Ontario Foreign Workers 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. Foreign Workers targets foreign nationals with skilled work experience who possess a valid job offer from an Ontario employer.
Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Ontario Foreign Workers stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence.
The Ontario Foreign Workers stream has certain requirements which must be met by both the foreign national applicant and the Ontario employer.
In order to qualify for the Ontario Foreign Worker 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 median wage level for that occupation in Ontario. The position must be at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0, A, or B.
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.).
In order for a candidate to apply to the Ontario Foreign Worker 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:
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 has authorization to work in Ontario.
Eligible applicants can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through OINP’s e-Filing Portal for the chance to be invited to apply for nomination. Profiles are ranked on an OINP points-based system. The highest-ranking candidates will be issued an invitation to apply in one of the OINP draws.
Once an invitation is received, the applicant has 14 calendar days to apply for nomination. 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.
After receiving a provincial nomination, an applicant must 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.