Ontario’s Employer Job Offer: International Student stream explained

Successful applicants to this Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will receive a provincial nomination from Ontario, allowing the applicant to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status. The spouse/common-law partner of the applicant, as well as any dependent children, may also be included on the application.

Do you prefer to learn by video? Check out this webinar on the OINP presented by Moving2Canada in partnership with Doherty Fultz Immigration — an immigration consultancy based in Ontario — and one of Moving2Canada’s trusted partners!

Eligibility requirements: Applicants

Please note: this stream uses a points-based ranking system to invite candidates to apply for nomination. Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria does not guarantee you will receive an invitation. Refer to the section below for details on the points breakdown.

In order to be eligible for the OINP Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, candidates must meet the following requirements:

Canadian educational credential

• a degree or diploma that takes at least two years to complete if you study on a full-time basis, or
• a degree, diploma or certificate that takes at least one year to complete if you study on a full-time basis and that requires a completed degree as an admission requirement

This credential must have been completed at an institution in Canada and at least half of the program must have been completed while living and studying in Canada.

Job offer from an Ontario employer

Candidates must hold a job offer from an Ontario employer that meets the following conditions:

• for a full-time and permanent position
• for a position in Training, Education, Expertise, Responsibilities (TEER) categories 0, 1, 2, or 3
• be paid at a level higher than the low wage level for that occupation in the specific region of Ontario where the employment will take place
• the position must be urgently necessary to the employer’s business

Please note that the employer must meet certain requirements, as well. Refer below for more details.

Other eligibility criteria

Candidates must meet several additional eligibility criteria in order to apply:

• have the intention to reside in Ontario
• have legal status in Canada at the time of application and maintain that status during processing
• be medically and criminally admissible to Canada

Eligibility requirements: Employers

To be eligible to provide a qualifying job offer for the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, the employer must have been in active business for at least three years prior to the date the application is submitted and must have business premises in Ontario. As well, the employer must meet the following criteria:

Revenue requirements

The employer must meet the revenue requirement for the most recent completed fiscal year:

• a minimum of $1,000,000 in total gross annual revenue if the applicant will work or report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) or
• a minimum of $500,000 in total gross annual revenue if the applicant will work or report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

Full-time employee requirements

The employer must have one of the following (at the time the application is submitted):

• at least five full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where you will work, or will report to work, if you will work or report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) or
• at least three full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where you will work, or will report to work, if you will work or report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

If an employer meets these requirements, they must make an application for approval of the employment position by filling out and signing an OINP Employer Form (downloadable on this page).

Application procedure

To apply to the OINP Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, candidates must follow these five steps:

Step One: Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)

The International Student stream uses a points-based ranking system to invite the top-ranked candidates to apply. In order to be considered for an invitation to apply (ITA), candidates must begin by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) using the OINP e-Filing Portal.

After submitting an EOI, candidates will receive a score based on the OINP EOI Selection System.

Step Two: Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

Periodically, the OINP will conduct a draw for candidates. In these draws, invitations will be issued to candidates who have submitted EOIs and received a certain threshold of points.

Step Three: Submit an application for provincial nomination

Once a candidates receives an invitation to apply (ITA), they are given 14 calendar days to submit an application. These applications can be submitted electronically using a ONe-key account. Applications require extensive personal information and supporting documentation — ensure you’re ready if you receive an ITA.

Step Four: Receive a provincial nomination

The processing time varies for OINP applications. Generally, an application will be processed somewhere between 30 and 150 days. If an application is approved, the applicant receives a formal provincial nomination from the province of Ontario.

Step Five: Submit a federal application for permanent resident status

With a provincial nomination, candidates are eligible to submit an application to the federal government for permanent resident status. This application will include extensive personal information and supporting documentation — similar to the application for provincial nomination.

Notably, the Employer Job Offer streams are not aligned with Canada’s Express Entry system — this means that the applications are processed at a slower pace. Applicants should be prepared to wait more than one year for applications to be processed.

Ontario’s EOI selection system — points breakdown

The OINP Employer Job Offer: International Student stream uses a points-based ranking system to assess Expressions of Interest (EOI) submitted by candidates. Periodically, Ontario will invite candidates with a certain threshold of points to apply — refer to the draw history for more details.

The points breakdown is as follows:

OINP Draw Results — Employer Job Offer category

These are the most recent draw results for the OINP Job Offer category (includes the International Student, Foreign Worker, and In-Demand Skills streams):

Want to be the first to find out about the latest PNP updates? Register for a free Moving2Canada account. It only takes a minute and give you access to our newsletters, plus tons of Canadian immigration resources.