OINP Employer Job Offer – In-Demand Skills

The OINP Employer Job Offer stream, under Ontario’s employer job offer category, gives foreign workers with a job offer in a targeted occupation the opportunity to live and work permanently in Ontario.

The In-Demand Skills Stream: Employer Job Offer from an Ontario employer allowsOntario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)to nominate foreign nationals with the work experience needed to help them establish themselves successfully and integrate into Ontario’s labour market and communities.

Foreign nationals may apply only if they have received a permanent, full-time job offer from an Ontario employer, meet all the eligibility criteria, and hold an Employer Form from the prospective employer.

OINP In-Demand Skills stream requirements

• Work experience:Have nine months of cumulative work experience in Ontario, gained within the 3 years before the date of application. The work experience must be paid, full time (at least 30 paid hours of work a week, equivalent to at least 1,200 hours a year) or an equivalent amount of part-time work in Ontario, and must be in an eligible occupation. Note: seasonal work experience does not count towards the work experience requirement.
  • Equivalent part-time work means at least 15 hours of work a week in one job over 18 months, equivalent to at least 1,200 paid hours of work, or at least 30 hours of work a week across several jobs, equivalent to at least 1,200 paid hours of work over nine months.
    • Note: the OINP will require documentation to verify that the work experience falls under the same NOC as the position offered.
• Education:Have completed a qualification equivalent to Canadian secondary education (high school) or higher, evidenced by a validEducational Credential Assessment (ECA).
• A valid certificate or licence:Hold a valid certificate or licence at the time of application for any required work experience in an occupation that requires certification or licensing.
• Language:Have English or French ability atCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB)4 or higher in all language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Language ability must be demonstrated by valid language test results from the following government-approved organisations:
  • IELTS General TrainingorCELPIP
  • TEForTCF
• Settlement funds:Have a validsufficient funds or income in Ontarioto cover settlement costs. 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.
• Intention:An intention to reside in Ontario, demonstrated by providing a list of established ties to Ontario.
• Legal status:If residing in Canada at the time of application, the candidate must hold legal status (for example, a visitor record,study permitorwork permit) and must maintain that status until nominated.

Job offer requirements

To be eligible to apply to the In-Demand Skills Stream: Employer Job Offer from an Ontario employer, a candidate must hold a job offer signed by themselves and by an Ontario employer that meets the following criteria:

• It is a full-time, indeterminate position in an eligible occupation at NOC Skill Level C or D (listed below);
• It meets or exceeds the median wage for the occupation in the region of Ontario where the candidate will work. If the candidate is already working in the position covered by the job offer, the wage offered must meet the median wage and be equal to or higher than their current wage.

The job offer must be in one of the following occupations, as classified under National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level C or D:

Eligible occupations in Ontario

National Occupational Classification (NOC) code	Occupation
3413	Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
4412	Home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers
7441	Residential and commercial installers and servicers
7511	Transport truck drivers
7521	Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
7611	Construction trades helpers and labourers
8431	General farm workers
8432	Nursery and greenhouse workers
8611	Harvesting labourers
9462	Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
9411	Machine operators, mineral and metal processing*
9416	Metalworking and forging machine operators*
9417	Machining tool operators*
9418	Other metal products machine operators*
9421	Chemical plant machine operators*
9422	Plastics processing machine operators*
9437	Woodworking machine operators*
9446	Industrial sewing machine operators*
9461	Process control and machine operators, food, beverage and related products processing*
9523	Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers*
9526	Mechanical assemblers and inspectors*
9536	Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators*
9537	Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors*

*Outside the Greater Toronto Area only.

Requirements for employers

To be eligible under this immigration category, an Ontario employer must:

• Have been in business for at least three years.
• Have business premises in Ontario where the candidate will work.
• Comply with all provincial labour laws, including but not limited to employment standards, health and safety, and labour relations legislation.
• If the candidate will work within the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must have:
  • Minimum annual gross revenue of CAD 1,000,000 for the most recent financial year, and
  • Five permanent full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (per position to be filled in each calendar year) at the location where the candidate will work.
• If the candidate will work outside the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must have:
  • Minimum annual gross revenue of CAD 500,000 for the most recent financial year, and
  • Three permanent full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (per position to be filled in each calendar year) at the location where the candidate will work.

Foreign nationals wishing to work as truck drivers in Ontario and applying underNational Occupational Classification (NOC)code 7511 may work only for employers that hold:

• A valid Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) certificate, and;
• A Carrier Safety Rating (CSR) of Excellent, Satisfactory or Satisfactory-Unaudited.

The application process

Before applying

Foreign workers wishing to apply to the In-Demand Skills Stream under Ontario’s employer job offer category must review the eligibility criteria and prepare the required supporting documents in English or French.

Applying

Once registration is complete, the registrant has 14 calendar days to complete and submit the application; otherwise the registration expires and is cancelled. Candidates need not complete the application in one sitting. A candidate may appoint an authorised representative to complete the application on their behalf. All supporting documents must be scanned and ready to upload.

Candidates are responsible for translating and notarising any supporting document that is not in English or French. It is the candidate’s responsibility to find a translator certified by theAssociation of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO)and/or to notarise documents translated by a translator who is not ATIO-certified.

If a candidate in Ontario is unable to find an ATIO-certified translator, the translation must be notarised. A letter explaining the reasons and the efforts made to find a certified translator must be attached to the application.

If applying from outside Ontario, translations must be notarised. If a translation is considered inadequate, the OINP may require the candidate to obtain one from an ATIO-certified translator. Translations produced by the candidate, their representative, or anyone with a personal relationship to the candidate will not be accepted, even where those individuals are themselves certified translators.

After applying

The OINP considers an application incomplete if incorrect supporting documents are provided, or if documents requiring translation are not certified or notarised. The OINP refunds the application fee if an application is deemed incomplete. Candidates must notify the OINP of any change to their personal information (as set out in the programme guidance).

Candidates who believe that an OINP decision contains an error may request an internal review of the application within 30 calendar days of receiving notice of the decision (if resident in Canada), or within 60 calendar days if resident abroad. The request must not include any evidence that was not submitted to the programme before the decision was made, unless that evidence was not reasonably available at the time of application. The OINP’s internal review decision is final.

Nomination

If nominated by the OINP, the candidate receives a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination.

The OINP requires nominees to continue meeting the conditions of the nomination, including the intention to reside in Ontario and to work in the approved position. It is important to consult the OINP’s dedicated guidance for details of the obligations that apply if working conditions change. Candidates must notify the OINP of any change to the terms of the job offer, such as the position title, duties, work location, salary and/or hours of work. If the employment is terminated by the candidate or the employer, the OINP must be notified.

Candidates are required to apply for a work permit within 6 months and to begin work in the approved position within 10 months of the nomination date, if they are not already working for the employer.

Although nominations are valid for six months, nominees may request an extension of the Certificate of Nomination, subject to circumstances approved by the OINP.