Overview

The Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream gives foreign workers with a job offer in specific in-demand occupations such as in agriculture, construction, and other select occupations the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario. This stream is open to foreign workers in and outside of Canada.

You must first register in the OINP’s Expression of Interest System and receive an invitation to apply before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.

If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

Steps to apply

Register an expression of interest

Before you can apply to this stream you must:

  • register an expression of interest
  • receive an invitation to apply.

If you received an invitation to apply

If you are using a representative, or you are a representative, the submission process is different. Learn more about how to appoint a representative or register as one.

Follow these steps to apply:

  • Click the “Submit an application” button below.
  • Log into your ONe-key account as a returning user.
  • From your My Applications page, click on the file number link to begin your application.

Please note your application file number is different than your EOI file number.

Job offer requirements

To qualify under the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream, you must have a job offer in Ontario from an employer that meets the following requirements.

Please refer to section 4 of Ontario Regulation 422/17 and the Employer Guide for more details on each requirement.

1. Full-time and permanent

The job offer must be for a full-time and permanent position.

Full-time means the job must be a minimum of 1,560 hours a year and a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week.

Permanent means the job must have no end date (also known as an indeterminate duration). Job offers that are seasonal and/or contract based are ineligible.

Note that your job offer will not qualify if it affects the employment of a person involved in a labour dispute.

2. Eligible occupation

The position offered can be in any location in Ontario (inside and outside the Greater Toronto Area) and must be in one of the following occupations in National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 4 or 5:

  • NOC 44101 - Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations
  • NOC 65202 - Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
  • NOC 75110 - Construction trades helpers and labourers
  • NOC 84120 - Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
  • NOC 85100 - Livestock labourers
  • NOC 85101 - Harvesting labourers
  • NOC 85103 - Nursery and greenhouse labourers
  • NOC 94141 - Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

The position offered must be outside the Greater Toronto Area  (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) and must be in one of the following occupations in National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 4 or 5:

  • NOC 94100 - Machine operators, mineral and metal processing
  • NOC 94105 - Metalworking and forging machine operators
  • NOC 94106 - Machining tool operators
  • NOC 94107 - Machine operators of other metal products
  • NOC 94110 - Chemical plant machine operators
  • NOC 94111 - Plastics processing machine operators
  • NOC 94124 - Woodworking machine operators
  • NOC 94132 - Industrial sewing machine operators
  • NOC 94140 - Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
  • NOC 94201 - Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
  • NOC 94204 - Mechanical assemblers and inspectors
  • NOC 94213 - Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
  • NOC 94219 - Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors
  • NOC 95102 - Labourers in chemical products processing and utilities

3. Median wage level

The pay of the job offered must meet or be higher than the median wage level, for that occupation, in the specific region of Ontario where you will be working. To find the median wage, go to the Job Bank website. Enter the occupation title and NOC code of the job offer into the occupation search. Then enter the location where you will be working into the filter search. Refer to the median wage level listed on the chart.

If the wage of the employment region where the applicant will work or report to work is not available on the wage report, the Ontario wage should be used.

If you are already working in the position, the wage of the job offer must be equal to or greater than the wage level that the employer currently pays you in that position, in addition to meeting or exceeding the median wage level.

These wage requirements do not apply if you have a collective agreement (a written contract between the employer and a union), in your workplace, that determines your wages.

4. Position is urgently necessary to employer’s business

The position offered must be urgently necessary to your employer’s business. This means that the job offer must align with your employer’s existing business activities and the position must be urgently needed to maintain or grow ongoing business activity.

5. Work based in Ontario

The work you do while in the position of the job offer must occur primarily in Ontario.

You or any member of your family may only hold or have held equity in your employer’s business, either directly or indirectly if the equity is/was less than 10% and only if it was obtained as part of the remuneration package as an employee. The combined total amount of equity held by you, or any of your family members, must be less than 10%.

Note that a family member includes your spouse, common law partner and children under the age of 22, including their children.

Applicant requirements

After you receive an invitation to apply, you may apply to the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream. You must meet all the requirements in the categories below in order for your application to be approved.

Please refer to section 7 of Ontario Regulation 422/17 for more details on each requirement.

1. Expression of interest and invitation to apply

  1. You must have received an invitation to apply and applied within the deadline identified.
  2. You must demonstrate that you had the qualifications that you claimed you had in the expression of interest that you registered with the OINP and attested to.

2. Work experience

You must have at least 9 months of cumulative paid full-time work experience (or the equivalent in part-time work) in Ontario, in the same in-demand occupation (same NOC code) as your job offer.

