Ontario Provincial Nominee Program invites foreign employees with job offers in rural communities

Ontario held its first PNP draw targeting candidates with the job provided in three rural communities. Ontario invited 64 skilled employees to apply for a provincial nomination on May 25.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced the invitations to immigration applicants who had a profile in the Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Invited candidates were requested for the Regional Immigration Pilot. They may now assign for the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream.

This is the third EOI draw Ontario has held since it established the new application intake system in April. It is also the first draw of its kind since Ontario established the Regional Immigration Pilot in 2020.

What is the Regional Immigration Pilot?

Although Ontario is the most famous destination for new immigrants, like the rest of Canada, the province problems to attract newcomers to rural areas.

The Regional Immigration Pilot was established to help address labor shortages in some of these communities. It allows the province to allocate 150 nominations in 2021 to three rural areas: Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, and Quinte West/Belleville. These municipalities demonstrated to the province that they have labor shortages in skilled professions, and the knowledge to help newcomers get settled.

If you are qualified for any of the OINP Employer Job Offer streams and your full-time job offer is in one of the involved communities, you may be able to get a provincial nomination through the pilot.

There are three Employer Job Offer categories:

• Overseas Employee Stream for Skilled Workers in Ontario;
• International Student Stream, for international students with skilled job applications.
• In-Demand Skills Stream, for workers in professions that have labor shortages in Ontario.

Some nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a leading asset when applying for Canadian immigration. PNPs (Provincial Nominee Program) demonstrate to the federal government that this candidate supports regional labor market needs. The federal government has the final say on all Canadian immigration applications, but the majority of provincial candidates are approved for permanent residency.

The pilot is scheduled to operate for two years before being reviewed. It may be extended or terminated depending on its performance.