Ontario Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream

Last updated: 14 March 2023

The Ontario Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream gives foreign workers with a job offer in a target occupation the opportunity to live and work permanently in Ontario.

Ontario's Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream allows the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to nominate foreign nationals who have the required work experience to help them successfully establish and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities.

Foreign nationals can only apply if they have received a permanent and full-time job offer from an Ontario employer, meet all eligibility criteria, and have an Employer Form from the prospective employer.

This page provides the following information about the Ontario Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream:

Foreign Worker Requirements 

  • Work Experience: Have nine months of cumulative work experience in Ontario obtained within the three years months prior to the date of the application submission. The work experience must be paid, full-time (at least 30 hours of paid work per week that amounts to at least 1,200 hours per year) or the equivalent amount in part-time in Ontario, and must be in an eligible occupation. Note: seasonal work experience is not eligible to meet the work experience requirement.
    • Part-time equivalent work means at least 15 hours of work per week in one job over the course of 18 months that amounts to at least 1,200 hours of paid employment, or at least 30 hours of work per week in more than one job that amounts to at least 1,200 hours of paid employment in nine months.

      • Note: The OINP will require documentation to verify that the work experience is in the same NOC as the position being offered. 

  • Education: Have completed the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school (high school) education or above, as demonstrated by a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
  • Valid certificate or licence: Have a valid certificate or license at the time of application for any work experience claimed in an occupation that requires certification or licensing.
  • Language: Have an English or a French-language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 or above in all language competencies (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Language ability must be proved with valid language test results from the following government-approved organizations:
  • Settlement Funds: Have sufficient funds and/or income in Ontario to cover the settlement costs. This requirement can be met by one or a combination of factors listed by the OINP, such as bank statements, annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario, and/or a job offer in Ontario.
  • Intent: An intention to reside in Ontario by providing a list of established ties to Ontario.
  • Legal Status: If residing in Canada at the time of applying, applicant must hold legal status (i.e. a visitor record, study permit, or work permit) and should maintain that status until nomination. 

Job Offer Requirements

To be eligible to apply to Ontario's Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream, an applicant must have a job offer signed by him or herself and an Ontario employer that meets the following criteria:

  • Be for a full-time position of indeterminate length in an eligible occupation under NOC Skill Level C or D (listed below); an

  • Meet or exceed the median wage level for the occupation in the region of Ontario where the applicant will be working. If the applicant is already working in the position of the job offer, the wage offered must meet the median wage level and be equal to or greater than the current wage.

The job offer must be for a position in one of the following occupations as classified by Canada's National Occupation Classification (NOC) Skill Level C or D:

Eligible Ontario In-Demand Skills Occupations

NOC Code

Occupation

3413

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

4412

Home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers

7441

Residential and commercial installers and servicers

7511

Transport truck drivers

7521

Heavy equipment operators (except crane)

7611Cnstruction trades helpers and labourers

8431

General farm workers

8432

Nursery and greenhouse workers

8611

Harvesting labourers

9462

Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers, related workers

9411

Machine operators, mineral and metal processing*

9416

Metalworking and forging machine operators*

9417

Machining tool operators*

9418

Other metal products machine operators*

9421

Chemical plant machine operators*

9422

Plastics processing machine operators*

9437

Woodworking machine operators*

9446

Industrial sewing machine operators*

9461

Process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing*

9523

Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers*

9526

Mechanical assemblers and inspectors*

9536

Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators*

9537

Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors*

*Only outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Employer Requirements

In order to be eligible under this immigration category, the Ontario employer must:

  • Have been in active business for at least three years.
  • Have business premises in Ontario where the applicant will work.
  • Be in compliance with all provincial labour laws, including but not limited to employment standards, health and safety, and labour relations legislation.
  • If the applicant will be working inside the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must have:
    • A minimum of $1,000,000 in gross annual revenue for the most recent fiscal year, and
    • Five permanent full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (per position to be filled each calendar year) at the location where the applicant will work.
  • If the applicant will be working outside of the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must have:
    • A minimum of $500,000 in gross annual revenue for the most recent fiscal year, and
    • Three permanent, full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (per position to be filled each calendar year) at the location where the applicant will work.

Foreign nationals who want to work as truck drivers in Ontario and who are applying under National Occupational Classification (NOC) code 7511, can only work for employers who have:

  • a valid Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration Certificate (CVOR), and;
  • Carrier Safety Rating (CSR) of Excellent, Satisfactory or Satisfactory Unaudited.

Application Process

Before Applying

Foreign workers looking to apply to the In-Demand Skills Stream of the Ontario Employer Job Offer Category must first review the eligibility criteria and prepare the required supporting documents in English or French. 

Applying

Once a registration is complete, registrants have 14 calendar days to complete and submit the application or the registration will expire and become withdrawn. Applicants do not have to complete the application in one session. The applicant may assign an authorized representative to complete the application on his or her behalf. All supporting documents must be scanned and ready for upload. 

Applicants are responsible for the translation and notarization of any supporting documents that are not in English or French. It is the responsibility of the applicant to locate a certified translator accredited by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) and/or obtain a notarization of documents translated by a translator not certified by the ATIO.

If an applicant located in Ontario is not able to find a certified translator accredited by the ATIO, the translation must be notarized. A letter explaining the reasoning and efforts taken to locate a certified translator must be included with the application. 

If applying from outside Ontario, the translation must be notarized. If deemed insufficient, the OINP may require applicants to obtain a translation from a certified translator accredited by the ATIO. Translations completed by the applicant, their representative, or others with personal ties to the applicant will not be accepted even if these individuals are considered certified translators. 

After Applying

The OINP considers applications incomplete if incorrect supporting documents are provided or documents requiring translation are not certified or notarized. The OINP refunds application fees if an application is deemed incomplete. Applicants must notify the OINP of any changes to personal information (as outlined in the program guide).

Applicants who believe the OINP's decision was made in error may request an internal review of the application within 30 calendar days of receiving the notice of the decision (if residing in Canada) or within 60 calendar days if residing overseas. The request must not include any evidence that was not submitted to the program before the decision was made unless the evidence was not reasonably available at the time of applying. The OINP's internal review decision is final. 

Nomination

If nominated by the OINP, the applicant will receive a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination. 

The OINP requires that nominees continue to meet the conditions of their nomination, including the intention to reside in Ontario and employment in the approved position. It is important to consult the OINP's dedicated guide for details on obligations if there are changes to the conditions of employment. Applicants must inform the OINP if there are changes to the job offer conditions, such as position title, duties, employment location, wages, and/or hours of work. If employment is ceased either by the applicant or the employer, the OINP must be notified. 

Applicants are required to apply for a work permit within 6 months and begin working in the approved employment position within 10 months from the date of their nomination, if they are not already working for the employer.

    While nominations are valid for a six-month period, the nominee may submit a request for an extension of the Nomination Certificate depending on circumstances approved by the OINP. 

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