Foreign Workers
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.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Express Entry Profile | No |
| Connection to Province | No |
| Job Offer | Yes |
| Language Proficiency | No minimum |
| Level of Education | No minimum |
| Work Experience | NOC 0, A, or B 2 years |
| Investment Requirement | None |
Applicant Requirements
Job Offer
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.
Work Experience or Licence
Any person applying to this stream must meet one of the two following requirements:
- Work Experience: The candidate must have a cumulative amount of at least 2 years of full-time, skilled work experience obtained within the previous 5 years. This work experience must be in the same NOC code as the occupation listed on their Ontario job offer.
- Licence or Authorization: The candidate must show that they hold a valid licence, certificate, or authorization to practice the profession indicated on their Ontario job offer. The licence must have been issued by an eligible regulatory body in Ontario.
Intention to Reside
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 a candidate to apply to the Ontario Foreign Worker stream, they must have a valid job offer from an eligible Ontario employer.
Job Offer Requirements
The employer must offer a full-time, indeterminate position with a wage that meets industry standards.
Business Requirements
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.
Recruitment 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.
Did you know?
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): If an LMIA is necessary for the work permit of the foreign national, then a copy of the positive LMIA must be included with the application.
Application Procedure
The Ontario Foreign Workers 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. After registering, applicants have 14 calendar days to submit their complete application. The OINP application fee is $2,000 CAD for jobs offers located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and $1,500 CAD for jobs offers located outside of the GTA.
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.
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