Ontario issued invitations to 773 candidates under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) draw held on February 22. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw of Ontario invited candidates from the Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP) to apply for a provincial nomination.
The invitations were issued to candidates working in targeted occupations. They had a profile in the Express Entry pool along with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 455 and 600.
Until now, Ontario invited applicants with CRS scores up to 467 only. Those having a score more than this limit were ineligible to apply for the nomination under OINP. An Express Entry candidate can get a maximum of 600 points without a provincial nomination.
The invited candidates were required to have a minimum of one-year work experience in the following 18 targeted occupations:
- Other administrative services managers (NOC 0114)
- Banking, credit and other investment managers (NOC 0122)
- Advertising, marketing and public relations managers (NOC 0124)
- Other business services managers (NOC 0125)
- Engineering managers (NOC 0211)
- Managers in health care (NOC 0311)
- Corporate sales managers (NOC 0601)
- Restaurant and food service managers (NOC 0631)
- Construction managers (NOC 0711)
- Managers in transportation (NOC 0731)
- Manufacturing managers (NOC 0911)
- Human resources professionals (NOC 1121)
- Professional occupations in business management consulting (NOC 1122)
- Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries (NOC 2161)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 3012)
- Medical laboratory technologists (NOC 3211)
- Opticians (NOC 3231)
- Licensed practical nurses (NOC 3233)
The selected applicants now have 45 calendar days to submit their application for provincial nomination through Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – OINP.
Ontario Sets New Score Range
Canada has conducted only PNP draws since September last year. In Ontario, Express Entry candidates with scores more than 467 were not invited in OINP draws of 2021. This led to many applicants reducing their scores in the pool to get an invitation for provincial nomination.
The pattern finally changed in favour of Ontario’s Express Entry candidates. The province decided to set only a minimum cut-off score for OINP candidates. The upper limit has been removed. It is set at 600 now which is the maximum score a candidate can get in the Express Entry pool.
The latest OINP draw invited this year’s highest number of PNP candidates under the HCP stream. It was also the one having the largest range for score requirement with a difference of 145 points between the minimum 455 and the maximum 600 points. The biggest draw of Ontario was held on January 27 when 1,032 candidates were invited under the Skilled Trades Stream, another Express Entry stream.
Canada has held Express Entry draws for only PNP candidates in the past 5 months. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently stated that draws for other two streams – Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) can be expected to resume in “the near future”. However, there has been no confirmed date yet.
According to Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, around 83,500 newcomers will be welcomed this year from the Express Entry aligned as well as base PNP draws. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revised the earlier set targets of welcoming 81,500 immigrants in 2022 and 83,000 in 2023 to release the new plan with the latest increased numbers. Canada plans to give permanent residence to 431,645 aspirants in 2022 itself.
PR through PNP
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) enables Canadian provinces to invite immigration applicants for a provincial nomination. Candidates in the pool who meet the labour market requirements of a province are invited to apply.
Applicants who successfully receive a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points added to their base CRS score. Thus, the higher score increases their chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.
Express Entry System
Canada manages immigration applications through the Express Entry system. It entails three Federal Economic Programs under which applicants can create an Express Entry profile. The profiles are then ranked based on the points received by the candidate for their human-capital factors. This is called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
IRCC holds Express Entry draws twice a month issuing ITA to the highest-scoring candidates. The selected aspirants have to apply for permanent residence within 60 days of receiving the ITA.
Check your eligibility and the most suitable option to migrate to Ontario with the help of a free assessment form by Canadian Visa News.
