WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program International Students
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA What do I, as an international student, need to know? • What does Opportunities Ontario offer? • Under which stream of the International Student category can I apply? • Who is eligible under each stream? • How do I apply? • What happens if I am approved? 2
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA What does Opportunities Ontario offer? • A pathway to permanent residence in Ontario • Fast-tracking of permanent residence application by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) 3
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA Why choose Opportunities Ontario? • No work experience requirement • No points system • No job offer requirement for PhD and Masters graduates • No language testing for international students applying with a job offer or as PhD graduates • Provincial Nominees receive priority processing from CIC 4
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA Opportunities Ontario CIC Apply to Opportunities Apply to CIC Ontario Opportunities Ontario CIC Selects (CEC, Point Nominates (Selects) System etc.) Apply to CIC CIC Checks Admissibility CIC Checks Admissibility Permanent Resident Visa Permanent Resident Visa 5
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA International student category Without a job offer: PhD Graduate Stream allows PhD graduates from an 1. Ontario publicly funded university to apply to live permanently in Ontario. Pilot Masters Graduate Stream allows international 2. Masters students who are graduates of (from an Ontario publicly funded university (or in their last semester of the program) to apply to live permanently in Ontario. 6
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA International student category – Cont’d With a Job Offer: 3. Students with a Job Offer Stream allows students who have graduated from a publicly funded Canadian college or university to apply to live permanently in Ontario, if their employer has recruited them for a permanent, full-time position in a profession or skilled trade. *Requires that employer apply to the program first for approval. 7
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA 1. PhD graduate stream Who is eligible? PhD students • who intend to live permanently in Ontario • who have graduated, or successfully completed degree requirements: – at a publicly funded university in Ontario, – with at least two years of their PhD studies completed at an Ontario university • must apply within two years of the date their PhD degree was granted • must have legal status, if they are in Canada 8
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA 2. Pilot Masters graduate stream Who is eligible? Masters students • who intend to live permanently in Ontario • who have graduated, or will soon be graduating, from an existing Masters program – at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario – that is a minimum of one academic year degree program, on a full- time basis • can apply within two years of the date on which their Masters degree was granted, or during the last semester of completing their degree • must be currently be residing in Ontario • must have legal status in Canada 9
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA 2. Pilot Masters graduate stream - Cont’d • Masters students need to demonstrate – high official language proficiency – (For English language proficiency – IELTS – General test with a minimum score of 7 or higher) (For French language proficiency – TEF – with a minimum score of 5 or higher) – a minimum level of savings/income to support themselves and their dependants – at least one year of residence in Ontario in the past two years – to not have further studies as their main activity in the province (e.g., pursuing a PhD or another degree/diploma). 10
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA How to apply? • Graduate nominees submit a Nominee Application Form* for International PhD/Masters Graduates directly to Opportunities Ontario for approval • If approved by Opportunities Ontario, the PhD/Masters student nominees submit their permanent residence application to CIC (link to Immigrating as a Provincial Nominee section of www.cic.gc.ca) • CIC to conduct health, security and criminality checks, if no concerns, CIC grants permanent residence *International Student PhD/Masters Graduate Application Form and Nominee Application Guide are available on Opportunities Ontario website (link to Forms and Guides section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca) 11
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA 3. With job offer stream Who is eligible? • International students who have graduated within the past two years or are completing their last semester at a publicly funded Canadian college or university • All students must have completed at least half of their qualifying studies in Canada • Students must have legal status, if they are in Canada • Students must have an offer of permanent and full-time employment from an Ontario employer 12
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA What programs are eligible? For international students applying under the job offer stream the following programs are eligible: • Full-time diploma or degree programs (minimum of 2 years) • One-year post-graduate degree programs and certificate programs, for which a previous degree or diploma is a pre- requisite, are also eligible Part-time studies and preparatory college programs do not qualify 13
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA What are the job requirements? The job offer must be: • for a job in Ontario • permanent and full-time • at least at the entry level wage* • in managerial, professional or skilled trade occupation The job offer does not have to be related to your field of study *To learn what people are paid in various occupations across Canada, visit www.workingincanada.gc.ca 14
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA Examples of eligible occupations: • managerial occupations such as health care managers, and computer/information systems managers (National Occupational Classification - NOC - O) • occupations (e.g. nurses, system analysts) that usually require university education (NOC A) • occupations (e.g. medical radiation technologists, carpenters) that usually require college education or apprenticeship training (NOC B) 15
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA Employer eligibility criteria Employers are eligible if they: • have been in active business for the past 3 years • have at least 3 full-time permanent employees (5 for employers in the GTA) • meet the minimum gross revenue criteria of $500,000 ($1 million for employers in the GTA) • have business premises in Ontario 16
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA How to get your employer interested • Know the Program - it is up to you to convince your employer to take part • Research the Program – so that you can provide your employer with all the important information • Let the employer know their pre-screen application process is free • Direct your employer to the www.ontarioimmigration.ca website 17
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA How to apply? Step 1: Employers submit a Pre-screen Application to Opportunities Ontario requesting positions for which the employer would like to recruit a foreign national. Applications will be processed on a first- come-first-served basis (link to Employer section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca) Step 2: The individuals who have been recruited submit a nominee application package to the Opportunities Ontario program along with an application fee. Applications will be processed on a first-come-first- served basis (link to International Student section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca) Employer and Nominee eligibility criteria and Pre-screen Application Forms are available on Opportunities Ontario website 18
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA What happens if I am approved? • Similar to the PhD/Masters student nominee, the student nominee with a job offer submits their permanent residence application to CIC within six months of receiving written notice of the approval from Opportunities Ontario • All prospective nominees in Canada should consider applying for a post-graduation work permit 19
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA How to Contact Us 1-866-214-6820 (toll-free in North America) 416-327-0374 Opportunities.Ontario@ontario.ca Opportunities Ontario: Study, Work, Stay @OntMCI 20
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