Overview

The Global Skills Strategy (GSS) is a federal government program to help eligible Canadian businesses access skilled workers from around the world.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is a designated referral partner of the GSS. The OINP helps you navigate the GSS and determine whether the program will help meet your company’s foreign talent needs. We provide two types of client-oriented referrals through:

A referral through the GSS provides:

  • faster federal application processing times
  • enhanced customer service from IRCC and ESDC

Please note, a referral by the OINP or another designated referral partner does not guarantee your application will be approved by ESDC and IRCC for personalized support and access to services under the GSS. Both ESDC and IRCC will make the final decision.

Requirements

Businesses making a significant business investment in Canada should review requirements for the dedicated service channel.

Companies urgently needing to hire foreign talent should review the requirements for the global talent stream. Review either:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s dedicated service channel

The OINP can refer you to IRCC’s dedicated service channel if your company is making a significant investment in Canada by either:

  • setting up operations for the first time, or
  • expanding existing operations

Once the OINP refers you to IRCC, you can access a personal account manager who will:

  • serve as a coordinating point of contact for the employer
  • provide personalized client services and information on the Canadian immigration process
  • help meet your specific foreign talent needs

If you think that the dedicated service channel is right for you and your company, or you want to learn more, please contact the OINP at business.immigration@ontario.ca.

Economic and Social Development Canada’s Global Talent stream

The OINP can refer you to ESDC’s Global Talent stream if you have an innovative Canadian company looking to hire foreign talent to fill your company’s urgent needs.

The global talent stream gives you access to:

  • client-focused services
  • fast application processing times (approximately 10 business days)
  • fast work permit processing times (approximately 10 business days)

The global talent stream has two categories depending on your unique needs:

Category A

If you are an innovative company that needs to hire unique and specialized temporary foreign workers in order to scale up and grow, you may qualify under Category A.

Before you submit a direct application, you must receive a referral from a designated referral partner, like the OINP.

The employer:

  • is registered and operating in Canada
  • is innovative
  • is capable of scaling-up
  • has identified a specific foreign national employee to bring over

The employee:

  • is offered a minimum of $80,000 per year or the prevailing wage of the occupation by the employer
  • has advanced knowledge and expertise of the role being offered; and
  • has an advanced degree or minimum 5 years of work experience

Please check out ESDC website for more details.

Category B

If your company needs to hire foreign workers in occupations found on the global talent occupations list in Information Communication Technology (ICT)/ Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, you may qualify under Category B. No referral is required.

Visit global talent stream to submit a direct application to Category B.

If you think that the global talent stream may be right for you and your company, or you want to learn more, please contact the OINP at business.immigration@ontario.ca.

Contact us

Please contact the OINP at business.immigration@ontario.ca to:

  • request a referral through the OINP
  • ask questions
  • learn more about the potential options available to you or your company