Ontario (OINP) International Student Stream For PR-All You Need To Know

Ontario Provincial Nominee Program known as Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) offers multiple streams for permanent residency (PR). One of them is International Student Stream that offers PR to recent graduates from all over Canada.

This article focuses on:

• Overview of International Student Stream 
• Job Offer Requirements
• Requirements for applicants
• How to calculate your points?
• How to apply?

Overview of OINP International Student Stream 

First, you must have a valid job offer in a skilled occupation at the National Occupational Classification’s Skill Type 0 or A or B. Both international students studying inside and outside Canada are eligible for this stream.

Then, with a valid job offer, you can register in the OINP’s Expression of Interest System and receive an invitation to apply before you can apply to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residency. 

If the Ontario government nominates you, the next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Ultimately, IRCC is the one who decides who gets a permanent residency. 

Job Offer Requirements 

To be eligible for the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, you must have a valid job offer from an Ontario employer that meets the following criteria.

Full-time and permanent job offer 

• The job offer’s first requirement is that the position must be full-time and permanent. 
• Full-time employment requires a minimum of 1,560 hours per year and 30 hours of paid work per week.
• Permanent implies that the job must have no end date (also known as an indeterminate duration). Seasonal and contract-based job offers are ineligible.
• It is important to note that your job offer will not qualify if it affects the employment of an individual involved in a labour dispute.

Know OINP International Student Stream Eligible Institutions

Eligible occupation

The job must be in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or A or B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC).

Lower Wages 

The job offer for your position must pay at least the low-level wage for that occupation in the specific region of Ontario where you will be working. Here’s how you can find the required low wage:

1. Go on to the Canada Job Bank website.
2. In the occupation search, type in the job offer’s occupation title and NOC code.
3. Enter your work location in the filter search
4. Refer to the chart’s low wage level.

However, suppose you are already working in the position. In that case, the wage offered must be equal to or greater than the wage level that your employer currently pays you in that position, in addition to meeting or exceeding the low wage level.

Moreover, if the employment region where you will report to work is unavailable on the wage report, consider the general minimum Ontario wage. These wage requirements do not apply if your workplace has a collective agreement (a written contract between the employer and a union) that governs your wages.

If you receive an annual income, you may calculate your hourly wage by using the formula below:

• Subtraction of any bonuses or other benefits from the annual wage
• Use the remaining amount to divide by the number of weeks worked per year, which is generally 52 weeks. 
• Then divide this calculated amount by the number of hours worked per week. 
• The remaining amount you get is the hourly wage.  

Payments made in kind, bonuses, commissions, vacation pay, or other forms of non-financial compensation are not taken into account by the program when determining your hourly base rate.

The position is crucial to the employer’s operations.

Your role in the employer’s business must be urgently required. The job offer must align with the current business activities, where your role is essential for the business to maintain and grow. 

Ontario based position 

Most of the work you perform in your position should occur in Ontario. 

Requirements for applicants

You can apply to the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream after receiving an invitation to apply. The requirements in the categories below must be satisfied for your application to be approved.

For Expression of Interest and invitation to apply 

• You must have been invited to apply and submit your application by the specified deadline.
• Must demonstrate that you possess the qualification you claimed in your expression of interest you submitted to the OINP.

Education requirements 

If you studied from an eligible Canadian institution, you must have one of the following:

• A degree or diploma, if pursued full-time, takes at least two years to complete, or 
• Certificate, degree or diploma that takes at least one year to complete if studied full time and requires the completion of a degree as a condition of admission.

It means that your one-year program must have a degree prerequisite for admission. Regardless of whether you finished a degree program before being accepted into the one-year program, your one-year programs are ineligible if they require:

• A degree or a diploma 
• a degree or work experience or similar 

For certificate programs to be eligible, they must take at least a year to complete, where the admission requirement was to have a prior, completed degree. Certificate programs that take two or more years still require to fulfill this degree requirement. 

In addition, you must have completed more than half of your studies residing and studying in Canada. 

Some programs of study offered by eligible institutions may not meet the eligibility criteria. Therefore, applicants must ensure that their specific program meets the necessary requirements.

For example, you should be a full-time student, which generally means having classes with a minimum of 15 hours of instruction per week during the academic year. 

A valid license or authorization (if applicable)

 Suppose your job offer is for a profession that requires a license or mandatory authorization in Ontario. In that case, you must have a valid license or authorization from the relevant regulatory body in Ontario at the time of application.

Intend to reside in Ontario 

Once you have been granted permanent residency, you must intend to stay in Ontario. The province of Ontario will examine your connection to the province by looking for the following: 

• Current or previous work experience in Ontario 
• Applying, getting job offers and interviewing 
• Studying in Ontario 
• Volunteering 
• Leasing property 
• Have personal relationships, family ties or professional network 

Legal Status in Canada

Suppose you are applying from within Canada. In that case, you must have valid documentation (such as a visiting record, study, or work permit) when you submit your application. Moreover, you should maintain that status until you receive a nomination. 

However, you can apply if you are in “implied status” when you submit your OINP application. An implied status means that you have already applied to renew or extend your temporary status before your original permit expires. 

Under an implied status, you can remain and continue to study in Canada until a decision is made on your application. 

The application window

You have two years to submit your application after finishing the requirements for your degree, diploma, or certificate (also known as your education credential). 

For instance, you must apply to this stream by June 1, 2021, at the latest, if your degree, diploma, or certificate is dated June 1, 2019.

 If you don’t yet have your education credential, use the date on the official letter from your institution or university that details when it will be issued.

How to calculate your points? 

Once you have registered your interest in this stream, you will be assigned points based on the following factors.

If you are invited to apply, you must submit specific documents to support each scoring factor for which you were awarded points. Stream criteria are not the same as scoring factors. You must meet all of the criteria for this stream and submit all required documents with your application.

How to apply? 

Below are the steps to apply for Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student stream. 

1. Make a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal.
2. Then register an expression of interest for the International Student Stream. 
3. When you receive an invitation to apply, upload all the documents and submit your application through the OINP e-Filing Portal within 14 days. 
4. If you receive a nomination, apply for permanent residence to the federal government or IRCC within 6 months of receiving a nomination. 

Source: Government of Ontario

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