Ontario Issues Invitations Under In-Demand Skills Stream

Ontario has invited 72 candidates under the In-Demand Skills stream to apply for nomination in today’s Expression of Interest draw. Candidates selected in this draw had work experience in select health, manufacturing, and agricultural occupations, or were eligible under the Regional Immigration Pilot.

Individuals who received invitation had submitted an Expression of Interest profile under Ontario’s Employer Job Offer category, a nominee program operated by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

Since moving to an Expression of Interest system, OINP has invited a total of 175 candidates through the In-Demand Skills stream. Ontario was allocated 8,600 nominations by the federal government for 2021.  In 2020, Ontario exceeded their nomination allocation by over 400, and issued a total of 607 to candidates under the In-Demand Skills Stream.

September 22nd OINP In-Demand Skills stream draw results: 72 invitations

Targeted draw: select health, manufacturing, and agriculture occupations

• Invitations: 65
• Minimum score: N/A

Targeted draw: select candidates eligible under the Regional Immigration Pilot

• Invitations: 7
• Minimum score: N/A

Ontario invited candidates eligible under the Regional Immigration Pilot, and in a separate draw, targeted candidates with work experience in select health, manufacturing, and agriculture occupations.

The in-demand skills draw did not target a minimum score range. The in-demand skill stream has not targeted a minimum score range since the draws first started in July 2021.

How can I be eligible for Ontario’s In-Demand Skills stream?

To submit an Expression of Interest under this stream, candidates must have a full-time and permanent job offer; the offer must be in an NOC skill type C or D occupation that Ontario has indicated as being in-demand in the province.

The wage of the offer must also meet or exceed the median wage level for the region and occupation. The role should be necessary to the operation of the employer’s business. Unless the applicant already has a work permit, this can be demonstrated through an employer’s recruitment efforts or a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Applicants must have work experience in Ontario in the same in-demand occupation as the job offer; the stream requires at least 9 months of paid, full-time work on valid authorization.

Candidates must have completed a high school diploma or foreign assessed equivalent at minimum. As well, if required, applicants must have licensing or authorization from the appropriate Ontario regulatory body. Interested candidates must also appear for an official language exam and score a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark 4.

In addition to meeting job offer and applicant requirements, the employer must also fulfil eligibility requirements. These requirements will vary depending on the location of the offer.

How does the Ontario In-Demand Skills stream operate?

Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility requirements must firstly create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal.

OINP holds regular Expression of Interest draws and invite candidates that meet the targeted criteria.

Upon receiving an invitation to apply for nomination, candidates then have 14 calendar days to apply to the province. At this time, an application fee of $1,500 or $2,000 (depending on the location of the job offer) must be remitted. If nominated, the applicant will later be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence.