Ontario continues busy 2018 with new Express Entry invitations

Ontario has issued another 95 Express Entry candidates with invitations to apply for a provincial nomination through its Skilled Trades and French-Speaking Skilled Workers streams. (Pixabay photo)

Ontario has issued another 95 Express Entry candidates with invitations to apply for a provincial nomination through its Skilled Trades and French-Speaking Skilled Workers streams.

The new invitation rounds took place May 2 and 3 and are the fifth that Ontario has held in each stream since the end of March.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) said the 59 Express Entry candidates invited in this round through the Skilled Trades Stream submitted their Express Entry profiles between January 1, 2018, and May 2, 2018.

The 36 invited through the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream submitted their Express Entry profile between January 1, 2018, and May 3, 2018.

There is no minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement for either streams.

Ontario has now issued 604 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) through Ontario’s Skilled Trades Stream since the start of 2018 and 420 through its French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream.

Ontario has also issued 2,587 NOIs since the start of 2018 to Express Entry candidates through its Human Capital Priorities Stream.

Ontario says it will continue issuing NOIs to candidates in the federal Express Entry pool who qualify for one of Ontario’s Express Entry streams “on a regular basis.”

The Skilled Trades Stream is for skilled workers with a valid Express Entry profile who qualify for the Canadian Experience Class and have work experience in an eligible skilled trade.

The French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream was launched in 2015 to target French-speaking Express Entry candidates who qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker Class or the Canadian Experience Class and who have sufficient English language abilities (CLB 6 or higher).

There are also unique provincial criteria for both streams.

Express Entry candidates who are issued a NOI by Ontario and receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points, leaving them well positioned to receive an Invitation to Apply, or ITA, in a later Express Entry draw.

Express Entry candidates who received an NOI in this latest invitation round have 45 calendar days from the date the NOI letter was issued to submit an online application to the OINP.

The first step to pursuing any of Ontario’s Express Entry-linked streams is to submit a profile to the federal Express Entry pool.