Since transitioning to a new expression of interest (EOI) system at the end of April, Ontario has since held two draws, sending first rounds of invitations to qualifying candidates who submitted a profile to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) pool of candidates.

Who received an invitation in the first two draws?

OINP has issued invitations under both the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, and the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream within this past week.

Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Draw

To be eligible to submit under the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, candidates must meet applicant, employer, and job offer requirements, as detailed by OINP.

In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements, candidates invited in the recent May 11^th, 2021, draw, must have had a score on OINP’s points grid of 31, and work experience in one of the following occupations:

Health care occupations

• 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• 3112 – General practitioners and family physicians
• 3121 – Optometrists
• 3122 – Chiropractors
• 3124 – Allied primary health practitioners
• 3125 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
• 3131 – Pharmacists
• 3132 – Dietitians and nutritionists
• 3141 – Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
• 3213 – Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
• 3214 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
• 3215 – Medical radiation technologists
• 3216 – Medical sonographers
• 3232 – Practitioners of natural healing
• 3236 – Massage therapists

Skilled trades occupations

• 7241 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
• 7271 – Carpenters
• 7291 – Roofers and shinglers
• 7302 – Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
• 7312 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
• 7313 – Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
• 7316 – Machine fitters
• 7318 – Elevator constructors and mechanics

Employer Job Offer: International Student Draw

The eligibility requirements for OINP’s Employer Job Offer: International Student stream requires candidates to have completed a qualifying Ontario education credential from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in addition to other applicant, job offer, and employer requirements.

On May 18^th, 2021, Ontario issued invitations to candidates meeting these requirements, in addition to securing a minimum of 77 points on the OINP points grid. While the eligibility requirements require the candidate to have a job offer in NOC skill type A, B, or 0, there were no specified occupations targeted in this International Student draw.

Next Steps

If you have recently received an invitation from OINP, you have 45 calendar days from the date of the invitation to submit a full application for nomination to the province. You are not required to contact the program to notify them of your interest.

Due to the limited timeframe, you should begin collecting your required documents without delay. You can find OINP’s document checklists for each program here.

2021 Nomination Allocation

Amidst the first rounds of invitations, OINP has also announced details on their nomination allocation for 2021.  The federal government has allocated 8,350 nominations in addition to 250 nominations specific to those working in NOC skill type C.  

Ontario had previously exceeded their 2020 nomination allocation of 7,600, issuing over 8,000 nominations to successful applicants.

With a nearly 15% increase of nominations to allocate, those with qualifying employment in Ontario are in an enhanced position to submit a profile to OINP’s new expression of interest system.