After switching to a new intake system, Ontario held its first PNP draw for international students.

Ontario invited a total of 138 international students to apply for a provincial nomination on May 18. What this means is that these lucky ones will now stand to chance to apply for the coveted Canadian Permanent Residence.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates who had profiles in the new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool. These candidates may qualify for the Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream.

In order to be invited, candidates needed an EOI score of at least 77, plus they also needed to have job offers in Ontario.

About the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream

The Ontario International Student Stream under the Employer Job Offer category is open to foreign nationals who have an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario. Plus, the individuals need not necessarily have to apply from within Canada, as long as they end up meeting the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible one needs to have completed a program at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution, have an eligible job offer in Ontario, and intend to immigrate to the province, among other criteria.

In order to apply for this Provincial Nominee Program (PNPs), one has to register an EOI profile on the Ontario website.

After registering the profile, it will go into the EOI pool. Ontario gives the individual a score based on the information submitted. Points are based on the skill level of the individual’s job offer and work experience, as well as their wage, education, official language ability, the region in which they studied or worked, and other such factors.

How do you get points for Ontario immigration?

Ontario ranks EOI profiles based on a number of human capital factors that the province has decided will be important in selecting immigrants with the potential to thrive. One gets points for the skill level of their job offer as well as their Canadian work experience. The province uses the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system to assign points.

The OINP scoring system is different depending on which stream the candidate applies for. Other than skill level and work experience, it also takes into account factors like wage, education, official language ability, and the region in which the individual has studied or worked. The province also allocates 10 points at its discretion to respond to labor market needs.