Nooshin Javanshir

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is an economic immigration program designed to help Ontario meet its labour market and economic development priorities. The program allows Ontario to nominate, for permanent residence, individuals who have the skills and experience to contribute to Ontario’s economy, and assists employers in recruiting and retaining foreign workers.

The OINP is operated by the province of Ontario in partnership with the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The OINP assesses applications and nominates candidates for permanent residence. Individuals nominated by the OINP can then apply for permanent residence through IRCC, IRCC makes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to successful applicants. 

The OINP is made up of three categories: Business, Employer Job Offer and Human Capital. Each category is comprised of various streams under which applicants may submit an application.

Business Category:

Ontario is working to attract foreign corporations and entrepreneurs – and their new business ideas, talent and investment – to the province. Under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), entrepreneurs looking to implement a new business idea and key staff of corporations seeking to expand operations in Ontario can be nominated by the Province for permanent residence.

OINP is now accepting applications under the Corporate Stream and Expression of Interests (EOIs) in the Entrepreneur Stream.

Find out more about the:

v  Corporate stream

v  Entrepreneur stream    

  1.      Corporate Stream

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s Corporate Stream helps and supports established international corporations looking to expand into Ontario or buy an existing business. Once the business has been successfully established and meets the obligations of a Performance Agreement, a maximum of five key staff that are essential to the establishment, continued operation, and success of the business can become eligible for nomination for permanent resident status.

For more information, please see the Corporate Stream Application Guide.

Note: The previous Investor Component was closed on October 29, 2015. All OINP Investor Component applications received on or before October 29, 2015 will be assessed and brought to a decision.  

            2.      Entrepreneur Stream

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream helps individuals from countries outside of Canada to implement a new business idea or buy an existing business in Ontario. It also offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to be nominated for permanent resident status once their business has been successfully established in Ontario.  

3.      Employer Job Offer Category:

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) helps employers meet their human resource needs for workers, by enabling them to recruit foreign workers and international students.

4.      Ontario Express Entry

Express Entry is a new application management system introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to manage permanent resident applications for skilled migration to Canada. To qualify for Express Entry and be considered for nomination by Ontario, candidates must qualify for one of two federal immigration programs:

vFederal Skilled Worker Program

vCanadian Experience Class

vOntario Express Entry

Ontario has created three streams for skilled workers who want to live and work permanently in Ontario. The three streams draw from the Federal Express Entry selection system.

                  vOntario's Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

vOntario's Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream

vOntario's Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream

This enables Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to nominate individuals that have qualified for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry pool and who have the required education, skilled work experience, language ability, and other factors to help them successfully establish and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities.