PNP – Ontario

This program allows employers to:

• Apply for the approval of permanent, full-time positions to be filled by foreign nationals
• Recruit foreign nationals to fill those position

OPNP is designed in part to assist employers who are having difficulty recruiting qualified, skilled workers in Ontario. Applications from employers who are seeking positions for foreign workers residing abroad, or foreign workers who are visiting Canada, will receive priority processing if those employers have tried to recruit Canadian citizens or permanent residents located in Ontario for those positions before applying to the program.

• Approved employers can recruit foreign workers through the General Categoryand internationalstudents through the International Student Category.

The program allows investors to have key employees obtain permanent resident status. Endorsed investors can recruit foreign workers through the General Category.

Once they are recruited by an employer, individuals who meet all of the Opportunities Ontario requirements may be nominated by the province for permanent residence as Provincial Nominees. Applying for immigration can seem complicated when both the Provincial and Federal Governments play a role in the process.

To be eligible, companies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) must:

• Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application
• Have at least $1,000,000 gross revenue in the previous fiscal year
• Have at least five permanent full-time employees
• Have a place of business located in Ontario

Companies outside the GTA have less stringent eligibility criteria. They must:

• Have been in existence and operation for at least three years preceding the application;
• Have at least $500,000 in gross revenues in the previous fiscal year;
• Have at least three permanent full-time employees;
• Have a place of business located in Ontario.

The two categories under you may qualify for the Ontario PNPare:

1. Ontario PNP General Category
2. International Student Category

Ontario PNP helps employers who are having difficulty finding the skilled workers they need. It also allows investors to bring in key employees on a permanent basis. Through the program, employers and investors can recruit foreign workers in any managerial, professional or skilled trades’occupation.

• A full-time job offer, for which they are qualified, from an approved Ontario employer in a skilled occupation
• At least 2 years of work experience or have appropriate registration in Ontario
• Received an Employer Pre-Screen Approved Position Form, along with the nominee application package from the Ontario employer
• An offered wage that meets the prevailing wage level in Ontario for the occupation
• Legal status, if the prospective nominee is in Canada

To apply under International Student Category there are three Different Streams:

1. International Student with Job Offer Stream
2. International PhD Graduate Stream
3. Pilot International Masters Graduate Stream

An international student, you may be able to apply to Opportunities Ontario for nomination as a permanent resident, under the International Student Category. Opportunities Ontario has a target of 1,000 nominations in 2012. However, it is important to understand that Opportunities Ontario is employer-driven.

The job offer for international students must meet the entry level wage for the occupation, rather than the prevailing wage required for foreign workers
The work experience prerequisite is not required for international students, unlike foreign workers who must have two years of relevant work experience
Students need to graduate with an eligible degree or diploma from a publicly funded Canadian college of university.

The fee for international students and non-GTA foreign worker applications is $1,500. The fee for GTA foreign worker applicants is $2,000. For employees of investors, the fee is $3,500

A graduate of a PhD program in one of Ontario’s publicly funded universities; you may be able to apply to Opportunities Ontario for nomination as a permanent resident, under the International Student Category’s PhD Graduate Stream. Opportunities Ontario has a target of 1,000 nominations in 2012.

Ontario’s PhD graduate students do not require a job offer.

This stream is for international students who graduated in the last semester of an existing Master’s program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario. A job offer is not required in order to be eligible to apply.

This allows Ontario to select economic immigrants whose skills match those needed by businesses in the province. The investment component of the program helps companies making an investment in Ontario to recruit or relocate key employees to ensure the long-term success of the investment. Opportunities Ontario has a target of 1,000 nominations in 2012.

• The size of the investment is at least $3,000,000
• At least five net permanent, fulltime jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Ontario will be created
• The investment is endorsed by an Ontario ministry
• The investment is not prohibited by federal law