Eligibility Requirements for OINP HCPS

To be considered under this stream, candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Qualify for one of Canada’s Federal High Skilled programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and have a valid express entry profile.
• Meet the stream’s work experience requirements.

• • Candidates applying through the FSWP: Must have at least one year of continuous paid full-time work experience, obtained within the last 5 years from the OINP application submission, in NOC TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3. And your experience must have been in the same primary occupation as you identified in your Express Entry profile. Please note: Work experience may consist of back-to-back jobs with the same or different employer(s) (with no gap in between), but at least one year must be in the same NOC occupation as your primary NOC declared in your Express Entry profile. Self-employment experience is eligible as well.

• Candidates applying through the CEC: Must have at least one year of cumulative, full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC, in the three years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP. It must have been gained in Canada in one or more of the occupations that you identified in your Express Entry profile. Please note: Paid work experience gained while studying full-time at a post-secondary institution (for example, on a co-op work term) and self-employment are not eligible under the CEC.

• Have a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report indicating that the foreign education is equivalent to a Canadian credential. You must authorize the organization doing your ECA to share the results with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
• Demonstrate an English or French language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies (speaking, reading, writing, and listening). Language proficiency must be proved by test results from designated testing agencies taken within the two years prior to submitting the application to the OINP.
• Intend to reside in Ontario by providing documentation demonstrating ties to the province.
• Hold legal status in Canada (and maintain it until the time of nomination) if residing in Canada when applying. The OINP accepts applications submitted while on maintained status.

• Possess sufficient funds and/or income to cover settlement costs for themselves and their dependent family members (whether or not the family members are accompanying the applicant). Applicants can meet the settlement funds requirement through one or a combination of the following:
  • Proof of funds as demonstrated by bank statements or statements of accounts showing other investments, such as fixed-term deposits and mutual funds, that can be readily converted to cash.
  • Proof of having annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario; and/or
  • Having a job offer in Ontario.
  • You can also use a combination of your job offer and savings to meet the desired funds requirements e.g. $30,000 salary and $6,000 in savings.
• List established ties to Ontario (employment, education, volunteer work, lease agreements, etc.) Provide a statement of intent if no ties exist.
• Residing in Ontario with legal status, not another province, while applying from inside Canada must show legal status and keep that status until receiving a nomination (i.e., study permit, work permit, visitor record) OR apply outside of Canada.

Application Process

You must have a valid Express Entry profile to be eligible to apply for the Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream. The application process involves the following steps:

• Satisfy the Federal Skilled Worker Class’s or Canadian Experience Class’s eligibility criteria.
• Create an Express Entry profile.
• The OINP searches the Express Entry pool and identifies candidates who may meet the eligibility criteria of the Human Capital Priorities Stream.
• Receive a NOI letter from the OINP.
• Apply to the OINP under the Human Capital Priorities Stream within 45 calendar days after receiving a NOI from Ontario.
• If nominated, candidates obtain a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination by email. Candidates have 30 calendar days to accept the Express Entry system nominations.
• If a nomination is accepted, Express Entry candidates are awarded 600 CRS points and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence at a future draw from the pool.
• Submit an application for Canadian permanent residence to IRCC within 60 days of receiving the ITA.

Fees & Processing Time

• The associated fee for the Human Capital Priorities Stream is $1,500 CAD.
• The estimated processing period for Human Capital Priorities stream applications spans approximately 70 to 100 days.

Draw Updates

To see a list of all draws, visit this page on OINP’s website. 

Last year, OINP issued 17,502 Notifications of interest for the HCP stream through 14 rounds. All of these were targeted draws, focusing on health care, tech occupations. The minimum CRS scores ranged from 350-479.