OINP Express Entry – French-Speaking Skilled Worker

The OINP Express Entry – Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream targets French-speaking skilled workers with good English ability who wish to settle and become established in the province of Ontario.

To be considered under this popularOntario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)stream, a candidate must be eligible for theExpress Entrypool ofImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) theo Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)orCanadian Experience Class (CEC). Candidates cannot apply directly to this stream. Instead, they must receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the OINP based on their Express Entry profile.

The OINP searches the Express Entry pool and identifies prospective candidates who meet the criteria of the Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream.

Candidates identified by the OINP receive an NOI inviting them to apply to the OINP for nomination under the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream. From that point, selected candidates have 45 calendar days to submit an application to the OINP under this stream. If the application is approved, the candidate is notified of their nomination by the OINP, which they may accept and use to apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

Minimum requirements for OINP Express Entry – French-Speaking Skilled Worker

To qualify under the Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream, a candidate must:

• Meet the eligibility requirements of one of Canada’s federal high-skilled programmes: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
  • Candidates applying under the FSWP must score the pass mark of 67 against IRCC’s Federal Skilled Worker Program selection factors: language skills, education, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada and adaptability.
• Meet the stream’s work experience requirement;
• Hold a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, or anEducational Credential Assessment (ECA)from a designated organisation showing that their foreign qualification is equivalent to a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree;
  • Note: the ECA report must be no more than 5 years old as at the date of application to the OINP.
• Demonstrate language ability at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or higher in all 4 skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening);
  • Language ability must be demonstrated by test results from one of the designated testing bodies, obtained within the two years before applying to the OINP:
    • IELTS General TrainingorCELPIP General
    • TEForTCF
• Intend to reside in Ontario, by providing documentation demonstrating ties to Ontario;
• Hold legal status in Canada (and maintain that status until nominated) if residing in Canada at the time of application;
  • The OINP accepts applications made while onmaintained status;
• Achieve the minimum CRS score under the Express Entry System as determined by the director;
• Meet the additional criteria under the FSWP or CEC; and
• Hold sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario. This requirement may be met by one or a combination of the factors listed by the OINP, such as bank statements, annual income from ongoing employment in Ontario, and/or a job offer in Ontario.

The settlement funds requiredmust equal or exceed the amounts listed for each family size. The settlement funds requirement is updated annually.

Work experience requirements

Federal Skilled Worker Program

If a candidate in the Express Entry pool chooses to be assessed under the FSWP, they must provide evidence of:

• Continuous, paid, full-time work of at least one year, or the part-time equivalent, within the past 5 years in Canada or abroad before the date of the NOI from Ontario;
  • Full-time work means at least 30 hours of work a week in one job, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work in a year.
    • Note: work experience amounting to 1,560 hours but completed in less than a year, and voluntary work, is not eligible and does not count as valid work experience.
  • Continuous work means there are no gaps between periods of employment. Work experience may comprise consecutive jobs with the same or different employers (with no gaps), but at least one year must be in the same National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupation as the primary NOC declared in the Express Entry profile.
  • Part-time equivalent work means
    • A minimum of 15 hours of work a week in one job, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work over two years; or
    • At least 30 hours of work a week across several concurrent jobs, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work in a year.
• Work experience in an occupation classified underNational Occupational Classification (NOC)0, A or B;
  • The activities performed in the job must match the lead statement of the occupation and the main duties set out in the NOC;

Self-employment

FSWP candidates may use self-employed work experience to meet the minimum work experience requirement. Self-employed experience must be paid, full time (or the part-time equivalent), and fall under NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B.

Note: the OINP will require documentation that can be independently verified by a third party as evidence of self-employment, as well as evidence of ongoing payments for services provided (for example, invoices). Paid hours of work must be quantified to demonstrate that the candidate accumulated at least 1,560 hours in a working year. The OINP will not accept reference letters written by the candidate themselves, their business partners or their family members.

Canadian Experience Class

If a candidate in the Express Entry pool chooses to be assessed under the CEC, they must provide evidence of:

• Cumulative, paid, full-time work of at least one year, or the part-time equivalent, within the past three years in Canada before the date:
  • Full-time work means at least 30 hours of work a week in one job, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work in a year. Voluntary work and unpaid internships do not count as valid work.
  • Cumulative means the work experience must amount to one year. There may be gaps in employment and the work experience need not be continuous (unbroken).
  • Part-time equivalent work means
    • A minimum of 15 hours of work a week in one job, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work over two years; and
    • At least 30 hours of work a week across several concurrent jobs, comprising at least 1,560 paid hours of work in a year.
  • The candidate must have held legal status while working in Canada.
  • Paid work experience gained while studying full time at a post-secondary institution (for example, a co-op work term) or during a period of self-employment is not eligible when assessed under the CEC.

French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream application process

Candidates must hold a valid Express Entry profile and a Notification of Interest (NOI) in order to apply to this Express Entry-linked Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) stream. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) searches the Express Entry pool and identifies prospective candidates who may meet the eligibility criteria of the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream.

A Notification of Interest (NOI) is valid for 45 calendar days, meaning the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) application must be submitted within 45 days.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool who have been issued a Notification of Interest (NOI) are advised to familiarise themselves with the programme criteria and the document list in advance, in order to prepare an application to the stream for which they are eligible.

Process overview

Step 8: submit the Canadian permanent residence application to IRCC within 60 days of receiving the ITA.

• Step 1: meet the eligibility criteria of the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class.
• Step 2: create an Express Entry profile.
• Step 3: the OINP identifies candidates in the Express Entry pool.
• Step 4: receive an NOI from the OINP.
• Step 5: apply to the OINP under the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream within 45 calendar days of receiving the NOI from Ontario.
• Step 6: if nominated, the candidate receives a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination by email. The candidate has 30 calendar days to accept the nomination in the Express Entry system.
• Step 7: if the nomination is accepted, the Express Entry candidate is awarded an additional 600 CRS points andInvitation to Apply (ITA)to apply for permanent residence in a future draw from the pool.