The Ontario’s provincial nominee program has joined other provinces in selecting candidates through the Express Entry Pool. In 2015 Ontario has a target of 5,200 nominations for the Provincial Nominee Program and Ontario Express Entry.

As of June 2015, a new stream for Canadian immigration is now open in the province of Ontario. Titled the Opportunities Ontario: Human Capital Priorities Stream (or HCPS), it works similar to and in coordination with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system.

Potential candidates from the Express Entry pool nominated by Ontario through this stream will receive an automatic 600-point increase in their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores, and are awarded an invitation to apply for permanent resident status in Canada from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) through their MyCIC accounts.

Through the Provincial Nomination Program (or OOPNP), those interested in living in Ontario can receive a nomination provided that they already qualify as Express Entry pool candidates. The OOPNP also aims to help employers apply for permanent, full-time positions, and recruit skilled foreign nationals for work in Ontario.

Who is Eligible?

Since eligibility for the HCPS is limited only to those who have been accepted into the Express Entry pool, we’ve devised a checklist with some helpful links and shared it here for those who already qualify.

The application process is broken down into several steps to help keep track Besides the eligibility requirements the candidates must have successfully created an Express Entry profile and indicated an interest in immigrating to either Ontario or “All Provinces and Territories.”

Applicants must:

• Have a minimum 1 year of full-time or part-time equivalent employment or paid work experience in one specific national occupation classification (NOC) level 0, A or B. Required are 1,560 hours of work or more in one of these recognized fields

• Have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree, or submit to an educational credentials assessment report produced by a recognized organization or agency. This is meant to indicate whether an applicant’s foreign education credentials are equivalent to any of the aforementioned Canadian degrees.

• Have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 or higher in all language competency areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking in either English or French.

• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 400, and maintain that score throughout the Ontario nomination processing stage and during federal application for permanent residency.

• Possess settlement funds, supported by bank statements, that are readily transferrable to a convertible currency.

• A statement of intent to live in Ontario, and an indication of ties to the province.

What comes next?

Selected profiles will receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario sent to their MyCIC account. This notification represents a formal invitation to apply to OOPNP under the HCPS, and gives candidates 45 days to submit an application.

Applicants can choose which of the federal immigration programs they wish to be assessed against — the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — before OOPNP can assess the nomination.

Who is not eligible?

Refugee claimants in Canada are ineligible to apply for the program. Other exceptions include candidates who have not yet received a PT notification from the province, and those who have not been accepted into the Express Entry pool.

Besides the eligibility requirements the candidates must have successfully created an Express Entry profile and indicated an interest in immigrating to either Ontario or “All Provinces and Territories.”