Ontario Nominee Program 2021 Statistics Revealed

Despite impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for the Ontario nominee program continues to be strong. According to the Government of Ontario’s recently released nominee statistics, the province’s nominations increased from 8,054 in 2020 to 9,000 in 2021.  

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) was able to add 250 additional nominations primarily for candidates with work experience in occupational skill type C. These candidates were nominated through Ontario’s National Occupational Classification-Level C (NOC C) Pilot. The pilot is designed to provide a pathway to permanent residence for in-demand, lower-skilled workers with a job offer in Ontario.  

The federal government also granted the province an additional 400 nomination spaces, all of which Ontario fulfilled by the end of the year. 

2021 OINP Nominations by Stream

Most in-demand fields

Technology-related fields continue to be in high demand in Ontario. In 2021, 25% of Ontario’s nominations went to high-tech occupations such as software engineers, software designers, computer programmers, IT systems analysts, and others. The government expects that tech-related occupations will remain in high demand for the 2022-2023 immigration period. 

To address the healthcare worker shortage in 2021, the OINP nominated 100 healthcare workers, 50 of which are personal support workers. Ontario also expects occupations in health care will remain highly sought after due to labour shortages as a result of the pandemic. Nurses are especially crucial with several immigration options available for overseas candidates with experience in nursing. 

Skilled trades also remain in need in Ontario. Roughly 15% of nominees had work experience in a skilled trade which accounted for over 800 nominations made under the program’s Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker and Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills streams. Canada is expected to need many electricians to fill labour market gaps. Electricians are vital to keeping operations in Canada going and as a result, electricians in all areas are in-demand throughout Ontario as well as many other skilled work trades. 

 Immigration through the entrepreneur stream

The Entrepreneur stream issued its second nomination in 2021. The Entrepreneur stream is for entrepreneurs from outside Canada that wish to open a new business or purchase an already existing business in Ontario, which would have far-reaching economic benefits for the province. The Ontario Government is seeking to increase immigration through the entrepreneur stream and has been asking the government to make it more of a priority in the future. Provincial officials would like to encourage entrepreneurial immigration throughout all of Ontario, rather than only the Greater Toronto area, where most newcomers tend to settle. 

Who did Ontario nominate in 2021?

The program was able to surpass its target for francophone immigration, issuing 480 nominations to individuals with high French language proficiency. Most of these applicants received nominations under the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream and under the Human Capital Priorities Stream. Through the Human Capital Priorities Stream and the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream, Ontario invites candidates from the Express Entry pool, most of which have no previous ties to Canada.  

Francophone recruitment will remain a priority for the province in the coming years with the goal to recruit Francophone skilled workers who are also proficient in English. 

Candidates also came from all over the world with applications from over 130 different countries. The highest number of nominations were made to applicants from India (4,332), China (1,736) and Nigeria (438). 

Ontario’s push to increase immigration

Although Ontario currently has the highest number of allocations, they are advocating for even higher numbers. The Government of Ontario is urging the federal government to provide more flexibility on the profile of workers they are able to attract through OINP. Ontario has asked the federal government to double the number of immigrants to fill roles throughout Ontario across several industries and occupations. However, Ontario announced that the 2022 allocation has increased by 700 spaces to 9,700 for the year, significantly shorter than the province’s goal of about 18,000. 

Interested in learning more about how you can immigrate to Ontario, or any other Canadian province? Complete our free online assessment for a full evaluation of your immigration options!