You must have gained this work experience within the three years prior to the date you submit your application, not the date you received the invitation to apply, while legally living and working in Ontario.

Cumulative means the work you’ve done must add up to 9 months — it does not have to be 9 months of continuous work.

Full-time work experience means working in a job with at least 30 hours of paid work in a week that amounts to at least 1,200 hours of paid work over a 9-month period.

Part-time equivalent work experience means:

  • working in one job for at least 15 hours of paid work in a week that amounts to at least 1,200 hours of paid work over an 18-month period
  • working in more than one job for at least 30 hours of paid work in a week for nine months that amounts to at least 1,200 hours of paid work in that 9-month period

Vacation periods, regular sick leave and other standard paid leave entitlements as provided for in collective agreements, workplace legislation and/or individual employer policies are not considered interruptions to full-time employment. Extended leaves are considered interruptions to full-time employment and are not to be included in the calculation of work experience.

If you are using periods of self-employment, you will need to provide employment documentation that is independently verifiable through third parties. This can include client reference letters indicating your duties and periods of work, as well as evidence of ongoing payments to you personally, for the services provided (for example, invoices). Please also note that your hours of self-employed work must be quantifiable to ensure that you accumulated at least 1,200 hours over 9 months of employment. Reference letters from yourself, your business partners and/or a family member are not accepted by the program.

3. Valid licence or other authorization (if applicable)

If your job offer is for an occupation that requires a mandatory licence or other authorization in Ontario, you must hold a valid licence or authorization from the appropriate regulatory body in Ontario when you apply.

For more information on licences and authorizations in Ontario, please visit the Ontario’s Jobs and Employment website or the Skilled Trades Ontario website.

4. Language

You must be able to understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher.

To prove that you have the mandatory language skills, you must take an approved English or French language test before you submit your application to this stream.

The test must have been taken within two years from the date you submit your application, not the date you receive your invitation to apply.

For English tests, we accept:

  • International English Language Testing (IELTS) – we only accept the General Training test
  • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – we only accept the General test

For French tests, we accept:

  • Test d’évaluation de français pour le Canada (TEF Canada)
  • Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada)

Learn more about the English and French language tests.

5. Education

You must have a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma or credential, or its equivalent in another country.

If you completed your studies outside of Canada, you need to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report that proves your education is equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma.

The assessment must be done by one of the following organizations, designated by IRCC.

Each organization charges a different fee and has different processing times. Please check the website of each ECA organization to choose the one that is best for you.

You must provide the OINP with an electronic copy of the ECA report when you submit your online application. The report cannot be more than five years old at the time you submit your application

How to authorize the OINP to confirm your ECA results

We must be able to confirm your ECA results with the organization that completed it. This means you must authorize the organization to share the results with us (the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program) electronically.

It is not enough to authorize the organization to share the results of your assessment with IRCC for the purposes of your application to the OINP.

Do not request a duplicate paper copy from your ECA organization to be mailed out to the OINP.

Follow these steps to authorize the OINP to access your ECA results:

For the other organizations, no additional steps are required.

Please contact the ECA organization directly if you have any specific questions about the process for getting an ECA or how to authorize and share your ECA results with the OINP.

6. Intention to live in Ontario

You must intend to live in Ontario after you’ve been granted permanent residence. We determine this by examining your ties to Ontario, which can include doing things like:

  • working or having worked Ontario
  • getting job offers, applying to or interviewing for jobs
  • studying
  • volunteering
  • leasing or owning property
  • visiting
  • having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships

7. Legal status in Canada (if applicable)

If you are applying from within Canada, you must have legal status (a visitor record, study permit, or work permit) at the time you apply and should maintain that status until the time of nomination.

You may apply if you are in ‘implied status’ at the time of your OINP application submission. ‘Implied status’ means that you submitted an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to renew/extend your temporary status document (a visitor record, work permit, study permit) before its expiry date. You can remain in Canada and continue to work or study under the same conditions as your existing permit until a decision is made on your pending IRCC application.

Employer requirements

Please refer to section 4 of Ontario Regulation 422/17 and the Employer Guide for more details on each requirement.

