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Human Capital Priorities Stream

Ontario Human Capital Priorities is one of the Ontario’s Express Entry Streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Ontario. Human Capital Priorities uses a merit-based system to nominate highly-qualified skilled workers from the federal Express Entry pool who will be able to be lasting members of Ontario’s workforce.

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Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. This stream is aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration system. In order to be eligible for the stream, a candidate must have an active profile in one of the following two Express Entry programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), or;
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The program is by invitation only and foreign nationals cannot apply to the program directly. All candidates in the Express Entry pool are automatically considered for the program when they submit their Express Entry profile. The province will send a Notification of Interest (NOI) to the Express Entry accounts of those candidates it invites to apply.

Program Requirements

Express Entry Profile

Ontario Human Capital Priorities is aligned with the federal Express Entry system. In order to be considered, candidates must have an active Express Entry profile in either Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC):

• Federal Skilled Worker requires candidates to have, at minimum, a high school diploma, as well as at least one year of continuous full-time, skilled work experience. Work experience is considered skilled if obtained in a position at National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. Candidates must also demonstrate language proficiency in English or French consistent with Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7.
• Canadian Experience Class has no minimum education requirement. CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience. This work experience does not have to be continuous, but it must have been obtained within the three years prior to application. Work experience is considered skilled if obtained in a position at NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. Candidates must also demonstrate language proficiency in English or French consistent with CLB level 7 for work experience obtained at NOC Skill Level 0 or A and CLB 5 for work experience obtained at NOC Skill Level B.

 

Minimum CRS Score

All candidates in Express Entry are assigned a score based on their profile. This score is called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. In order to be eligible for the Ontario Human Capital Priorities stream, a candidate’s CRS score must be 400 points or higher. There have been instances where OINP has briefly lowered the minimum score requirement in the past, but there is no guarantee this will happen again in the future.

Requirement
Express Entry Profile	Yes
Connection to Province	No
Job Offer	No
Language Proficiency	CLB 7
Level of Education	equivalent to Canadian bachelor's, master's or PhD degree
Work Experience	See Express Entry requirements
Investment Requirement	None

 

1. Work experience

You must meet the requirements of one of these federal immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
  • At least one year of continuous (no breaks in employment over a one year period), paid and in a full-time work experience (or the equivalent in paid part- time work) in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
  • Your work experience must have been obtained within the last five years from the date of submitting your application to the the province and in the same primary occupation that yo selected in your Express Entry profile.
  • Your work experience can be gained  in Canada or overseas.
  • If you are using periods of self-employment, you will need to provide employment documentation that is independently verifiable through third parties. (Reference letters,  evidence of ongoing payments  for the services provided (for example, invoices).. Reference letters from business partners and/or a family member are not accepted by the program.
  • If you choose to be assessed against the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), you must score at least 67 points on the six selection factorsof the program.

 

• Canadian Experience Class
  • At least one year of cumulative paid full-time work experience (or the equivalent in paid part-time work) in Canada in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC (In this option it does not have to be one year of continuous work)
  • Your work experience must have been obtained within the last three years from the date of submitting your application to the province and in one or more of the occupations that you identified in your Express Entry profile
  • Your work experience have to be gained  in Canada while maintaining legal status.
  • Paid work experience gained while studying full-time at a post-secondary institution (for example, on a co-op work term) and self-employment are not eligible under this option

Important note under both programs:

• Volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count as work experience
• Vacation periods, regular sick leave and other standard paid leave entitlements as provided for in collective agreements, workplace legislation and/or individual employer policies are not considered interruptions to full-time employment.

2. Education

• You must have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree or its equivalent in another country. (If you completed your studies outside of Canada, you need to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment of your studies)

3. Language

• You must be able to understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher.

To prove that you have the mandatory language skills, you must take an approved English or French language test before you submit your application to this stream. Remember the language tests have a validation of only two (2) years.

