Ontario invited 773 Express Entry candidates working in targeted occupations to apply for a provincial nomination on 22nd February. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates who were eligible for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP). These candidates needed to have a profile in the Express Entry system with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 455 and 600.
Candid needed to have at least one year of work experience in the following targeted occupations listed below by NOC code:
- NOC 0114 – Other administrative services managers
- NOC 0122 – Banking, credit and other investment managers
- NOC 0124 – Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
- NOC 0125 – Other business services managers
- NOC 0211 – Engineering managers
- NOC 0311 – Managers in health care
- NOC 0601 – Corporate sales managers
- NOC 0631 – Restaurant and food service managers
- NOC 0711 – Construction managers
- NOC 0731 – Managers in transportation
- NOC 0911 – Manufacturing managers
- NOC 1121 – Human resources professionals
- NOC 1122 – Professional occupations in business management consulting
- NOC 2161 – Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
- NOC 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 3211 – Medical laboratory technologists
- NOC 3231 – Opticians
- NOC 3233 – Licensed practical nurses
Those who received an invitation now have 45 calendar days to submit their application for Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Canada has not held an Express Entry draw for anyone but PNP candidates since September 2021. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has not given a firm date as to when draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates will resume, but recently told business leaders that it would be in the “near future.”
Since then, only PNP candidates have been invited. In all of 2021, Express Entry candidates in Ontario with scores of more than 467 were not invited to apply for a nomination. As a result, some candidates were trying to reduce their scores in the pool in order to get a nomination from Ontario.
According to the new 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan Canada is expecting to bring in 83,500 immigrants through both Express Entry-aligned and base PNP categories this year. The new targets are greater than what the government projected in the last levels plan, which was 81,500 PNP immigrants for 2022, and 83,000 for 2023.
This is Ontario’s biggest HCP draw of the year, and it has the largest range of eligible Express Entry scores. There is a 145-point difference between the minimum score of 455 and the maximum of 600. Ontario’s biggest draw overall was on January 27, when the province invited 1,032 Skilled Trades Stream candidates, another Express Entry stream.
What is the benefit of having a PNP?
PNPs allow Canadian provinces to invite immigration candidates who meet the needs of their regional labour markets.
Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are effectively guaranteed to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. With a provincial nomination, candidates get 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points added to their base score, which is more than enough to receive an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.