1. General requirements

To qualify under the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream, your employer must:

  • have been in active business for at least three years prior to submitting your application
  • have business premises in Ontario where you will work
  • have no outstanding orders made against them under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • demonstrate that enough effort was made to recruit a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident prior to offering the position to you (this only applies if you are currently living outside of Canada or working outside of Ontario)

2. Revenue requirements

Your employer’s business must meet the relevant revenue requirement for the most recently completed fiscal year (the year used for tax or accounting purposes):

  • a minimum of $1,000,000 in total gross annual revenue if you will work or report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions)
  • a minimum of $500,000in total gross annual revenue if you will work or report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

Meaning of report to work

In cases where the applicant will work at more than one location, the location where the applicant will report to work means either:

  • the location where the applicant’s immediate supervisor or manager works
  • the location of the administrative office where the applicant will receive work assignments

3. Full-time employee requirements

Your employer’s business must also have at the time of application submission one of the following:

  • at least five full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where you will work, or will report to work, if you will work or report to work at a location in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions)
  • at least three full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who work at the location where you will work, or will report to work, if you will work or report to work at a location outside the Greater Toronto Area

Meaning of full-time employee

A full-time employee is an employee who has worked a minimum of 30 hours per week.

4. Employer Form

Your employer must make an application for approval of an employment position by filling out and signing an Employer Form.

Your employer then must give you the form so you can scan and upload it with your application.

When we assess your application, we may need additional supporting documents from your employer to validate information included in the Employer Form. Please read the Employer Checklist for a list of possible documents that may be requested.

Scoring factors

Once you register an expression of interest under this stream you will be assigned points based on the following factors.

If you are invited to apply, you will be required to submit specific documents to support each scoring factor for which you received points. Scoring factors are not the same as stream criteria. You must meet all criteria for this stream and provide the mandatory documents with your application. Refer to the document checklist for the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream.

Employment / labour market factors

Job offer: NOC broad occupational category
  • Occupational Category 0,2,3 – 10 points
  • Occupational Category 7 – 7 points
  • Occupational Category 1,9 – 5 points
  • Occupational Category 4,8 – 4 points
  • Occupational Category 5,6 – 3 points
Job offer: wage
  • $40 per hour or higher – 10 points
  • $35 to $39.99 per hour – 8 points
  • $30 to $34.99 per hour – 7 points
  • $25 to $29.99 per hour – 6 points
  • $20 to $24.99 per hour – 5 points
  • Less than $20 per hour – 0 points
Work permit status
  • With valid work permit – 10 points
  • Without valid work permit – 0 points

The work permit must confer legal status.

Job tenure with job offer employer
  • 6 months or more working in job offer position – 3 points
  • Less than 6 months working in job offer position or not currently working in position – 0 points

The work in the job offer position must have occurred within Ontario.

Canadian work experience: earnings history

Based on a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency in the last five years.

  • $40k or more earnings in a year – 3 points
  • Less than $40k earnings in a year – 0 points

Regionalization

Regional immigration: location of job offer
  • Northern Ontario – 10 points
  • Other areas outside GTA (except Northern Ontario) – 8 points
  • Inside GTA (except Toronto) – 3 points
  • Toronto – 0 points

For Regionalization scoring factors, the regions are defined as follows:

  • Northern Ontario – includes the following Census Divisions: Muskoka Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora
  • Other areas outside of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), except Northern Ontario – includes all Ontario regions except those listed as part of Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and Northern Ontario
  • Greater Toronto Area (except Toronto) – includes the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel and York
  • Toronto – includes the City of Toronto

If you are nominated under this stream

If your application is successful, you will receive the following by email:

  • a nomination approval letter
  • a work permit support letter (if applicable)
  • a nomination certificate

Once you have the necessary documentation, you must apply to IRCC for a work permit (if applicable) and permanent residence. Please note, a nomination from the OINP under this stream is subject to the following conditions and/or restrictions:

  1. You must continue to demonstrate on a reasonable basis an intention to reside in Ontario.
  2. You must be employed in the approved employment position as of the date of your nomination, if you are already working for the employer.
  3. You must apply for a work permit within six months and begin working in the approved employment position within ten months from the date of your nomination, if you are not already working for the employer.
  4. If you have not begun working in the approved employment position within ten (10) months from the date of your nomination you must inform the OINP immediately in writing at ontarionominee@ontario.ca.
  5. You must continue to be employed in the approved employment position during the nomination period (i.e. until you receive permanent residence). This means that your terms of employment must remain consistent throughout the nomination period. This includes your:
    • employer
    • position title and duties
    • wage
    • hours of work
    • work location
  6. You must notify the OINP immediately in writing if there is a change in the nature of your employment, including any of the above terms of employment by contacting the OINP at ontarionominee@ontario.ca.

Contact us

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