Ontario PNP invites immigration candidates with job offers in health, agriculture, and manufacturing

Ontario held its first-ever In-Demand Skills stream draw under its new intake system.

Less than three weeks after introducing the In-Demand Skills stream to the new Expression of Interest (EOI) system, Ontario has invited immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. For the general draw, Ontario invited 54 candidates with scores of at least 11.

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The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) also held a draw for the Regional Immigration Pilot. One candidate was invited. There is no EOI score requirement for this stream.

Invited candidates needed work experience in one of the following occupations, listed by sector in order of their National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.

Health and agricultural occupations:

• NOC 3413 – nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
• NOC 4412 – home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers
• NOC 8431 – general farm workers
• NOC 8432 – nursery and greenhouse workers
• NOC 8611 – harvesting labourers
• NOC 9462 – industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

Manufacturing (outside Greater Toronto Area only):

• NOC 9411 – machine operators, mineral and metal processing
• NOC 9416 – metalworking and forging machine operators
• NOC 9417 – machining tool operators
• NOC 9418 – other metal products machine operators
• NOC 9421 – chemical plant machine operators
• NOC 9422 – plastics processing machine operators
• NOC 9437 – woodworking machine operators
• NOC 9446 – industrial sewing machine operators
• NOC 9461 – process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing
• NOC 9523 – electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
• NOC 9526 – mechanical assemblers and inspectors
• NOC 9536 – industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
• NOC 9537 – other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

Invited candidates now have 14 calendar days to apply for a nomination from Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

About the In-Demand Skills Stream

This immigration program focuses more on provincial demand than occupation skill level. Many immigration programs target occupations that the government considers to be “high skilled.” Yet, Ontario still has labour shortages in occupations that are considered to be “low skilled.”

Enter the In-Demand Skills stream. Foreign workers with eligible job offers in Ontario can apply for a nomination with nine months of cumulative work experience in the province within the past three years. Seasonal work experience is not eligible to meet the work requirement. Part-time work may be eligible if the candidate completed the required number of work hours. The number of work hours has to equal either 1,200 hours of paid employment in one job over the course of 18 months. Or, for those who had more than one job, it would mean working for at least 30 hours per week for nine months totalling 1,200 hours.

There are a number of other eligibility requirements. Generally, candidates need a high school education, a language score of at least 4 in all proficiencies, and sufficient settlement funds, among other requirements.

List of in-demand occupations

Available only to candidates outside the Greater Toronto Area

What is the Regional Immigration Pilot?

Although Ontario is the most popular destination for new immigrants, like the rest of Canada, the province struggles to attract newcomers to rural communities.

The Regional Immigration Pilot was launched to help address labour shortages in some of these communities. It allows the province to allocate 150 nominations in 2021 to three rural locations: Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, and Quinte West/Belleville. These municipalities demonstrated to the province that they have labour shortages in skilled occupations, and the ability to help newcomers get settled.

If you are eligible for any of the OINP Employer Job Offer streams and your full-time job offer is in one of the participating communities, you may be able to get a provincial nomination through the pilot.

There are three Employer Job Offer streams:

• Foreign Worker Stream, for workers with a skilled job offer in Ontario;
• International Student Stream, for international students with skilled job offers; and
• In-Demand Skills Stream, for workers in occupations that have labour shortages in Ontario.

Any nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a major asset when applying for Canadian immigration. PNPs demonstrate to the federal government that this applicant supports regional labour market needs. The federal government has the final say in all Canadian immigration applications but the overwhelming majority of provincial nominees get approved for permanent residence.

The pilot is slated to operate for two years before it is reviewed. It may be extended or discontinued depending on its performance.

How do you get points for Ontario immigration?

Ontario ranks EOI profiles based on a number of human capital factors that the province has decided will be important in selecting immigrants with the potential to thrive. You get points for the skill level of your job offer as well as your Canadian work experience.

The OINP scoring system is different depending on which stream you apply for. Other than skill level and work experience, it also takes into account your wage, education, official language ability, and the region in which you study or work. The province also allocates 10 points at its discretion to respond to labour market needs.

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