 

4. Settlement funds

To successfully settle in Canada, it’s essential to ensure you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself and your dependent family members, which include your spouse, common-law partner, and children under the age of 22, including their children. You can fulfill this requirement through various means:

1. Demonstrating adequate funds through bank statements or statements of accounts reflecting various investments such as non-locked-in accounts, fixed-term deposits, mutual funds, etc.
2. Earning an annual income from ongoing employment in Ontario.
3. Having a job offer in Ontario.

Please be aware that if your bank statements include a one-time significant deposit, additional documentation may be requested to ensure your funds are free of debt or liability.

 

5. Intention to live in Ontario

Iit’s crucial to demonstrate your intention to reside in the province. This can be established through various ties to Ontario, including past or current employment, job offers, educational pursuits, volunteer work, property ownership or leasing, visits, professional connections, family bonds, and personal relationships. These ties indicate your commitment to making Ontario your home after being granted permanent residency.

 

6. Legal status in Canada

If you’re applying from within Canada for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), it’s essential to have legal status, such as a visitor record, study permit, or work permit, at the time of application and to maintain that status until the nomination. You can also apply if you’re in ‘implied status,’ which means you’ve applied to renew or extend your temporary status document before its expiry with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). During this time, you can stay in Canada and continue working or studying under your existing permit’s conditions until a decision is made on your pending IRCC application.

Application Procedure

The Ontario Human Capital Priorities stream operates on an invitation only basis. To apply to the stream, candidates who meet the minimum eligibility requirements must create an Express Entry profile. They must then wait to be issued a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the province of Ontario. Note that simply meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an NOI.

The province of Ontario reviews Express Entry profiles and issues an NOI to those candidates the province may be interested in nominating. Only candidates who receive an NOI are eligible to submit an application to the OINP for provincial nomination.

OINP regularly announces recent rounds of NOI’s issued and the CRS score range of recipients. Once a candidate receives an NOI, they have 45 calendar days to prepare and submit an online application through the OINP e-Filing Portal. The OINP application fee is $1,500 CAD. 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 IRCC online account.

After accepting the provincial nomination, the applicant’s CRS score will increase by 600 points, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw. After receiving an ITA, the applicant must prepare and submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence within the designated timeframe. Applications for permanent residence submitted through Express Entry are generally processed within six months.

Draws Targeted to Tech Workers

The OINP conducts draws targeted to tech workers under the Human Capital Priorities stream aligned with the Federal Express Entry system. These draws are intended to identify those with work experience in tech, in order to join the thriving Ontario tech sector. Eligible candidates will have an active Express Entry profile, qualify under Human Capital Priorities criteria, and will be able to prove work experience in one of the following NOC codes:

NOC Code	Title
NOC 2173	Software engineers and designers
NOC 2174	Computer programmers and interactive media developers
NOC 2147	Computer engineers
NOC 2175	Web designers and developers
NOC 2172	Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 0213	Computer and information systems managers

Those who receive a Notification of Interest through a tech-targeted draw will receive a nomination from the province and 600 additional CRS points.

Notification of Interest (NOIs) - Recent Rounds

The following are the recent rounds of NOIs issued to Express Entry candidates enabling them to apply to the OINP Human Capital Priorities stream:

