French-Speaking Skilled Worker

Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker is one of the Human Capital streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Ontario. French-Speaking Skilled Worker invites candidates from the Express Entry pool who demonstrate proficiency in both English and French and who demonstrate the ability to contribute to the province’s workforce as skilled workers.

Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. This stream is aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration system. In order to be eligible for the stream, a candidate must have an active profile in one of the following two Express Entry programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), or;
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The program is by invitation only and foreign nationals cannot apply to the program directly. All candidates in the Express Entry pool are automatically considered for the program when they submit their Express Entry profile. The province will send a Notification of Interest (NOI) to the Express Entry accounts of those candidates it invites to apply.

Program Requirements

Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker is aligned with the federal Express Entry system. In order to be considered, a candidate must have an active Express Entry profile in either Federal Skilled Worker(FSW) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) with official language test results in both English and French. As candidates are required to have an active Express Entry profile in either FSW or CEC, the minimum requirements are aligned with the requirements of those programs.

• Federal Skilled Worker requires candidates to have, at minimum, a high school diploma, as well as at least one year of continuous full-time, skilled work experience. Work experience is considered skilled if obtained in a position at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0, A, or B.
• Canadian Experience Class has no minimum education requirement. CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience. This work experience does not have to be continuous, but it must have been obtained within the three years prior to application. Work experience is considered skilled if obtained in a position at NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B

In order to be considered for this program, candidates must possess valid language test results for both English and French, obtained within the two years prior to applying. The French-language test results must show a minimum score equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 in all four abilities. The only accepted test for this purpose is the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF). The English-language test results must show a minimum score equal to CLB 6 in all four abilities. The two accepted tests for English proficiency are the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP).

All candidates for the Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream must meet the settlement funds requirement as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This can be demonstrated through their own finances, or through maintaining a valid offer of employment.Please note that candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) stream of Express Entry still must demonstrate proof of settlement funds for the OINP application.

CEC candidates are exempt from showing settlement funds at the federal level, but not at the provincial level.

Application Procedure

The Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream operates on an invitation only basis. To apply to the stream, candidates who meet the minimum eligibility requirements must create an Express Entry profile. They must then wait to be issued a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the province of Ontario.Note that simply meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an NOI. The province of Ontario reviews Express Entry profiles and issues an NOI to those candidates the province may be interested in nominating. Only candidates who receive an NOI are eligible to submit an application to the OINP for provincial nomination.

Once a candidate receives an NOI, they have 45 calendar days to prepare and submit an online application through the OINP e-Filing Portal. The OINP application fee is $1,500 CAD. 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 IRCC online account. After accepting the provincial nomination, the applicant’s CRS score will increase by 600 points, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.