OINP Issues Invitations Under Masters and PhD Graduate Streams

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has held a draw for candidates eligible under the Masters and PhD Graduate streams on September 14^th, 2021.

In their most recent round of invitation, OINP has lowered the minimum points requirement for both targeted streams.

A total of 691 candidates received an invitation to apply for nomination in today’s draw. Successful nominees will be eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

Ontario first began accepting EOIs through these streams on August 9^th, 2021. The programs had previously operated on a first-come, first-served basis. This means that the streams would open and close throughout the year with short notice and stop accepting applications once their applicant quota was met.

As a result of OINP’s new EOI system, candidates who meet the criteria of these streams can submit a profile for consideration at any time during the year.

September 14th OINP draw results:

Masters Graduate stream draw results

• Invitations: 627
• Minimum score: 35

PhD Graduate stream draw results

• Invitations: 64
• Minimum score: 16

How do the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams work?

The Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams target recent graduates with a Masters or PhD degree from an eligible Ontario university. To qualify for the Masters Graduate stream, a candidate must have completed a Masters program in Ontario that was at least one academic year in length. The PhD Graduate streams requires candidates to have completed at least two years of PhD studies while legally living and studying in Ontario.

Candidates eligible under the Masters Graduate stream must demonstrate language proficiency at a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in each area of an eligible French or English language exam.

Interested applicants must have resided in Ontario for at least one year of the past two years. Masters graduates must also be living in Ontario with legal status at the time of applying.

Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility requirements must submit an Expression of Interest to be ranked on a points-based system. Once a candidate submits an EOI, Ontario will assign the profile a score; subsequently, OINP will hold a draw and invite the highest-ranking profiles to apply for nomination.

Once a candidate receives an invitation to apply for nomination, they have 14 calendar days to submit an application to the province. At this time, an application fee of $1,500 must be remitted. If nominated, the applicant will then be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Do I need a job offer to apply under the OINP Masters or PhD Graduate streams?

Candidates applying under the Masters or PhD Graduate streams are not required to have a job offer in Ontario.

However, applicants must demonstrate proof that they have sufficient funds to settle in the province. If one does not need the minimum required funds, a job offer or ongoing employment in Ontario can be considered toward this requirement.

In addition, as applicants must demonstrate their intention to settle permanently in Ontario, a job offer may also help to establish one’s ties to the province.

How does OINP determine my EOI score?

Ontario’s Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) ranks Masters and PhD stream candidates on various factors, including:

• Number of years of Canadian work experience;
• The skill type of the Canadian work experience;
• The annual salary of past Canadian work experience;
• Field of study;
• Canadian education experience;
• Official language ability;
• Location of study

OINP may also add an additional 10 points to a candidate’s score to address labour market needs as required.