June 5, 2018

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program – Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate stream – steps and eligibility

One of the ways to obtain provincial nomination in Ontario is through OINP Masters Graduate and PhD stream, which does not require an applicant to have a job offer to apply. This stream provides international students with Master’s or PhD degrees obtained in Ontario an opportunity to live and work permanently in Ontario. If you wish to apply under this program, you should monitor the website regularly as the program usually closes within a few hours after opening. This stream is paused and reopened periodically until the province’s yearly allocation is fulfilled. This year the program opened twice: on 29 January and 5 April 2018.

When the program opens, the first step is to secure your spot by registering and creating a profile in OINP e-Filing Portal, after which you will have 14 calendar days to submit your application. The application fee is $1,500.

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the following criteria:

• Completed the requirements necessary to obtain a Master’s degree that is at least one academic year in length or PhD degree that is at least two years in length if pursued on a full-time basis and from an eligible Ontario institution;
• Meet a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark of Level 7 or above in English or French;
• Demonstrate that you have resided in Ontario for at least one year in the last two years before the application submission date, and intend to continue to reside in Ontario;
• Demonstrate that you have a minimum level of savings or income to support you and your family members;
• At the time of application must be residing in Ontario with legal status or residing outside of Canada. You will not qualify if you reside in Canada but outside of Ontario;
• You must apply within two years of completing the requirements necessary to obtain your Master’s degree.

Once the applicant receives nomination from Ontario, he/she must apply to IRCC for permanent residence within 6 months of being nominated by OINP and include copies of the Letter of Nomination and the OINP Confirmation of Nomination document. Note, however, that nomination by OINP does not guarantee that your application for permanent residence will be approved by IRCC.