Modifications to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

Like other provinces, and in accordance with an agreement with the federal government, Ontario maintains an immigrant nominee program (OINP). The OINP has various categories including allowances for immigration based on investment, as well as based on skilled worker criteria.

With its recent budget, the government of Ontario has proposed some sweeping changes to the OINP.  It is important to note that though the OINP is ultimately a permanent residence scheme, nomination under the program will often lead to the ability to secure work permits until permanent residence is finalized, and as such, employers (as well as prospective employees) should be aware of both the permanent and temporary immigration benefits of the system.

Though details with regard to some of the proposed changes are not fully available as yet, some of the proposed modifications include:

  • A new High-Tech Workers Stream
  • A new immigration pilot for smaller communities
  • Expansion of occupations eligible under the In-Demand Skills Stream. New occupations are expected to include:
    • Truck Drivers
    • Personal Support Workers
  • A ‘recalibration’ of the Entrepreneur Stream
    • Among other current requirements, investment thresholds would change to be more competitive with other provinces. Currently investment thresholds are:
      • CDN$1M if the business is located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and
      • CDN$500,000 if the business is located outside the GTA.

We will provide readers with further salient details as they become available.

The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.