May 4, 2021

Great News for OINP Candidates With a Valid Employer Job Offer: Implementation of the Expression of Interest Points-Based System

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has always been popular amongst the applicants seeking eventual permanent residence in Canada. However, the previous design of the program left many eligible candidates frustrated after being unable to secure a spot within minutes of program opening for registration, wondering whether they will have another chance, or having missed an opportunity to register were out of luck.

In an effort to make the system fairer to those qualified and interested, OINP has recently implemented a new system to select candidates with a valid Employer Job Offer, for the Foreign Worker and International Student streams and intends to implement it for the In-Demand Skills stream at a later time.

Rather than trying to secure a spot when the program opens, all qualified candidates can now submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) first, and depending on the score assigned, might receive an invitation to apply to OINP for a nomination certificate. OINP will assess candidates based on the following factors, which will vary depending on the stream one applies under: level and field of education and where it was completed, language (English/French) proficiency, location of Job Offer, level of skill and work experience, history of earnings, etc.

Note that submitting your EOI is not the same as applying to OINP or applying for permanent residence. Rather, it is only a first step to let the province know of your qualifications and interest in the program, similar to the Express Entry system, which is also a points-based system successfully running in Canada for a few years now.

Once the eligible candidate submits their EOI, it will go into the pool of applicants and only the highest-ranking candidates will be invited to apply to OINP, after which the candidate will have 14 calendar days to submit their application to OINP. Further information can be found here.