The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program will no longer be accepting new applications under the Employer Job Offer: International Student and Foreign Worker streams as of April 26, 2019.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) said it is necessary to pause the intake of applications for the Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream and Foreign Worker Stream due to a significant rise in the number submitted this year compared to previous years.
The category's In-Demand Skills Stream, however, remains open to applicants.
The OINP cites the “limited nomination allocation” as the reason for its decision to pause the intake of applications for both streams. The OINP will continue to monitor the number of applications submitted across all streams and said it is possible that the paused streams could reopen later in 2019.
The OINP’s provincial nomination allocation for 2019 is set at 6,900 new immigration candidates.
The province had asked the Government of Canada for an allocation increase to 7,600 nominations for 2019 in order to meet a growing demand for foreign talent among employers in the province. The requested allocation would have been 1,000 additional nominations over its 2018 provincial allocation of 6,600.
Ontario’s Employer Job Offer Category
The OINP Employer Job Offer Category provides skilled workers who have a full-time, permanent job offer in the province with a pathway to Canadian permanent residence.
The category’s International Student Stream is geared toward international students in Canada or living outside the country who have completed studies at an eligible Canadian educational institution and who have a valid job offer in a full-time and permanent position in the province.
Foreign workers inside Canada or outside who have a valid job offer in Ontario and who meet all other eligibility criteria may apply for the Foreign Worker Stream.
For both streams, the job offer must be in an occupation classified under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B.
The OINP has other immigration categories that do not require a job offer in the province.
For example, streams in the OINP's Express Entry-linked Human Capital Category and its two International Graduate streams are available to candidates who do not have a job offer in Ontario at the time of applying.
For more information on the OINP’s immigration streams, visit our dedicated Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) page.