Ontario has made a big change to its Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer: International Student stream by expanding the eligibility requirement for students who have completed a one-year college graduate certificate.
This allows applicants of any one-year college program that grants an Ontario College Graduate Certificate to qualify for the program, which increases the number of certificate programs eligible for the OINP. The change came into effect on January 1st, 2024.
The OINP Employer Job Offer: International Student stream provides international students who have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation in Ontario a pathway to permanent residence. The stream is for international students residing in or outside Canada with a job offer in a “skilled occupation” classified as Type/Level 0, A or B in accordance with Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC).
In addition to a job offer, international students must ensure that they, their employer and the job offer meet the program criteria. If an application is approved and an Ontario provincial nomination is issued under this stream, nominees may apply for a work permit and Canadian permanent residence status with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
To be eligible under the program, candidates must prove they have obtained one of the following eligible credentials:
– An undergraduate degree or diploma that takes at least two years if pursued on a full-time basis from an eligible Canadian institution
– A graduate degree or diploma that takes at least one year if pursued on a full-time basis from an eligible Canadian institution
– A college graduate certificate that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a fully-time basis from an eligible Ontario institution
– A university graduate certificate that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a full-time basis from an eligible Ontario institution
More than half of an applicant’s studies must have been completed at an eligible Canadian institution while living and studying in Canada. To determine whether a graduate certificate is an eligible credential, applicants should check that the official credential from their received institution is an Ontario College Graduate Certificate.
In addition to having the proper education credentials, applicants must have an approved full-time job offer of indeterminate length in a skilled occupation in Ontario. The job offer must meet the entry-level wage levels in Ontario for that occupation, among other criteria. A potential applicant should demonstrate a connection to Ontario through a variety of means, such as current and/or previous employment, education, or volunteer work in Ontario, professional networks and affiliations, family ties, and more.
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