Ontario has invited 138 international students to apply for a provincial nomination in its first International Student stream draw.

Canadian immigration candidates under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), who had submitted their profiles in Ontario’s new Expression of Interest (EOI) intake system, were invited to apply for a Canadian provincial nomination.

Applicants needed an Expression of Interest score of at least 77 points to successfully obtain invitations to apply for a Canadian provincial nomination from Ontario.

Ontario’s new migrant intake system is part of the Employer Job Offer category. Applicants belonging to the Ontario International Student stream of this category can apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario for Canadian immigration.

Foreign nationals who have an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario can qualify for the Ontario International Student stream of the Employer Job Offer category, and must register their EOI profile to apply.

Ontario’s provincial government then ranks candidates based on the information submitted in the registration portal, with points being awarded on factors such as the skill level of the job offer, working experience, education, wage and official language ability of the applicants.

Registered applicants are also given points on their applications based on the region in which they intend to study or work, and on their ability to contribute to their region’s labour market needs.

Candidates who are identified as having the potential to thrive after immigrating to Canada are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario, which they can then show to the Canadian federal government to apply for a Canadian visa.

International students who are residing in Canada as well as those outside the country can apply for this immigration stream, and travel to Canada with permanent residency in the country.