ONTARIO PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM (OPNP)
Qualified applicants will receive an Ontario Provincial Nomination, which will expedite the permanent resident application process.
OPNP is an employer-driven program. To apply for OPNP, candidates should have a permanent full-time job offer from an Ontario employer, or have obtained a PhD from a publicly-funded Ontario university. There is two-step process for the nomination process.
Step1: Employers complete pre-screen application process and obtain approval for the positions they want to hire.
Step 2: Employer are allowed to recruit foreign skilled workers to fill the positions. Candidates then apply for the Opportunities Ontario PNP for a nomination.
Employer Eligibility
In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
- Existence and operation for at least three years prior to the application;
- At least $1,000,000 gross revenue in the previous fiscal year;
- At least 5 permanent full-time employees;
- Place of business located in Ontario.
Outside the GTA:
- Existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application;
- At least $500,000 in gross revenues in the previous fiscal year;
- At least three permanent full-time employees;
- Place of business located in Ontario.
Upon completing eligibility to hire foreign worker, Ontario employers can recruit two categories of foreign workers:
OPNP General
- A full-time job offer, for which they are qualified, from an approved Ontario employer in a skilled occupation (listed as NOC A, B, or 0);
- At least 2 years of work experience or have appropriate registration in Ontario (if the occupation is regulated in Ontario);
- Received an Employer Pre-Screen Approved Position Form, along with the nominee application package from the Ontario employer;
- An offered wage that meets the prevailing wage level in Ontario for the occupation
International Student
- With Job Offer stream
- International PhD Graduate stream
- International Masters Graduate Stream
With Job Offer stream allows approved Ontario employers to hire international students. To be eligible to apply for Ontario nomination as an international student, candidates must have:
- Graduated (or soon be graduating) from an approved publicly funded Canadian college or university in the past two years;
- A full-time job offer, for which they are qualified, from an approved Ontario employer in a skilled occupation (listed as NOC A, B, or 0).
- Received an Employer Pre-Screen Approved Position Form, along with the nominee application package from the Ontario employer;
- An offered wage that meets the prevailing entry-level wage in Ontario for the occupation;
PhD Graduate Stream is for graduates of PhD programs at Ontario publicly-funded universities. These candidates do not need a job offer to qualify for the program.
Masters Graduate Stream is for international students who have graduated or are in the last semester of an existing Masters program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario. A job offer is not required in order to be eligible to apply.
Individual Investors
Individual investors can also qualify for the program. There is no requirement for minimum personal net worth in order to be eligible for this immigration program. An exploratory visit to Ontario is not required, nor is a government deposit. To be eligible, an individual investor must meet the four eligibility criteria:
- Active involvement in the management of the business and at least 5 new jobs creation for Canadians or permanent residents
- Control of at least 33.334% of the equity in the business, or make a minimum $1 million investment in the business
- No option of redeeming the investment after a specified period
- Capital investment in the business not for the primary purpose of deriving interest, dividends or capital gains