Ontario goes over their 2020 allocation by several hundred nominations as the province continues to remain a popular settlement choice for new immigrants. Proposed changes to OINP are coming as the province establishes an Expression of Interest system to be launched in 2021.
On December 15 2020, Ontario held a Tech Draw and issued 668 invitations to eligible candidates. This resulted in a total of 8,050 nominations sent out through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), far higher than the initial allocation of 7,600.
Applications continue to be submitted and accepted for consideration in 2021. While the exact allocation for 2021 has not yet been released, an estimated 80,000 plus immigrants are expected to be coming into Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program according to the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan.
On December 15, the province also issued OINP Entrepreneur Stream invitations to 19 candidates.
Expression of Interest System Launching in Ontario
Given the increasing number of applications and interest in OINP’s more popular streams, Ontario is planning on launching an Expression of Interest (EOI) system in 2021 in order to better manage the thousands of applications they receive.
Under the current system, when a registration period opens up the flood of applications submitted can crash or cause glitches in the system.
For example, in November 26 2020, ONIP was accepting applications for Employer Job Offer: International Student stream. An overload of applications resulted in technical difficulties and the stream was paused, resulting in individuals being unable to submit their applications.
Earlier in the fall, the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development introduced a proposal with some suggested changes in order to make the system more efficient and to prevent issues such as this.
Complete details are not yet available, however, the EOI system is expected to be made available in the following categories:
- Employer Job Offer Category
- Foreign Worker;
- International Student;
- In-Demand Skills.
- Graduate Studies
- Masters Graduate;
- PhD Graduate.
The new system will work in a similar fashion as the Express Entry system. Candidates will register with the OINP and they will be placed in a pool. Additional details and personal information provided in the EOI will determine an individual’s score (based on factors like education, language skills, work experience etc.).
The scores and EOI will be reviewed by the province and Invitation to Apply (ITA) will be issued to eligible candidates. Those candidates will then be able to apply for a nomination under the OINP.
By implementing an EOI system, the province will be in a better position to tackle specific labour market needs, prioritize and select the best candidates as well as manage an influx of applications in a more efficient manner.
By making changes to their current system, Ontario will be following the footsteps of provinces like Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec who already have EOI systems in place.
The new program is slated to be launched in early 2021. No doubt it will further facilitate the immigration process for individuals looking to settle in Ontario and will help the province meet their target numbers.