The McGuinty Government’s Pilot Provincial Nominee Program is now open to international students from Canadian colleges and universities who have a job offer from an Ontario employer.  The expansion makes it easier for international students to immigrate and allows Ontario to retain the best and the brightest after graduation.  Other changes to the Pilot Provincial Nominee Program make it easier for small employers outside the GTA to attract skilled workers in a number of occupations in the health, education, manufacturing and construction sectors.

What the Provincial Nominee Program Does

Provincial Nominee Programs allow provinces to select a limited number of immigrants based on provincial priorities.  Ontario’s pilot program has two categories:

Employer Category:

• Allows eligible Ontario employers to meet labour needs in 20 specific occupations in the health, education, manufacturing and construction sectors.
• Enables Ontario employers to recruit international students to work in their field of study who have completed college or university studies in Canada.

Multinational Investor Category:

• Allows companies making significant investments in the province to bring in key employees who will contribute to the investment’s long-term success. 

More International Students Eligible

International students who graduate from a Canadian college or university can now apply to the program if they have a job offer from an Ontario employer for a position related to their field of study. 

More than 35,000 international students are currently enrolled in post-secondary institutions in Ontario – 28,500 in universities and 6,700 in colleges. 

Note:   International students must fulfill their return obligations, if any, before they may apply to the Pilot PNP.

Small Regional Employers Eligible

The eligibility criteria have expanded so that smaller employers outside the GTA can take part in the program.  This will help regional communities share in the economic benefits of immigration.  To qualify, employers outside the GTA will now be required to have $500,000 in revenue and three full-time employees, compared with $1 million in revenue and five employees before.

How the Program Works

For both employer and multinational investor categories, employers apply to the program to have positions approved.  Once this approval has been granted, employers nominate applicants with the relevant education, training and experience for the positions.  Individuals – including international students – must obtain a job offer from a pre-approved employer before they can apply to the program.

Successful nominees receive work permits and are nominated by the provincial government to have their application for permanent residence fast-tracked by the federal immigration department.  

Applying to the Pilot Provincial Nominee Program

• Information on the eligibility criteria for employers and application forms are available at http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/english/pnp.asp.  
• Individuals – including international students – obtain the nominee application package from the employer offering them a job.
• A non-refundable processing fee of $200 is charged to international students.  Other nominee applicants are charged $2,000.

For more information on Ontario’s pilot Provincial Nominee Program, call 1-866-214-6820.

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For media enquiries, contact:
Daphne Shih, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-3460
Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications Branch, (416) 314-7010

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