apply to the Entrepreneur Stream, you must provide the following documents:

Work Experience Documents

  • Resumé
  • Employment reference letters
  • Organizational chart
  • Work/employment contracts
  • Pay slips
  • if you are a business owner – Employment reference letters
  • Business registration licence
  • Registration with taxation authorities
  • Proof of shareholding
  • List of employees
  • Business income tax returns
  • Financial statements
  • Articles of incorporation

Investment Documents

  • Net worth reports
  • Business-related visits to Ontario
  • Business plan
  • Proof of business ownership
  • T4 statements

Documents to support your human capital

  • Education – Canadian education credential, Foreign education credential

Language Skills

Identity Documents

  • Photographs
  • Passport
  • Family members’ passports

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