Date	Number of Invitations	CRS Score Range	Draw Description	Date Express Entry Profile Submitted
August 11 - 16, 2023	2084	473-516	Targeted draw – Tech and Health	August 11, 2022 – July 8, 2023
August 16, 2023	751	473-495	Targeted draw – Tech and Health	August 16, 2022 – August 2, 2023
July 20, 2023	902	458-462	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	July 20, 2022 – July 20, 2023
July 20, 2023	159	458-462	Targeted draw – Health draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	July 20, 2022 – July 20, 2023
July 6, 2023	748	479-485	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	July 6, 2022 – July 6, 2023
May 8, 2023, 2023	2,349	427-482	Targeted draw – Health draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	May 8, 2022 – May 8, 2023
May 5, 2023, 2023	1,863	475-482	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	May 5, 2022 – May 5, 2023
March 10, 2023	815	479-489	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	March 10, 2022 – March 10, 2023
March 8-9, 2023	822	469-489	Targeted draw – Health draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	March 8, 2022 – March 9, 2023
February 2, 2023	1,127	481-489	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	February 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023
February 2, 2023	775	476-489	Targeted draw – Health draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	February 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023
December 19, 2022	936	484-490	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the OINP Program Update page for a list of targeted occupations	December 19, 2021 - December 19, 2022
September 28, 2022	1,179	496 and above	Targeted draw – Tech draw Please refer to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Tech Draw page for a list of targeted occupations	September 28, 2021 -
February 22th, 2022	773	455-600	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	September 28, 2022
February 8th, 2022	622	463-467	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	February 8, 2021 - February 8, 2022
January 12th, 2022	502	464-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	January 12, 2021 – January 12, 2022
October 27th, 2021	1,408	455-467	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	October 27, 2020 – October 27, 2021
October 6th, 2021	486	463-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	October 6, 2020 – October 6, 2021
July 27th, 2021	1031	458-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	July 27, 2020 – July 27, 2021
June 23rd, 2021	583	464-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	June 23, 2020 – June 23, 2021
April 13th, 2021	528	456-467	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	April 13, 2020 – April 13, 2021
March 2nd, 2021	754	463-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	March 2, 2020 – March 2, 2021
February 16th, 2021	1186	453-467	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	February 16, 2020 – February 16, 2021
February 2nd, 2021	283	466-467	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	February 2, 2020 – February 2021
December 15th, 2020	668	460-468	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	December 15, 2019 to December 15, 2020
November 12th, 2020	443	469-477	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	November 12, 2019 to November 12, 2020
October 15th, 2020	772	462-470	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	October 15, 2019 to October 15, 2020
August 26th, 2020	703	466-475	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	August 26, 2019 to August 26, 2020
July 29th, 2020	1288	463-477	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	July 29, 2019 to July 29, 2020
June 3rd, 2020	167	358-439	Targeted candidates with at least one year of Canadian work experience in Priority Occupations draw	June 3, 2019 to June 3, 2020
June 3rd, 2020	532	471-500	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	June 3, 2019 to June 3, 2020
May 13th, 2020	703	421-451	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	May 13, 2019 to May 13, 2020 (Tech Draw)
February 13th, 2020	486	467-471	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	February 13, 2019 to February 13, 2020
January 15th, 2020	954	460-472	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	January 15, 2019 to January 15, 2020 (Tech Draw)
August 15th, 2019	997	439-465	Targeted Priority Occupations draw	August 15, 2018 to August 15, 2019
August 1st, 2019	1773	435-458	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	August 1, 2018 to August 1, 2019 (Tech Draw)
July 12th, 2019	1623	439-459	Targeted Tech Occupations draw	July 12, 2018 to July 12, 2019 (Tech Draw)
May 31st, 2019	1072	439-469	Targeted draw	May 31, 2018 to May 31, 2019
January 14, 2019	1493	439-448	General draw	January 14, 2018 to January 14, 2019
November 26, 2018*	185	350-448	Targeted candidates with a job offer in Ontario	January 1, 2018 to November 22, 2018
August 9, 2018	947	350-439	Targeted candidates with a job offer in Ontario	January 1, 2018 to August 9, 2018
March 28, 2018	480	351-446	Targeted candidates with a job offer in Ontario.	January 1, 2018 to March 26, 2018
March 28, 2018	299	351-446	Targeted candidates with French language abilities of CLB 7 or above	January 1, 2018 to March 26, 2018
February 27, 2018	511	441-433	N/A	January 1, 2018 to February 22, 2018
February 13, 2018	488	441-435	N/A	January 1, 2018 to February 8, 2018
February 8, 2018	89	443-433	N/A	January 1, 2018 to January 25, 2018
January 26, 2018	380	444-433	N/A	January 1, 2018 to January 25, 2018
January 23, 2018	340	440-446	N/A	January 1, 2018 to January 19, 2018

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Related Links

• British Columbia Skills Immigration

• Alberta Strategic Recruitment Stream

• Saskatchewan International Skilled Worker