TOP 5 WAYS TO IMMIGRATE TO ONTARIO

Ontario is Canada’s most populous province, so it’s no surprise that it accounts for 40% of all immigrants into the country.

With the capital Ottawa and the multicultural hub of Toronto contained within this region, there are plenty of opportunities for immigrants to find work and settle.

For those immigrants looking to find a way to gain entry, there are a number of routes to a successful application. Some of the best streams are found within the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

Below are the top 5 ways to immigrate to Ontario within the aforementioned program.

1. Foreign Worker Stream 

Part of the Employer Job Offer category, this stream is open to foreign workers both inside and outside of Canada. It requires workers to obtain a job offer in a skilled occupation at Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

The job offer must be from an employer in Ontario, the majority of the work must take place in the province, and it has to be a full-time and permanent position.

Finally, the vacancy must offer a wage equal to or higher than the median wage level for that specific occupation and region within Ontario. To learn more information on the specific requirements, visit the stream page here. 

2. International Graduates Masters and PhD Stream 

This stream has been purposely created for recent graduates from eligible Ontario universities. To apply, students must have gained a graduate degree from one of the approved universities and make the application within two years of graduation.

Applicants do not require a job offer, however they must be able to speak either French or English to at least a Canadian Language Benchmark level 7 or above (Masters Stream).

PhD students also need to provide proof of settlement funds, evidenced by financial documents such as bank statements or wage slips from current employers. To learn more about these streams head over the Masters and PhD pages respectively.

3. French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

Part of Ontario’s Express Entry program, the French Skilled Worker Stream allows French-speaking skilled workers with strong English abilities to permanently live and work in Ontario. Once more, a current job offer is not required to complete the application.

However, immigrants need to have previous Canadian work experience and decide which criteria they would like that experience to be assessed against, either the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class.

Each of these assessments have their own set of mandatory requirements which can be found here.

4. In-Demand Skills Stream

Similar to the Foreign Worker Stream, the job offer must be a full-time and permanent position, with a wage equal to or higher than the median wage for that specific position and region of Ontario.

However, the employment offer must fit into one of seven categories:

• NOC 7441 – residential and commercial installers and servicers
• NOC 7521 – heavy equipment operators (except crane)
• NOC 7611 – construction trades helpers and labourers
• NOC 8431 – general farm workers
• NOC 8432 – nursery and greenhouse workers
• NOC 8611 – harvesting labourers
• NOC 9462 – industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

Once more the work must take place primarily in Ontario. To learn about the remaining requirements, visit the stream page here.  

5. Entrepreneur Stream

The Entrepreneur Stream falls under the Business category, and requires individuals (and one other business partner if applicable) to provide evidence of at least 36 months of full-time business experience within the last 60 months.

Persons applying via this stream will need at least $500,000 of liquid assets to personally invest and a net worth of $800,000. These figures increase if a business venture is going to be located in the Greater Toronto Area.

Business owners must employ at least two Canadian citizens full-time and demonstrate that they will playing an active role within the company. Visit the Entrepreneur Stream page to read more about the requirements. 

Conclusion

There are multitude of reasons why an individual would want to immigrate to Ontario to better both their own and their families lives. However, the requirements for entry can be quite complex for the uninitiated.

Therefore, if you are interested in applying, fill out the Free Online Canadian Immigration Assessment form to find out which stream is best suited to your individual circumstances.