Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program -OINP

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program. It works in partnership with the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Foreign workers, international students and others with the right skills, experience and education apply to the OINP for a nomination.

The OINP recognizes and nominates people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience the Ontario economy needs, and the Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.
There are three ways you may qualify for a nomination:

The employer job offer category has three streams. You must have a full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer to qualify.
Foreign Worker stream: for workers in skilled positions
International Student stream: for recent graduates in Ontario
In-Demand Skills stream: for intermediate skilled workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, construction, trucking and personal support workers

The human capital category has two sub-categories, the international graduate streams and Ontario’s Express Entry streams.
International graduates
To qualify under the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams, you must have a graduate degree from an eligible Ontario university and apply within two years of getting your degree.
Masters Graduate Stream
PhD Graduate Stream

To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry streams, you must have received a notification of interest from Ontario and have an up-to-date profile with your most current work experience, language tests and education in the federal government’s Express Entry system.

 
French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream: for French-Speaking skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French and English
Human Capital Priorities stream: for skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French or English
Skilled Trades stream: for workers with work experience in Ontario in an eligible trade occupation

The business category has one stream. You must be an entrepreneur from outside of Canada who is looking to implement a new business idea or buy and grow an existing business in Ontario.
 

To qualify under the Entrepreneur Stream, you must have a viable business that is likely to provide material economic benefit to the economy of Ontario as a whole or to the local Ontario economy where the business will be located. You and one business partner (if applicable) must both meet the eligibility requirements.
 
If you are invited to submit an application, you must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate you meet the requirements.
 

You must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.
 
Your experience must be as a business owner or as a senior manager (business management). As a business owner you must have had an active role in the business and owned at least one-third of the business. As a senior manager you must have had senior decision-making responsibilities in the business.

If your proposed business will be located:
 
within the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto and Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) you must have a minimum net worth of 800,000 CDN.
outside of the Greater Toronto Area you must have a minimum net worth of $400,000 CDN.
If your proposed business is in the information and communications technology/digital communications sector then regardless of location, you must have a minimum net worth of $400,000 CDN.
 

If your proposed business will be located:
 
within the Greater Toronto Area, you must make a minimum personal investment of $600,000 CDN and control at least one-third of the equity in the business
outside of the Greater Toronto Area, you must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 CDN and control at least one-third of the equity in the business
If your proposed business is in the information and communications technology/digital communications sector then regardless of location, you must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 CDN and control at least of one-third of the equity in the business.
 
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) welcomes foreign national entrepreneurs willing to invest in Ontario. Candidates who are invited to apply for permanent residency nomination under the Entrepreneur Stream would be considered, but not guaranteed for approval, and applications are assessed against the criteria as set out under section 13 of Ontario Regulation 422/17 (General), as further explained in the Application Guide: Entrepreneur Stream. The criteria include an applicant demonstrating that they meet minimum personal net worth and investment criteria. While passive investments, including mutual and/or pooled fund securities, are permissible for the purpose of satisfying the personal net worth criterion, they are not eligible for inclusion in an applicant’s minimum business investment amount.
 

You must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.
 

The primary purpose of investing capital in the business must be to make a profit. It must not be to derive interest, dividends or capital gains.
 

If the business will be located inside the Greater Toronto Area, you must create at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. If the business will be located outside the Greater Toronto Area or in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector, regardless of location, you must create at least one permanent full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Jobs must be created within the first 20 months of establishing or acquiring the business, must be filled continuously for at least 10 months and must be paid at the median wage level for the position.
 

If you plan to purchase an existing business:
 
you must make at least one business-related visit to Ontario within 12 months from the date of registering an Expression of Interest
the business being purchased must have been in continuous operation by the same owner(s) for the previous 60 months
ownership of the business must be completely transferred to the applicant or any business partner
you must use at least 10% of your personal investment towards improving or expanding the business in Ontario
you must keep all permanent full-time employees that worked in the business prior to the transfer of ownership