Regional Immigration Pilot

The Regional Immigration Pilot is intended to draw and retain skilled workers to rural and smaller communities throughout the province.  The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program works with local partners in each community to ensure the successful settlement of newcomers.

Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Regional Immigration Pilot program will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. The Regional Immigration Pilot is not an immigration program. Candidates who are eligible and have an Expression of Interest under one of Ontario’s existing Employer Job Offer programs, and who meet the requirements for the Regional Immigration Pilot program may be able to benefit from this program. The pilot offers separate draws for qualifying candidates, which typically do not require a minimum score to be invited.

Communities Selected for the Regional Immigration Pilot

The Regional Immigration Pilot seeks to attract and support the settlement of newcomers to smaller communities. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program works with local partners in each community to ensure the successful settlement of immigrants.

Communities currently participating in the Regional Immigration Pilot include:

•       Chatham-Kent
•       Cities of Belleville and Quinte West
•       City of Cornwall

These cities have newcomer settlement infrastructure in place such as language and settlement services.

Job Offer Requirements

In order to qualify for the Regional Immigration program, a candidate’s job offer must be from an employer located in one of the participating pilot communities. The offer must be full-time and permanent.

Application Procedure

The Regional Immigration Pilot program is aligned with OINP’s Employer Job Offer programs. In order to apply for the Regional Immigration Pilot program, a foreign national must be eligible under one of the three Employer Job Offer streams. If this requirement is met, the person may initiate the application process by registering an Expression of Interest profile with OINP.

Once the profile is registered, the applicant will be considered in subsequent OINP Expression of Interest draws. Eligible candidates may receive an invitation to apply for nomination. Successful nominees are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence. 

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