Ontario invited 479 candidates from the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian immigration.
The candidates were invited between two draws of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held on August 18, 2021, to apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario.
402 OINP applicants were invited from the Masters Graduate stream, with a minimum Expression of Interest (EOI) score requirement of 39 points.
77 OINP candidates from the PhD Graduate stream were also invited in a later draw, with an EOI score requirement of at least 17 points for this invitation round.
The inaugural invitation draws for the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams of the OINP were held nearly two weeks after Ontario expanded its immigrant intake system to include the two Graduate streams for the OINP.
The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are operated under Ontario’s Expression of Interest system.
To apply for Canadian immigration under the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams, applicants must sign up with Ontario’s e-Filling Portal, and register an EOI profile.
Afterwards, eligible applicants are issued invitations to apply (ITAs) for a provincial nomination by Ontario’s provincial government.
Candidates who are invited by Ontario to apply for a provincial nomination must do so within two years of graduating.
In addition, having an existing job offer is not mandatory for candidates applying for Canadian immigration under the Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams.
Ontario ranks the EOI profiles of immigration candidates based on several human capital factors, including age, education, work experience, skill level, official language ability, and the region where they study or work.
This allows Ontario’s provincial government to identify immigration candidates who are best equipped to thrive in Ontario following Canadian immigration.
Ontario also allocates 10 points at its discretion to OINP applicants under the Graduate streams to respond to the province’s labour market needs.
